Seeger on Letterman

Pete Seeger just released a new album called "At 89".
His performance on Letterman a few days back is now on their website.

http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/live/index/php/966231.phtml?play=1
or
http://tinyurl.com/469hqr

If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.

Pete Seeger

'Red' Shea, 70: Influential folk guitarist

A recent Toronto Star had an obituary for Red Shea.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/441921

Those amazing early Lighfoot recordings featured Red Shea and John
Stockfish.

"Shea is universally credited with having been Lightfoot's most
distinctive and original supporting player, adding his lucid filigree
lead runs seamlessly into the famed singer's trademark finger-picking
patterns to produce fluid, layered textures and crystal overtones that
enhanced Lightfoot's recordings from 1966 through 1975. "

Red had an impact on a lot of today's performers. I have included a few
remberances that have been posted on Maplepost.

Hello to all Canadian folk musicians on Maplepost.

As a student and fan of (in my opinion) the best years of the Lightfoot
sound and recordings, it is with great regret, and personal sense of
immense loss, that I have to announce that Red Shea died this morning. I
wish I could add more at this time, but I am overcome by the loss of a
wonderful musician, teacher and humble, loving man who is, to me, the
essential quality of what makes Canadians wonderful.

Red and I last spoke a couple of weeks ago, and I thought there might be
time to do a benefit concert to celebrate his amazing contribution to
Canadian music, recording and broadcasting. Sadly, this was not be.

Here is the letter I sent to him on May 10, 2008, to which he replied:

Dear Mr. Shea,

I bumped into an extremely lovely young lady at Massey Hall last night.
She was standing beside Gord Lightfoot at the after-concert party with a
copy of one of his CD compilations in her hand. I didn't know the album
and asked her about it. As we chatted, I said to her that my hero in
Gord's band had always been Red Shea, the guitarist whose playing taught
me that there were chords above the third fret, and that known shapes in
new positions up there could be used to create solos and harmony passages.
"I learned Red's licks nearly note for note when I was in high school,"
I said.
"That's my dad," she replied.
I was thrilled. I told her about the Saturday afternoon back in 1968
when my friend Tom and I drove all the way up to Aurora from Toronto to
timidly knock on the door of our inspiration and guitar hero, Red Shea.
"We dropped in out of nowhere," I said, "and you father was very
gracious and kind to us."
I don't remember what you said to us, and it wouldn't have made any
difference in our state of delirium. We had met the man and he had
shaken our hands. That was as good as it could get.
Earlier in that same year, I had finally put together enough paper route
money to put a deposit on Martin D-18 at Long and McQuade's. Bob Abbott
took my Echo Ranger 12 and a Shure 664 in partial trade and I arranged
to pay the balance on time.
I worked lots of Gord's tunes out on that guitar, as well as many of
your licks. I took it to Trent University where my sister's friend of
the time, Stan Rogers, allowed me to sit in and play with him and Nigel
Russell. Stan turned to me (doesn't everyone have a Stan story?), eyed
up my new aquisition and asked if he could borrow the guitar and
fingerpicks.
Not yet knowing Stan's so-called sense of humour, I handed my instrument
and picks over. He played it for a while, then, satisfied, seemingly, he
returned the guitar to me. But not before taking off my fingerpicks and
dropping them, one by one, into the D-18.
That Martin is still with me after 40 years of playing. Under lifetime
warranty, it had a neck reset about 9 years ago. Time wore on and soon
the bridge plate began to bust out of the top. The action just kept
rising, and old Alice was better for slide work than finger style. Or
maybe for cutting cheese...
After some deliberation I decided to get Alice spruced up, so to speak,
and on my way down to Guitar Week at Swanannoa Gathering last summer, I
dropped her in at the factory in Nazareth. They agreed to put a new top
on her under warranty.
Alice wintered in Nazareth and the wizards in the restoration department
put on a new sitka top and installed some forward shifted, vintage
styled scalloped bracing I requested. Martin refused to ship during the
winter weather and when I got confirmation three weeks ago that she was
soon to be heading home, I dug out some of the old books of tunes I used
to play on her.
Among the books, I found a worn, coverless copy of the sheet music for
"The Way I Feel" album, and there, on the front page, were the famous
crossed legs of Gord's ever-dapper lead guitar player, Red Shea, showing
chord shapes in black and white on a D-35. I thought about you in that
moment three weeks ago, and was quietly reflective and thankful for the
many gifts your playing gave me and how your playing has informed my own
style. Thank you, sir, from the bottom of my heart.
After you left Gord's band, his music lost its lustre for me and his
direction wasn't one that carried me along with it. Pages fell from the
calendar on the wall like leaves in fall. Then, two nights ago I got a
call. My good friend David's father, Dr. Bill Goodman, is in hospital
with renal failure and would I like two of the comps that Bernie and
Gord had given to the family for Friday's show? Of course.
So there I was last night, listening to Gord, remembering parties at the
Goodman household after the Mariposa Festival and praying for Bill's
health to return as Gord's had. Then I learned from Colleen that you are
having a rough patch and have been hospitalized too. Somehow, I have
this idea in my mind and hope in my heart that like old Alice and Gord,
you and Dr. Bill will both weather this patch and like them, get back to
making the world a happier and more musical place.
Good health and good wishes, my prayers are with you,

Ian Gray

I have been informed by the family that there will be a visitation at
the Thompson Funeral Home in Aurora on Thursday, June 12 at 7 until 9
p.m., and a service at the Kingdom Hall on Bloomington Rd. Aurora on
Friday morning at 10 a.m.

Please check my accuracy, as I may have misheard or misunderstood. I
spoke with the family this evening, learned of the news, and I may have
not got the information right.

Red was a hero and musical friend to me, as well as a guiding light to
me and many of my musical friends. He was patient and welcoming, gentle,
energetic, grounded, spiritual, skilled and creative. All the thing one
could hope for in a teacher and musician. His contribution to Canadian
music was huge, unique, Canadian, inspirational and to be missed. There
is bound to be a prairie wind that will moan in a particular, sad manner
this summer......

RIP Red.

With respect, reverence, fondness and thanks,

Ian

Hello Posters,

I think about the passing of Red Shea, and am reflecting a great deal on
how he was a seminal influence on me, and my becoming a
songwriter...this story needs a slight pre-amble so please bear with me.

I was producing a folk concert series at the Hotel Isabella called
"Acoustic Espionage" in '82 and '83, back in the days when publicists
here in Toronto were crapping on folk music daily it seemed, and to be
part of what was left of the folk scene was about the uncoolest thing a
body could be. One of my guest artists in the series was Ramblin' Jack
Elliot, who called me and requested that I get in touch with Gordon
Lightfoot's sister and convince her that Mr. Lightfoot should come to
his show that night. It turns out Mr. Lightfoot showed up, and, as I
always did the opening set, he stopped me on the stairs (the shows were
in the basement, not in the Cameo Lounge) before Jack went on, and said
how much he enjoyed my music. It was my first encounter with him, and I
managed to place my foot squarely in my mouth as I said "I have enjoyed
your music for years, and especially when you were playing with Red Shea
and John Stockfish." He turned and muttered, "Yeah, well everybody moves
on."

Years later I was playing one of the Lightfoot tributes at Hugh's Room,
and Mr. Lightfoot was in the audience. I finally had the opportunity to
make things right after all the years, because what I had wanted to say
at the Isabella was that I enjoyed that era of his music because I had
had the opportunity to see him at the Riverboat with Red Shea and John
Stockfish when I was fifteen. It was the moment when I first knew for
sure I would be following a musical path for the rest of my life. My
vision of that night in the Riverboat, in reality a dark and narrow
space, was that it seemed to sparkle like a diamond with reflections
from the finish of guitars in the spotlights bouncing off the
walls...and the music was heaven-sent...the shimmer of the 12 string
supported on the bottom end with patterns never heard before on a bass,
and the honeyed stream of riffs from Red Shea's guitar.

Now, back to the point, which was that I had a couple of guitar-playing
buddies in my hometown of Owen Sound, and whenever we got together, the
talk was of the beauty of the sound of Mr. Lightfoot's trio. As we were
all guitar players, we worshipped the work of Red Shea, and talked
incessantly about his licks and how they fit the lyrics and tried to
emulate him as we struggled to learn our instruments.

Someone said earlier that Red Shea did not have "fame"....but I tell you
he was famous in the hearts of those three young guitar players in Owen
Sound, and I know in the hearts of guitar players all across this country.

God bless Red Shea,

Tim Harrison
www.timharrison.ca

Thanks, Tim. Your reflections on Mr. Shea are similar to mine and, I dare
say, just about any acoustic finger-picker of my generation. I was just
starting university when I began hearing the magical sounds produced by
Lightfoot, Stockfish and Shea. I had been working on my finger-picking style
and starting to play a lot with other guitarists and singers. What Red was
doing was like a magic bullet for me; the answer! Capo up, keep it simple,
stay out of the way of the song, sparkle! No other player was a stronger
influence on the way I play and, in particular, the way I accompany singers.

Thank you, Red Shea, for your gift to the music of this country.

Paul Mills

TheStar.com | entertainment | 'Red' Shea, 70: Influential folk guitarist

Today's Star has an obituary for Red Shea.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/441921

Those amazing early Lighfoot recordings featured Red Shea and John
Stockfish.
"Shea is universally credited with having been Lightfoot's most
distinctive and original supporting player, adding his lucid filigree
lead runs seamlessly into the famed singer's trademark finger-picking
patterns to produce fluid, layered textures and crystal overtones that
enhanced Lightfoot's recordings from 1966 through 1975. "

Red had an impact on a lot of today's performers. I have included a few
rembrances that have been posted on Maplepost.

Hello to all Canadian folk musicians on Maplepost.

As a student and fan of (in my opinion) the best years of the Lightfoot
sound and recordings, it is with great regret, and personal sense of
immense loss, that I have to announce that Red Shea died this morning. I
wish I could add more at this time, but I am overcome by the loss of a
wonderful musician, teacher and humble, loving man who is, to me, the
essential quality of what makes Canadians wonderful.

Red and I last spoke a couple of weeks ago, and I thought there might be
time to do a benefit concert to celebrate his amazing contribution to
Canadian music, recording and broadcasting. Sadly, this was not be.

Here is the letter I sent to him on May 10, 2008, to which he replied:

Dear Mr. Shea,

I bumped into an extremely lovely young lady at Massey Hall last night.
She was standing beside Gord Lightfoot at the after-concert party with a
copy of one of his CD compilations in her hand. I didn't know the album
and asked her about it. As we chatted, I said to her that my hero in
Gord's band had always been Red Shea, the guitarist whose playing taught
me that there were chords above the third fret, and that known shapes in
new positions up there could be used to create solos and harmony passages.
"I learned Red's licks nearly note for note when I was in high school,"
I said.
"That's my dad," she replied.
I was thrilled. I told her about the Saturday afternoon back in 1968
when my friend Tom and I drove all the way up to Aurora from Toronto to
timidly knock on the door of our inspiration and guitar hero, Red Shea.
"We dropped in out of nowhere," I said, "and you father was very
gracious and kind to us."
I don't remember what you said to us, and it wouldn't have made any
difference in our state of delirium. We had met the man and he had
shaken our hands. That was as good as it could get.
Earlier in that same year, I had finally put together enough paper route
money to put a deposit on Martin D-18 at Long and McQuade's. Bob Abbott
took my Echo Ranger 12 and a Shure 664 in partial trade and I arranged
to pay the balance on time.
I worked lots of Gord's tunes out on that guitar, as well as many of
your licks. I took it to Trent University where my sister's friend of
the time, Stan Rogers, allowed me to sit in and play with him and Nigel
Russell. Stan turned to me (doesn't everyone have a Stan story?), eyed
up my new aquisition and asked if he could borrow the guitar and
fingerpicks.
Not yet knowing Stan's so-called sense of humour, I handed my instrument
and picks over. He played it for a while, then, satisfied, seemingly, he
returned the guitar to me. But not before taking off my fingerpicks and
dropping them, one by one, into the D-18.
That Martin is still with me after 40 years of playing. Under lifetime
warranty, it had a neck reset about 9 years ago. Time wore on and soon
the bridge plate began to bust out of the top. The action just kept
rising, and old Alice was better for slide work than finger style. Or
maybe for cutting cheese...
After some deliberation I decided to get Alice spruced up, so to speak,
and on my way down to Guitar Week at Swanannoa Gathering last summer, I
dropped her in at the factory in Nazareth. They agreed to put a new top
on her under warranty.
Alice wintered in Nazareth and the wizards in the restoration department
put on a new sitka top and installed some forward shifted, vintage
styled scalloped bracing I requested. Martin refused to ship during the
winter weather and when I got confirmation three weeks ago that she was
soon to be heading home, I dug out some of the old books of tunes I used
to play on her.
Among the books, I found a worn, coverless copy of the sheet music for
"The Way I Feel" album, and there, on the front page, were the famous
crossed legs of Gord's ever-dapper lead guitar player, Red Shea, showing
chord shapes in black and white on a D-35. I thought about you in that
moment three weeks ago, and was quietly reflective and thankful for the
many gifts your playing gave me and how your playing has informed my own
style. Thank you, sir, from the bottom of my heart.
After you left Gord's band, his music lost its lustre for me and his
direction wasn't one that carried me along with it. Pages fell from the
calendar on the wall like leaves in fall. Then, two nights ago I got a
call. My good friend David's father, Dr. Bill Goodman, is in hospital
with renal failure and would I like two of the comps that Bernie and
Gord had given to the family for Friday's show? Of course.
So there I was last night, listening to Gord, remembering parties at the
Goodman household after the Mariposa Festival and praying for Bill's
health to return as Gord's had. Then I learned from Colleen that you are
having a rough patch and have been hospitalized too. Somehow, I have
this idea in my mind and hope in my heart that like old Alice and Gord,
you and Dr. Bill will both weather this patch and like them, get back to
making the world a happier and more musical place.
Good health and good wishes, my prayers are with you,

Ian Gray

I have been informed by the family that there will be a visitation at
the Thompson Funeral Home in Aurora on Thursday, June 12 at 7 until 9
p.m., and a service at the Kingdom Hall on Bloomington Rd. Aurora on
Friday morning at 10 a.m.

Please check my accuracy, as I may have misheard or misunderstood. I
spoke with the family this evening, learned of the news, and I may have
not got the information right.

Red was a hero and musical friend to me, as well as a guiding light to
me and many of my musical friends. He was patient and welcoming, gentle,
energetic, grounded, spiritual, skilled and creative. All the thing one
could hope for in a teacher and musician. His contribution to Canadian
music was huge, unique, Canadian, inspirational and to be missed. There
is bound to be a prairie wind that will moan in a particular, sad manner
this summer......

RIP Red.

With respect, reverence, fondness and thanks,

Ian

Hello Posters,

I think about the passing of Red Shea, and am reflecting a great deal on
how he was a seminal influence on me, and my becoming a
songwriter...this story needs a slight pre-amble so please bear with me.

I was producing a folk concert series at the Hotel Isabella called
"Acoustic Espionage" in '82 and '83, back in the days when publicists
here in Toronto were crapping on folk music daily it seemed, and to be
part of what was left of the folk scene was about the uncoolest thing a
body could be. One of my guest artists in the series was Ramblin' Jack
Elliot, who called me and requested that I get in touch with Gordon
Lightfoot's sister and convince her that Mr. Lightfoot should come to
his show that night. It turns out Mr. Lightfoot showed up, and, as I
always did the opening set, he stopped me on the stairs (the shows were
in the basement, not in the Cameo Lounge) before Jack went on, and said
how much he enjoyed my music. It was my first encounter with him, and I
managed to place my foot squarely in my mouth as I said "I have enjoyed
your music for years, and especially when you were playing with Red Shea
and John Stockfish." He turned and muttered, "Yeah, well everybody moves
on."

Years later I was playing one of the Lightfoot tributes at Hugh's Room,
and Mr. Lightfoot was in the audience. I finally had the opportunity to
make things right after all the years, because what I had wanted to say
at the Isabella was that I enjoyed that era of his music because I had
had the opportunity to see him at the Riverboat with Red Shea and John
Stockfish when I was fifteen. It was the moment when I first knew for
sure I would be following a musical path for the rest of my life. My
vision of that night in the Riverboat, in reality a dark and narrow
space, was that it seemed to sparkle like a diamond with reflections
from the finish of guitars in the spotlights bouncing off the
walls...and the music was heaven-sent...the shimmer of the 12 string
supported on the bottom end with patterns never heard before on a bass,
and the honeyed stream of riffs from Red Shea's guitar.

Now, back to the point, which was that I had a couple of guitar-playing
buddies in my hometown of Owen Sound, and whenever we got together, the
talk was of the beauty of the sound of Mr. Lightfoot's trio. As we were
all guitar players, we worshipped the work of Red Shea, and talked
incessantly about his licks and how they fit the lyrics and tried to
emulate him as we struggled to learn our instruments.

Someone said earlier that Red Shea did not have "fame"....but I tell you
he was famous in the hearts of those three young guitar players in Owen
Sound, and I know in the hearts of guitar players all across this country.

God bless Red Shea,

Tim Harrison
www.timharrison.ca

Thanks, Tim. Your reflections on Mr. Shea are similar to mine and, I dare
say, just about any acoustic finger-picker of my generation. I was just
starting university when I began hearing the magical sounds produced by
Lightfoot, Stockfish and Shea. I had been working on my finger-picking style
and starting to play a lot with other guitarists and singers. What Red was
doing was like a magic bullet for me; the answer! Capo up, keep it simple,
stay out of the way of the song, sparkle! No other player was a stronger
influence on the way I play and, in particular, the way I accompany singers.

Thank you, Red Shea, for your gift to the music of this country.

Paul Mills

--

http://www.haliburtonfolk.com
http://www.environmenthaliburton.ca
----------------------------------------------
`·.¸ ><((((º> .·´¯`·.¸.·<º))))><¸.·´¯·.¸
`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º> ¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>
<º))))><·.¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸
·..·´¯`·. <º))))><.¸.·´¯`·.¸.·<º))))><

Eric Lilius
Box 27
(1563 Eagle Lake Road)
Eagle Lake, ON K0M 1M0
CANADA W78.34.12/N45.07.09
705-754-9873
705-754-9860 (fax)
--------------------------------------------------------------

Of course we can do this without chemical fertilizers.
Study after study has suggested it. We pee out enough
nitrogen to fertilize half an acre annually.
Sharon Astyk

Haliburton County Folk CD

THE HALIBURTON COUNTY FOLK SOCIETY
presents
HALIBURTON FOLK
A new CD that celebrates the fine musical talent of the Haliburton Highlands.
Tap your toes to tunes performed by Haliburton County musicians and friends. The likes of Albert Saxby, Zoe Chilco, Thom Lambert, Gord Kidd, Kris Kadwell, Cass Marie, Bethany Houghton, Laurel Mc Cauley, Stan Russell, Dave Fougere and others play both original and cover songs. With 17 tracks, this CD is a must have for your music collection. Order yours today!

Mike Jaycock, President, Canoe FM observes “We have some amazing musical talent in the Highlands and that was emphasized to all of us when we featured many of these artists on the Highlands Radio Almanac. This is a CD that we’ve been looking forward to, and you should too. It’s a small investment for some wonderfully entertaining music and to support this unique initiative of the Folk Society. Congratulations to everyone involved”.

Special thanks to Ian Pay of Quantum Entertainment for initiating, leading, and managing this project.

By ordering your CD now, you are making the entire production possible and supporting the work of the Haliburton County Folk Society in their efforts to foster appreciation of and participation in folk music in Haliburton County.

For only $20 you can receive this entertaining collection of songs that takes you to the heart of Haliburton. The CD is expected to be available by the end of April 08.
Thank you for your support.

Pre Order the CD

Jeff Healey

Sent to the Maplepost by Carolyn McInroy

Jeff Healey managed to do more in his lifetime than most "healthy" people. His musical talents weren't limited to just the guitar, and his tastes weren't limited just to one style of music.

I didn't realize until I heard the news item on CBC this morning that Jeff lived with cancer in one form or another from a very early age, and that it had led to his blindness.

When I met him, the thing about him that impressed me most (even more than his effortlessly brilliant acoustic guitar-picking!) was his good-natured charm. And what a smile!

In 1997 and1998, I went to a lot the of Monday-night pub gigs Mark Haines and Tom Leighton used to host at The Bishop and Belcher on Queen West. Many good local players showed up for these weekly jams, but a few of the most memorable for me were the ones Jeff attended.

Sometimes he was accompanied by the two other guys from his band, sometimes not. He was living nearby, and I seem to recall that he never even brought his guitar, just borrowed someone else's. And when he walked down from his place with his white cane, he usually gathered about five or six young well-wishers and fans who would come and spend the evening and buy him a few drinks.

The informal setting allowed Jeff to relax, have fun with the other players, and indulge in his favourite country songs, like "Amanda", "A Satisfied Mind", and "The Long Black Veil". There would be maybe eight or ten local musicians up there wailing away with him, and the attendees like myself threw back their heads and wailed along on the chorus.

Oh, and once he brought along a young up-and-coming jazz vocalist called Alex Pangman. We were treated to a sassy set of acoustic jazz that evening. The overwhelming impression I got from Jeff's wide-ranging musical interests was of his impeccable taste and style .

It's so sad that he had to leave his friends and family this soon, and my heart goes out to them. But thank you, Jeff, for all you did for Canadian music while you were here.

Above all, thanks for the memories of the Bishop and Belcher! (And of course, thanks to Mark and Tom as well for those good times, and all the great music.

I'll never forget Mark and Jeff playing and singing together on "Dixie Chicken" ...) Safe journey, Jeff!

Carolyn McInroy

Eve Goldberg Concert March 7

March 7th Concert

Eve Goldberg
Opening: Cass Marie and the Black Feather Band

Friday, March 7, 8:00pm
The Haliburton Highlands Museum, see map
Museum Road, Haliburton ON.

Tickets: $15
The 100% guarantee is in effect.



Imagine a kitchen party where Mother Maybelle Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Mississippi John Hurt, Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Patsy Cline show up, and you begin to get a sense of what it feels like inside songwriter Eve Goldberg's head.

Never one to restrict herself to one genre of music, Eve has performed her trademark mixture of folk, blues, country, bluegrass, old time, and jazz in venues ranging from small house concerts to the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington DC since 1990.

Eve was born in the Boston area but has called Toronto, Ontario home since 1981. As a child, she was dragged to folk concerts by the likes of The Weavers, Doc Watson, Arlo Guthrie, the Watersons, and countless others. Eventually it sank in, and as a teenager she began to devour all kinds of contemporary and traditional roots music. She began performing in 1990, and hasn't looked back since. Along the way she's earned the respect of legendary musicians like Peggy Seeger, Geoff Muldaur, and Penny Lang.

Her watercolour voice and solid guitar style has become a favourite at festivals, folk clubs, and concert series across Canada and the US. With an equal passion for traditional music, and for the art of songwriting and interpretation, Eve's performances are intimate and relaxed, moving effortlessly from folk classics to original gems, all wrapped up in her clear, pure voice and dynamic guitar playing.

She has released two albums to widespread acclaim -- 1998's "Ever Brightening Day" released on her own Sweet Patootie Music label, and 2003's "Crossing the Water," released by The Borealis Recording Company. Her instrumental tune "Watermelon Sorbet" was used for years as the opening theme to the popular CBC national radio show "Richardson's Roundup."

Her new album "A Kinder Season"was released in September on Borealis Records (US Release: Jan 9, 2007). Recorded in the months after her mother's death, the album is a remarkable personal testament to the joy and hope that lurks somewhere beyond the heartache, and the sweetness that can be found even in the bitterest seasons of life.

Produced by Ken Whiteley, "A Kinder Season" features twelve new originals that firmly establish Eve as a compelling and thoughtful writer whose songs draw honey from the rock of human experience.

As legendary blues musician Geoff Muldaur put it, "As far as I'm concerned, Eve Goldberg is on the verge of riches. Big name folks would want to get hold of this stuff."

You can listen to some of her songs and find out more about Eve at:
http://www.evegoldberg.com/
http://www.myspace.com/evegoldberg

About Cass Marie and the Black Feather Band

"This fine-feathered quartet combines a relaxed, comfortable folk sound with anything from rock 'n roll to country to jazz and soft pop, and even dips a toe in a gospel-inspired song. Their tunes are as unique as they are individuals and their talent is just as diverse.

Songwriter/vocalist Cass Marie explores issues of dependence, independence, self-actualization, body image, the trials of love and the search for happiness in the band's first full-length independent album entitled Love's Uncertain (release date to be announced.) The music combines dynamic vocals and gritty, honest lyrics with haunting cello lines, upbeat fiddle reels, grounding guitar rhythms and jazzy bass lines. There is something for everyone in this poetic, non-traditional "feather-folk."

Some performances of note include an opening act for Canadian folk legend, Willie P. Bennett, and for PEI's up-and-coming folk sweetheart, Rose Cousins. "

You would never know that this brash singer has any stage fright as she exudes confidence...Cass Marie is an exceptional example of the home grown talent that is flourishing in the Highlands." -Erin Lynch, The Highlands Communicator

"To quote one of her songs, there is "Nothin' Sweeter" than the sound of her voice..." -Kris Kadwell, 100.9 CANOE FM

http://www.myspace.com/cassmarieandtheblackfeatherband

This Weekend at The Hair Lounge]

Hi Everyone!!!

***Just wanted to let you know that the OPEN STAGE is CANCELLED this Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for any inconvenience!

See you Saturday at the Ian Tamblyn concert!!!

Upcoming Concerts

• Sat. Feb. 23/08.....Ian Tamblyn (almost sold out!)
• Sat. Mar. 29/08.....Barry Canning
• Sat. April 26/08.....Rick Fines

If you need more info on any of the upcoming Concerts or Open Stages, just click on the link!!! www.thehairlounge.ca

R.I.P. Willie P.

Willie P. Bennett
October 26, 1951 - February 15, 2008
http://www.williepbennett.com

Willie P Bennett fondly remembered

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/PrintArticle.aspx?e=907000

The late Willie P. Bennett will be remembered by the large body of work he leaves behind, said long-time friend Washboard Hank Fisher.

"He's got some great, great songs," said Fisher, in an interview yesterday afternoon."Willie had poetic sentiments and feelings which ran very deep, deeper than the Moon and June sort of stuff," said Fisher.

"I always loved Caney Fork River," said Fisher of Mr. Bennett's songs.

"The Caney Fork River
the Caney Fork River
like water everywhere
it's a taker and a giver
she touched it to her body
she touched it to her lips
oh I wish I was the Caney Fork River," he quoted the song.

Music in You is another heartfelt love song that is a favourite of Fishers. Fisher said he meet Mr. Bennett in the early years, 1977, and they've been friends since. That included a four-year stint together as part of Fred Eaglesmith's band, sharing a room on the road.

Local songwriter Dennis O'Toole said in an email he stood with Clayton Yates and sang for Willie P. Bennett at the Rusty Snail Saturday night....Billy Joe Shaver's 'I'm Gonna Live Forever'; Willies' 'For the Sake of a Dollar' and 'Willies' Diamond Joe'...it felt good and right (and wrong) and I woke with these lines in my head this morning...

"if you're going to pray for me
pray in good old gospel harmony
send off my spirit with a song..."

"I'm sure we all assumed that Willie had dodged the bullet on his health issues and was going to be with us a long time yet...he sure seemed to be giving it a troupers' try...and he has left us a remarkable body of work to listen to and to share with others," stated o'Toole.

Local folk music promoter Mike Barker, Folk Under the Clock, said he's been a fan of Mr. Bennett's since the beginning when he still lived in Alberta and followed Mr. Bennett's career. But wasn't able to get Mr. Bennett to perform at a concert until April 2007 when he came with the Eaglesmith Band.

"Willie opened the show and then played the rest of the concert with the band," said Barker. "The crowd loved it."

Barker said he emailed Stephen Fearing of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, a band with Colin Linden and Tom Wilson that was formed originally to perform Mr. Bennett's music.

"He said he was devastated," said Barker.

Eaglesmith is touring and somewhere in the desert in Califormia out of reach, said his record company. Eaglesmith is aware of Mr. Bennett's passing, said a spokesperson.

Mr. Bennett was honoured with a fundraising concert in July following his heart attack last spring.

The concert featured Eaglesmith, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and many of his Peterborough fellow musicians and friends. Mr. Bennett was unable to ply his trade for a few months after the springtime heart attack. Like most musicians, Mr. Bennett was self-employed and didn't have extended health coverage.

"Willie has been an icon in Canada for a long, long time," said Eaglesmith, in an Examiner interview in July. "He helped change the face of music in Canada. He was the songwriter that set songwriting in Canada on its ear for a long time, even when I was a kid."

"I was just a little younger than Willie but the difference between 16 and 20 is a lot. I heard him and I just wanted to write songs. He's been with me for 25 years. He's been on my right every night for 25 so it's like getting a leg cut off," Eaglesmith said of life on the road without Mr. Bennett this summer.

In 1996, a tribute album of 14 of Mr. Bennett's songs called "High or Hurtin" was released by Blackie and The Rodeo Kings.

"Willie is my main man, in other words he helps me with the touring endlessly.

"He helps set up every night, he helps tear down. We toured together when we had to split the money, in otherwords when there wasn't enough money; we had to sleep in the bus because there was no hotel rooms - we couldn't afford them."

The memory when he first met Bennett is still vivid for Eaglesmith.

"We were at a festival one time and he said 'hey can I play harmonica with you today?' And I said 'really, you want to play harmonica with me?' and he said 'yeah,' and he never left.

"He just never left he just sort of slowly...," Eaglesmith lets the sentence end. "Eventually he said, 'you know what, you're getting pretty darn successful and I'm just going to stick around'."

Looking back over all those years on the road and on stage, Mr. Bennett, said in an Examiner interview in 2005 he hopes it (the music) never stops. "I like it out there."

Songwriting, for him, is more about expression and observation than it is writing big-money songs for others, in any case. He describes songwriting as an attempt to get through a lot of things that were mucking up his life.

"Somewhere in the middle I got caught up in thinking I could have a 'hit' song and live happily ever after. Truth be told, as soon as I forgot about writing the hit song, that's when I started living happily ever after.

"That's when I quit chasing the carrot. I quit chasing the brass ring and I'm living life on my own terms. And that's when I started to get happy."