Covering Common Ground Program

For the past five years, the SJFAC has had special funding to present a Common Ground program at the folk festival. This year’s version featured representatives from the founding cultures of present-day Newfoundland and Labrador. I was delighted to be chosen to participate, alongside an excellent roster of local and visiting artists: Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, the Cavan Crowd and Seamus Creagh, Paul Pike, David Francey and Terry Tufts, SERRE L'ECOUTE, and Kelly Russell.

Although it's great to hear everybody's concert set on the main stage, the real heart of this initiative happens at the workshops, where 'common ground' can indeed be established. The informality and intimacy of the venue allow for sharing of jokes, stories, songs and tunes, and promote a feeling of camaraderie and community with the audience in the tent. Terry Tufts, photo by Rick West

Jean and I shared a fabulous workshop—“Two Heads Are Better Than One: Dynamic Duos"—with David Francey and Terry Tufts, and Nancy Kerr and James Fagan. The workshop started a little late in the mauzy Saturday morning weather. As several port-a-potties were strategically located next to the Oral Traditions tent, we had to wait patiently until the end of the noisy performance of a lone sewage sucker, in the key of F. Terry suggested that we do interpretive dance to keep the audience entertained while the "vati-cans" were being emptied (the mind boggles!), but luckily, before his suggestion could be carried out, the truck finished its duties and, with one last slurp, rumbled off. If the beginning of the workshop was mired in the ridiculous, the sublime was quickly achieved as Nancy took flight on her fiddle with some lively Northumbrian tunes. James gave us an emotionally wrenching rendition ofThe Drover's Boy, and David Francey honoured a request for The Belgrade Train.

After an hour of dodging raindrops, running between the Oral Traditions tent and the Traditional Instruments tent in a futile attempt not to miss anything, I was back onstage hosting another workshop—“Building Bridges: The Many Faces Of Our Culture.” Paul Pike, originally from Corner Brook, thrilled the audience with traditional versions of Miq' Maq songs and with his original songs, which incorporate traditional Miq' Maq elements. His rich and resonant voice was the perfect foil for the delicate Irish singing of Aoife Murray. Martin Donohoe, a virtuoso accordionist, managed to play tunes with a sense of humour rivaling that of Frank Maher. Lilting, or "gob music" was a skill much used in Newfoundland to accompany dancing, but sadly is quite rare now; it was a great pleasure to hear Seamus Fay lilt. Jean and I contributed some dance tunes from all corners of the Island. Serre L'Ecoute performed a French Newfoundland song they had learned just the night before from the recently released CD-ROM of Kenneth Peacock's Songs of the Newfoundland Outports. They were so excited when they realized that many of the songs on the CD were French -- they set about learning one especially for our workshop. SERRE L'ECOUTE may not have travelled the greatest distance to our festival, but they certainly went the extra mile.

L to R: Jason Whelan, Seamus Craegh, Kelly Russell, Liette Remon, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan; photo by Rick West

My only regret was that, as Jean and I had to fly to Ontario on Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t participate in the wonderful fiddle styles workshop with Seamus Creagh, Liette Remon, Nancy Kerr, and Kelly Russell. Leaving the task of representing Newfoundland fiddling traditions solely in Kelly's very capable hands, I made a mad dash for the airport.

Musician, teacher and researcher, Christina Smith often claims to be busier than an one-armed paper hanger, but she still found time to write this article—for this, the editors of the Broadside are deeply grateful.

For more festival photos, click here.

(back to table of contents)


	Covering Common Ground Program by Christina Smith The Broadside Vol 10. No. 2 October 2006

	For the past five years, the SJFAC has had special funding to present a Common Ground program at the folk festival. This year’s version featured representatives from the founding cultures of present-day Newfoundland and Labrador. I was delighted to be chosen to participate, alongside an excellent roster of local and visiting artists: Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, the Cavan Crowd and Seamus Creagh, Paul Pike, David Francey and Terry Tufts, SERRE L'ECOUTE, and Kelly Russell. Although it's great to hear everybody's concert set on the main stage, the real heart of this initiative happens at the workshops, where 'common ground' can indeed be established. The informality and intimacy of the venue allow for sharing of jokes, stories, songs and tunes, and promote a feeling of camaraderie and community with the audience in the tent. Jean and I shared a fabulous workshop—“Two Heads Are Better Than One: Dynamic Duos"—with David Francey and Terry Tufts, and Nancy Kerr and James Fagan. The workshop started a little late in the mauzy Saturday morning weather. As several port-a-potties were strategically located next to the Oral Traditions tent, we had to wait patiently until the end of the noisy performance of a lone sewage sucker, in the key of F. Terry suggested that we do interpretive dance to keep the audience entertained while the "vati-cans" were being emptied (the mind boggles!), but luckily, before his suggestion could be carried out, the truck finished its duties and, with one last slurp, rumbled off. If the beginning of the workshop was mired in the ridiculous, the sublime was quickly achieved as Nancy took flight on her fiddle with some lively Northumbrian tunes. James gave us an emotionally wrenching rendition ofThe Drover's Boy, and David Francey honoured a request for The Belgrade Train. After an hour of dodging raindrops, running between the Oral Traditions tent and the Traditional Instruments tent in a futile attempt not to miss anything, I was back onstage hosting another workshop—“Building Bridges: The Many Faces Of Our Culture.” Paul Pike, originally from Corner Brook, thrilled the audience with traditional versions of Miq' Maq songs and with his original songs, which incorporate traditional Miq' Maq elements. His rich and resonant voice was the perfect foil for the delicate Irish singing of Aoife Murray. Martin Donohoe, a virtuoso accordionist, managed to play tunes with a sense of humour rivaling that of Frank Maher. Lilting, or "gob music" was a skill much used in Newfoundland to accompany dancing, but sadly is quite rare now; it was a great pleasure to hear Seamus Fay lilt. Jean and I contributed some dance tunes from all corners of the Island. Serre L'Ecoute performed a French Newfoundland song they had learned just the night before from the recently released CD-ROM of Kenneth Peacock's Songs of the Newfoundland Outports. They were so excited when they realized that many of the songs on the CD were French -- they set about learning one especially for our workshop. SERRE L'ECOUTE may not have travelled the greatest distance to our festival, but they certainly went the extra mile. My only regret was that, as Jean and I had to fly to Ontario on Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t participate in the wonderful fiddle styles workshop with Seamus Creagh, Liette Remon, Nancy Kerr, and Kelly Russell. Leaving the task of representing Newfoundland fiddling traditions solely in Kelly's very capable hands, I made a mad dash for the airport. Musician, teacher and researcher, Christina Smith often claims to be busier than an one-armed paper hanger, but she still found time to write this article—for this, the editors of the Broadside are deeply grateful. For more festival photos, click here. (back to table of contents)