JORY NASH @
www.jorynash.com took his turn next. Jory has 6 albums and a new one in the works. He won the 2001 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals "Songs From The Heart" Award for the song "When I Walk Out" and last year won 2010 Penguin Eggs Magazine's Critic's Poll 2009 Album of the Year for "New Blue Day" and 2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards Nominee for Best Producer for "New Blue Day.” He is the co-founder of the Lightfoot Tribute/Celebration shows.(along with Aengus Finnan who no longer is involved) The first one took place in 2003 shortly after Lightfoot became ill but they were in the works before his illness. This year I didn’t know what he would be singing and did not pressure him to sing “Mother of a Miner’s Child” for me. LOL
He sang a song that hasn’t been done in any of the shows before – “Knotty Pine.” –VIDEO – night 1 -
- You could hear a pin drop…every word was enunciated clearly and with a command that made the message in the song very current. It’s a safe bet to say that a lot of people heard it in a whole new way and some may have heard it for the first time. Jason Fowler then accompanied Jory on “Early Morning Rain.” – VIDEO - night 1 -
- Jory had sung it at the show back in 2003. His voice is perfect for it and I enjoyed both of his tunes again this year. For the last few years it has fallen on Jory to orgaize the shows and he just raises the bar higher and higher and leaping over it every time. Next year there will be 4 shows held from Jan.19 – 23, 2012. You can bet he’s already started the planning. I LOVE that guy!
Jory mentioned on Night 1 and 2 that he is all over the internet social networks but forgets that he has a TWITTER account. He had just received an e-mail notifying him that “Gordon Lightfoot is following you on TWITTER.” So he logged on and tweeted “Listening to Gordon Lightfoot cd right now!” When he checked more closely he saw that it was actually some woman impersonating Gordon Lightfoot who was following him on TWITTER..BUT he was sure that IF Gordon Lightfoot was on TWITTER “he would follow me.” LOL
On Night 3 Jory mentioned his TWITTER experience again. During the break David had come over to me and wondered who this woman was and I told him that I was going to hunt her down..lol. When David went back onstage said he rec’d the same e-mail but when he checked it was not Gordon Lightfoot but the profile page opened to say “Gordon Lightfoot’s # 1 Fan” who is following him too. He then said he wanted to make it very clear that he knew who Gordon Lightfoot’s #1 fan was and that she was the one who sent the Lightfoot news out to the world of The Net People as Lightfoot calls us. He mentioned that I have been a big supporter of the tribute shows and artists and had been to almost all of them over the nine years, maybe even 25! He then pointed to me standing by the stairs and said my full name while everyone applauded and turned around to look. So I waved at David in acknowledgement and thanks…so sweet of him! (Must have been the assorted candies I gave out earlier in the evening..lol) It was uber terrific that The Man himself was there at that time..
And a little while later when I was leaning against the wall on the top step of the bar area someone came up beside me, stood very close and sort of leaned into me. I thought perhaps I was in the way but couldn’t get any closer to the wall had I been a squished mosquito. I turned to see who it was and there was Mr. Lightfoot who had snuck up on me it seems! He said Hi Char!, and that he hadn’t noticed me standing there before. (he had been up and down a couple of times but had passed behind me on the other side of the column to get to and from his seat) He said, “You’ve been down here that many times to the shows?” I said I’d seen pretty much all of them. David came up from behind and said, “the funny thing is she’s been here 25 times and there’s only been 23 shows!” They both had a good laugh about that. I told Gordon I’ve probably been to at least 85, maybe 90 of his concerts too, keeping him living in the style he’s grown accustomed to. Lol He laughed and said they did 81 shows last year and were heading back out in March and he was looking forward to it. Jory came over to tell Gordon that after Ron Nigrini (who was singing) was done the Good Brothers would sing and then it would be his turn. I said, “Gee you don’t even get top billing at your own tribute show.” Lol We had a quick hug as he headed to his seat and I said I’d see him in May at Massey. He said, “okay, see you there Char.”
On Night 2 David said they were wondering how to make the 10th year shows special next year. They had already done the Gordon Lightfoot tribute show. They felt the shows deserved a tribute of their own – “The Gordon Lightfoot Tribute Tribute!, hoping Gord would show up and do some of THEIR songs! Lol
He also recounted the time when as he was doing his spoken word piece in the first year there was some poor guy throwing up in the bathroom downstairs…and it could be heard by all of us upstairs.
THE GOOD BROTHERS @
http://www.thegoodbrothers.com filed up onto the stage next. On night 2 Bruce mentioned that David Newland takes time to head to the far north of Ontario to teach music to indiginous children and it’s a wonderful thing that he does. David came back onstage when they had finished their tunes and said that the reason Bruce knew about his trip north was because he was with him. They are both going back in the spring.
They have won 9 JUNO awards, have been on the road for 40 years and are embarking on their 34th tour of Europe. They have also been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Their first gig was playing at the famous RIVERBOAT in Toronto in May 1974.
Bruce then recounted how back in the late 60’s they were in a group with James Ackroyd called James and the Good Brothers and toured California with the Grateful Dead, and had a baptism by fire by being on the train trip, “Festival Express” with many other artists including Janis Joplin, Ian and Sylvia and The Band. He then spoke about a time in California back in the early 70’s when Lightfoot joined the brothers on a rainy road trip up Mendocino way into the Redwood Hills. It was 40 years to the day on Jan.22 (2nd night of Trib.shows) that the trip happened. He had come across some papers with a sort of trip diary that Lightfoot had written in pencil about their weekend that he title “News From Ft. Bragg.” He had typed it out and read it to us. It was quite funny and insightful in the details that were noted. – VIDEO – night 2 -
- Lightfoot went to his room that night and in the morning came out with the song they then sang. “Redwood Hill.” - VIDEO – night 2 -
- Their second song was “Alberta Bound” – VIDEO – night 1 -
- which they recorded, with Lightfoot’s permission before he did. They have recorded it four times and it is always their closing tune. It was, as usual a rip roaring version with full audience participation. On the second night he called it one of Gord’s rare “shitkickers.” They noted that they were dedicating their song to the memory of Red Shea. He noted that Red’s beautiful daughter Colleen was in attendance. The next night Bruce told me that Colleen had cried through the song.
On Sunday night he dedicated Gord’s ‘shit-kicker’, “Alberta Bound”, “to the memory of Red Shea and Barry Harvey who were both a great part of Gord’s life.”
BREAK (night 1 – the performer order changed each night)