Twenty Questions

I just thought it would be cool if we asked people 20 questions about how they became a fan. Here's some:

1. Do you remember the day?
2. What song were you listening to when it happened?
3. Do you remember where you were?
4. Did you see a video or hear a song first?
5. When did you get your first album?
6. What was your first album?
7. Have you been to a show yet?
8. If so, how many have you been to?
9. Do you have a favourite song?
10. Favourite album?
11. Favourite band member (if any)
12. Why do you like said band member?

If you can think of any more questions, let me know :)

Part II--The Rest Of The Story

Okaaay, the mood in here is getting a little maudlin. Let's lighten things up a bit. And, fortunately, I have got a story that should make you chuckle a bit. Remember in my last post how I said getting the message to request "Something Beautiful" was a story in itself? Well, indeed it is, and here is that story.

So there we were, five fangirls on the the loose in Seattle, about to see a GBS show, excited and thrilled by it all. Jamie, annathepiper, Kate, Elane, and me. We had approximately two hours to kill before the show, and most of us had never met the others in person before. We all knew each other from the 'Net, but that was all. Someone (I didn't discover who until later; it was Jamie.) conceived the idea that, since the day before had been GBS's 18th "bandiversary", we should give them a cake. By the time I heard about it, two or three people were discussing it excitedly and it seemed like a grand idea to me.

OK. So we are on foot; we walk to a local supermarket featuring a bakery and ask them if they could pipe letters on a cake and, if so, how long it would take. They say, about 15-20 minutes. We say, perfect, and go to pick out our cake. We finally settle on a 1/4 sheet cake after seeing the label saying "Chocolate" (even though it had white icing and somewhat incongruous red roses). Chocolate is good.

So we decide on "Happy 18th Bandiversary!!", with some argument over the spelling of "bandiversary", and hand our cake and the writing in. We ask for pink and green lettering, but the lady behind the counter says she can't guarantee what color icing they have, so we say, OK, whatever you got is fine. And we wait. And wait.

Finally, she hands us a perfectly blank cake with pink roses on it this time and a can of red icing and says "Bandiversary" was too long and she couldn't do it. If we want that lettering, we are going to have to do it ourselves. You are kidding. Seriously? None of us has any experience AT ALL decorating cakes. None. Zip. Not even writing "Happy Birthday" on a kid's birthday cake.

We look at each other in bewilderment. But Jamie bravely volunteers. A different (and slightly more helpful) bakery lady assures that the red icing we were given is going to come out too thick, and we should use something different. So she comes up with some pink gel from the store's shelf. Jamie bends over the cake, and with deep concentration, spells out "Bandiversary". Next, she does "Happy". But she runs out of gel. And the bakery lady has disappeared, and we don't know where she got this gel from. And we can't find any more. So the "18th" part is done in red icing, which turns out not to be too thick for numbers. So the lettering is done in two colors. But at least it's mostly legible, if slightly spastic. It was the best we could do. (Picture of cake at top of blog)

So in triumph we pay for the cake and off we go. The theatre where the tour bus is parked is about three blocks away from this bakery. We are prepared to be very obnoxious to get the band to open up the tour bus if we have to. We are going to stand outside the tour bus and sing "Happy Birthday" very loudly if that's what it takes to get them to open the bus. But we didn't have to. Kris MacFarlane, the drummer, was sitting in the driver's seat, with his feet propped up on the wheel, doing a crossword puzzle or something. Since I was carrying the cake, I knocked politely on the door and handed it to him. I explained that the store wouldn't decorate it for us and that it was the best we could do. That night, on stage, Alan thanked us for the gift.

I'm sure he busted a gut when he saw it. The only reason it isn't a Cakewreck is because we aren't professionals.

Now, about the message requesting "Something Beautiful": I was wearing a hoodie with a front pocket. The note was in that front pocket. Since I was the one carrying the cake (entirely by coincidence), I slipped it in on top of the cake. None of the other girls knew about it. Presumably the guys read the note while they ate their cake. I know Alan changed the set list after he had already made it up because "Captain Wedderburn" is crossed out and "Beautiful" is written in by hand.

So there you go. I told you it was a story in itself. And wasn't I right?

a reply to 'something beautiful indeed'

I was going to write this as a comment, but I think its too long to be a comment.


You just brought tears to my eyes Sara. Those first few days, the first week actually was like a living nightmare. I felt like I was in hell. I was tired, but I couldn't sleep. Hungry, but I couldn't eat. I was like a zombie. I didn't know one person could cry as much as I did. I have tried to move on, but there are still some days that I can't believe she is gone.


When I saw that video, the tears started all over again. During the first few days after Wolf's death, the song 'Something Beautiful' was the only thing that kept me going. I honestly did not know how I was going to get through it. Some people told me to just get over it. Well, that's easier said than done, and I'm sure that those of you reading this, that have lost someone dear to them, know what I mean. Those words soothed me, and helped me find peace and come to terms with Wolf/Jen's death. It ended up resulting in one of the best blog posts I've ever written. 


Hearing those words again did my heart good, even though tears were streaming down my face. It felt like the guys understood the kind of hell that we had gone through; the loss of a good friend, for that's why the song was written in the first place. The guys had lost three close friends to cancer within a span of seven months. Wolf never had cancer, but the sudden shock of her death hurt no less than losing someone when you know they aren't going to make it.


Sara, thanks for sharing that. I think Wolf would be proud of how well we're carrying on.

Something Very Beautiful, Indeed...

Awhile back, I promised to tell why "Something Beautiful" has recently earned a special place in my heart, and I think it's time to make good on that promise. A dear friend, who I only knew as Wolf Whitewater on Facebook, quite suddenly passed away on January 29 of this year. It was completely unexpected and extremely heart-wrenching. Both I and my fellow admin, Krista, had been particularly close to her, and found the loss almost more than we could bear. I can't speak exactly for Krista, since she is physically so many miles away, but the first few days were full of a wild woe for me. I barely slept and didn't eat at all the first day. As you might know, the album "Something Beautiful" was written after several of the band members' friends died in a short period. It was written out of grief, to reassure themselves that there was still some light ahead. And nowhere do you see that more than in the title track. Krista and I found that "Something Beautiful" helped us grieve for Wolf (her given name was Jennifer, but I still think of her as Wolf), and indeed still helps us. That brings us to the March 12 show in Seattle. I determined to ask Alan to sing "Something Beautiful" in Wolf's memory. I managed to get a message to the band (that in itself is a story--perhaps Part II?), saying how Wolf had been inspired by Alan to sing, play mandolin and guitar and was about to learn bodhran, like Sean, but passed before it arrived in the mail. She never set eyes on it. (This is all true, by the way. She saw the way Alan delighted in the music and wanted that same fierce joy for herself.) I asked if they would perform "Something Beautiful" in her memory--that it would mean a lot if they did, and signed it. I thought if they did do it--IF--Alan would simply say "By request". Instead he said, "This song is for Sara, and for some of us who can't be here tonight." Another friend videotaped it, since I almost didn't believe it happened. He made me cry--a lot. The set list--which I saw later, showed that they had been going to play "Captain Wedderburn", but it had been crossed out, and "Something Beautiful" had been put in its place at the last minute. So that is why "Something Beautiful" means more to me than ever, and I'm sure Wolf smiled down when she heard that song. Cheers, Sara

and the sea he commands...

The son (or actually the grandson) of a sailor sing the titletrack of his new song at sea. Lovely song, great voice and amazing guitar play.

Make some noise for Sean McCann

Sorry I've been a bit busy for the last few days so the poll is still not up but it will be within the week. Again if you got any ideas what the first poll should be on drop us a note - here, on the mail, on fb or twitter (we are everywhere - uuuuhh) ;)

But know to the real reason I stopped in, Sean McCann is posting videos from his Ship and Dip show these days.. Here are the first two :) and you gotta love Alan's introduction of his friend - this sweet!!!

I'll try and keep you updated - but if I am too slow for you hardcore fans out there, you can find the vids at Sean's youtube channel greatbigsean :)

Cheers

Karina

the card

So, I tweeted the finished card to Alan today. This is what it looks like:

And this was his tweet, shortly thereafter:

I think he liked the card :)

Update on the card

I've decided to extend the deadline of the card til 12 am Wednesday. Email us or leave us a comment on this post if you want your name added. Cheers.

A Get Well Card for Alan

Of course, the card is a lot bigger than this. If you want your name 'signed' to the card, let us know by commenting here, or dropping us a line at the email address provided on the site.

Last chance to sign the card this Saterday (april 9th) at 12 am Newfoundland time.

new blog from alan, posted today

TOUR DIARY -- APRIL 5, 2011 -- ST. JOHN’S -- IN BED

OK, it’s day 5 of lying in bed and the novelty has worn off. Who knew that lying down for this long could be so exhausting? Might as well make the best of it. This repose affords me an opportunity to comment on things that I normally go unnoticed by Yours Truly.

For example, I have watched more Daytime TV these past few days than all the previous days combined. Regis and Kelly have a great chemistry. Regis I particular is the last of dying breed of Entertainers. Not hosts, or singers, or actors, or reality show celebs, but Entertainers. That guy could keep a show or concert or event moving smoothly along during a volcano. Cinders and ash could be running down the steps of the studio or theatre and that guy would still drop a funny one liner while singing a song and interviewing a kid with a dog doing stupid pet tricks. Truly old school in the best way.

I wish the Ladies on The View would not all talk at the same time. Eva Langoria is on there now. I shook her hand at the Robin Hood premiere in Cannes. Is it unfair that some people are just better looking than everyone else?

Ellen is really funny and quite possibly the best comedian on a regular scheduled show. Very appealing attractive person.

Every news show and talk show today has done an extended segment on Dancing with the Stars. Wow. This bed rest should give me a chance to listen to radio, watch TV and read magazines to catch up on pop culture. Dancing with the Stars defies me. I should say that I have never watched that show. Now, not like a singing or a music Idol show, where we “cool” folks like me won’t admit to watching it, but secretly have opinions about who should win. I mean honestly, full disclosure, I have never seen Dancing with the Stars. It comes on opposite hockey or something, I guess. There are many shows and bands and forms of thrill seeking and entertainment that I do not enjoy that others love. But very few that completely elude me like this program, while the rest of planet Earth is fascinated with every second of it. I can only assume that there is something wrong with me.

Can someone explain it to me? If you like dance shows, wouldn’t you watch really good dancers dance? Is there something thrilling about watching otherwise not that busy celebs compete at something they are not really that good at? Is t like attending a Charity Hockey game where musicians play against the pros? Is it a voting show? Is that it? People dig it because they are involved in the outcome some how? Fascinating to me. I would love to speak to a single person who likes this show. And I should not have to look very far as it is one of, if not the highest rated show on Earth.

Oops, back to the View. Who are the Real Housewives of New York? A reality show? They all talk at the same time too. Is that a pre-requisite for The View? Hmm.

Enjoying the Canadian Election coverage, I must say. Though, unlike the US, Canada is seriously suffering through a drought of Political Stars. You know, dudes like Cretien or Trudeau, or Obama, or Mr or Mrs Clinton. Not one of the leaders of either party up here have the Star Power to take the country on his back. I miss that. I know I should be mature enough to vote for a party or a leader and his or her policies. I know I’m supposed to be smarter than to vote for a clever talker with a quick wit who smiles at the right time for the camera. But I can’t help it. These dudes bore me a little bit.

Hey, how about Regis for Prime Minister.
Cheers, Alan

just sharing Alan's latest FTR, as an update on his health :)

here's Alan's blog, from April 1st.

TOUR DIARY -- APRIL 1, 2011 -- HOME

I am quitting music to pursue a career in Politics.

April Fools.

Everything else in this blog should be somewhat accurate.

Thanks for the great Sold Out closing show in Colorado Springs. Such an awesome way to wind up the whole Safe Upon the Shore Tour.

Currently, resting at home and not doing a whole bunch of anything. As some of you know, I re-injured an old chink in the armour early in the last tour.

The result is I have get a wee bit of maintenance on the old back and rest and rehab for a number of weeks. The biggest reason I mention all this here is that a few shows and events will be affected. And I’d feel terrible if any of you folks made plans assuming I’d be somewhere, when in fact I knew I would not. That would be uncool of me, so here’s a list of proposed and in some cases advertised public appearances that I, with apologies, cannot attend.

I am supposed to play tonight at a Fundraiser in St John’s for The Children’s Center but I cannot make the call. Likewise the Company Theatre Fundraiser in Toronto in early May will have to excuse me.

My biggest regret is that I’ll have to bow out of the proposed shows in May in LA with Russell and a host of others. I was looking forward to that time especially as we’d get to share some tunes from the Crowe Doyle Songbook in some cool and intimate environments.

The sum total of it all is that I have to lay low, professionally speaking, for the entirety of April and May. The maintenance I spoke of is quite simple, as far as back stuff goes, and there is every indication that I should be better than ever by the month of June.

As the old Skipper in Petty Harbour always said, when asked about his health or the weather or any general state of affairs,

‘Could be Worser’.

Thanks for your patience and understanding in all of this. I look forward to the GBS dates coming up in the Summer months. More than ever.

Cheers,
Alan

Wishing wells!

I found out a few hours ago that Alan Doyle is going under the knife - for what we guess to be problems with his back. This means the gigs that he was meant to do with Russell Crowe and TOFOG in LA are cancelled but as far as we know the Great Big Sea show in St. John's this summer are still on.

We will keep you updated on news as we get them on this subject offcouse untill then - all of our best wishes goes out to Alan and his speedy recovery!

Cheers

the admins.

Johnny Reid~Hands Of A Working Man

This has an intro, and a explanation of his inspiration for this song.

Johnny Reid - Hands of a Working Man

I just had to share this with all of you. Seconding Karina's recommendation of Johnny Reid. <3

A Great Big world of Music!

This is a follow-up post to recommend a bit more music - cause there are just so much great stuff out there just waiting to be found, heard and enjoyed.

Today it is my turn to come up with some great artist I think is worth a listen and I've gotta watch myself here cause my love of music might run runaway with me ;) But before I get started on my list I just have to second my co-admin Krista in a few of her choices: Scott Grimes is really an amzing singer aswell as actor, Michelle Doyle's got the voice of an angel and The Irish Descendants are just amazing.

And now for my own list:

Russell Crowe and TOFOG. If you don't already know I am a huge Russell fan and I have been so for longer that I have been a Great Big Sea fan, but not only is Crowe an amazing actor (Gladiator, Robin Hood, Beautiful Mind) he is also a great musician. I first began to listen to his music around 2003 when I bought Virtousity a long time after it's release and saw him doing This Photograph kills since then I was hooked on his music too. The weight of a man is my favourite Russell song which he co-wrote with Alan Doyle - take a listen and see why:

Russell's wife Danielle Spencer is also a singer and she's got an amazing soft voice. I reccomend you look her up to. My favourite song of her's is Wish I'd been here.

A band I also wanna recommend is a band I have been listening to since I was a kid because of my mom. The name of the band is Runrig and the are from Scotland. I didn't really begin to love tha band untill around 2000 when the band changed lead vocalist. Runrigs music is deeply rooted in Scotland but got a bit of a rock sound mixed in with the old folk sound. Runrig takes pride in the old Gaelic language and atleast two songs on every album is gaelic while the rest is english offcourse. I have chosen you should have the opportunity to listen to one of the gaelic ones because it is one of the most beautiful fairytale like languages I've ever heard in my life. This song is called A Reiteach

The next artist I have chosen is a very natural choice since he is the "new" lead vocalist of Runrig. His name is Bruce Guthro and unlike the rest of the band he is not scottish. Bruce is born on Cape Breton island, Nova Scotia and he he never moved far. He now lives in Halifax with his wife and two kids. Bruce Guthro's only condition for joining Runrig way back when was that he would still be allow to make solo records and so he does. The Guthros are another family where talent runs in their viens. On Bruce's new albums his now 19 year old son Dylan Guthro is credited as a songwriter and he as preformed with his dad on numorous occasions since then. Here is father and son singing Rush

Another cool sing about Great Big Sea is that I through them have been introduced to a bunch of amazing artist and because of them I am as Sean McCann would put is been Corb'd, which to those you don't follow the shanty-man on twitter mean that I am a fan of Corb Lund. He is another great canadian (form Alberta) musician and if you don't know him already - look him up! This is him singing The truth comes out

And will we are on the country sounding stuff - Johnny Reid is another guy you need to check out if you don't already know him - thanks to my co-admin Krista I've really gotten into his music. This is my favourite song of his.

Now for a change in style. Jazz has always been close to my heart and my favourite young jazz artist is without a doubt in my mind Katie Melua - listen to Spider's Web.
Staying on female artist Sara Bareilles is amazing too - look her King of Anything up if for no other reason that her amazing voice and the piano play, which is to die for. Besides it is a song that describes me very well I might add.

Now for a few danish artists I think you should take a look at and I am staying with the females for now. Hush is a great band and lyrics are in english. This is my favourite song of theirs

Agnes Obel is another amazing danish singer. She lives in Germany and sings in english. Listen to her Just so!

And now to the men! The Romour Said Fire are the band behind the absolute best song to come out of Denmark last year. Listen to The Balcony.

Soren Huss of Saybia has got one of the most amazing voices in Denmark and this is my favourite song by the band. It is called The second you Sleep

This was it for now! Hope you got inspired to look up some more songs by a few of these bands.

Cheers

Karina <3

Do you wanna help?

Do you like writing? Have you seen a show you are dying to do a review on? Wanna share an opinion about the winner of the poll? (which will be up and running soon - you my(Karina) word on that. Do you have a story about how you meet the band (or some of it's members)? Or something else entirely?

We don't claim do own anything you write and wanna share here, which means you are free to publish it on your own blog aswell.

Credits will be given and we'll gladly link to your twitter page or/and your blog if you want us too.

Everything will be read by all of the admins before being posted on the blog - since we are responsible for what is posted.

So drop us a note either on Facebook, Twitter or you can send us an e-mail on greatbigseaoffans@gmail.com if you wanna guest-blog or if you just have questions about doing so. Cheers. The creator and the admins.

Musical Recommendations

Of course, Great Big Sea is not the only other band we like here at GBSofFans.

In fact, there are many other bands that we love. This admin (Krista) recommends:

The Punters. I first heard the Punters when I was very young. The band is now comprised of Larry Foley and Pat Moran, and they do mostly cover tunes, although it can be noted that there are some originals. When Alan produced the Punters album Songs for A Sunday Morning in 2006, this blogger's interest in the band was re-piqued. Definitely a band to listen to if you like Newfoundland Music.

The following video is one of mine, from April of last year, at O'Reilly's on George Street.

Gaelic Storm. One of my closest and dearest friends turned me on to the music of Gaelic Storm. I had heard some of their music before, through Great Big Sea, but when I saw a video of theirs on YouTube, I was hooked forever. A list of the current members can be found here.

The video is from Ships and Dip 3, and features Alan and Sean, as well as Carbon Leaf.

Scott Grimes. I always liked him as an actor, as one of my favourite shows used to be E.R. But when I heard him open his mouth and sing in 2010's Robin Hood, with Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Alan Doyle, and Kevin Durand, I was hooked. Had to find his music, and fast. Thanks to the wonderful Karina Frandsen, one of my fellow admins, and the creator of this blog, I have two of Scott's three albums, and have fallen even more in love with his music. This blogger's personal favourite is Drive. Here's some info from the wikipedia page on the album itself.

And here is my favourite video from that album, called Hide.

Cory Tetford.  He is one half of the duo Crush, who have not released an album since Face In The Crowd,  in 2003. Despite that though, this blogger is still a fan of Cory's amazing voice which is a combination of blues and gospel. Not surprising since he grew up as the youngest of three sons of a Pentecostal Pastor. It is said Crush always closed their shows with Amazing Grace, which was a favourite of Cory's mother, who passed away when he was a teenager.

The video is of Cory singing Proud Mary.

Michelle Doyle. If the last name sounds familiar, it's because it should. Michelle is the baby sister of Alan, and her vocal abilities blow me away. I first heard her sing on the song Alabama, when she did guest vocals for Barry Canning's 2003 album, Last Man Standing. After just a few seconds of hearing her voice, I knew that I needed more of her music, and thankfully, she released her own album sometime later, titled Michelle Doyle, and it was proudly produced by her big brother, Alan. 

Here's a clip of her singing the Etta James song, At Last. Enjoy.

Barry Canning. I have been a fan of Barry's for going on 10 years now. I first heard him at a Provincial Student Leadership Conference, in Glovertown. I immediately fell in love with his voice. I remember him singing the Neil Diamond song Sweet Caroline, and he got the whole crowd involved. It was fun. I don't know why I never bought that first album. But I did buy the second one, and am now Facebook friends with the man, and have seen him perform twice more since then. 

Here's a video I took at the Great Big Sea  Christmas show on December 28, 2010:

This is Alabama, done solo.

Shanneyganock. Another band from Newfoundland who is well known for their catchy songs, and the accordion playing of Mark Hiscock. One of their albums was produced by Bob Hallett, and it was titled Fling out the Flag. One of the songs on the album, my personal favourite, would be lead singer Chris Andrews' co-write with Alan, titled Roving Newfoundlander.

Here's a video of that song:

The Irish Descendants. This is a band that I have always loved. From the time I was a little girl, I loved their music. I recently attended one of their shows in Clarenville (where I currently reside), and got to talk to all the band members. You can read about the experience here.

Here's a video from when they played in Clarenville with lead singer Con O'Brien's brother Arthur's band, The Navigators, another band which you should check out!

I also recommend The Decemberists and Band from TV. Scott Grimes sometimes sings with them!

My second last recommendation before I sign off for the night is Billy Pettinger, known as Billy the Kid. I saw her open for Rex Goudie,  who I also will recommend (he finished second on Canadian Idol, to now ex-girlfriend Melissa O`Neil). Billy blew me away, and I bought her EP after the show. I fell in love with her music, and if you`re interested, you should definitely check her out!

She did a song here in Clarenville that was so new that she didn`t have a name for it. Lemme know what you think by visiting my YouTube channel and commenting on her video! Thanks!

And last, but most certainly not least, Rex Goudie. I fell in love with him and his music the minute I saw him on Canadian Idol. Still love his music now, and have all three of his albums. Finally saw him perform in December, here in Clarenville, where I got to meet him afterwards. Here's a picture:

And here's my favourite song of that night, a cover of Blue Rodeo's After The Rain. Well done as always Rex, well done.

Hope you enjoy these recommendations. I'll share more some other time! Anything bolded is worth checking out as well :)

Cheers,

Krista <3