Prince Edward Island:anything happening?

Subject: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: greg stephens
Date: 22 Feb 04 - 02:30 PM

Thinking of heading there as part of an October trip. Anybody care to share any information about the place, particularly as to venues that might want a visiting fiddle/guitar duo (me and Kate Barfield)? Or musicians we ought to meet?

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Peace
Date: 22 Feb 04 - 07:22 PM

The ominous look of the responses is not an answer to your question. I am not familiar with PEI or its music/club scene, but I suspect when people see the thread they'll answer.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 22 Feb 04 - 09:57 PM

Music is a very important part of life on PEI. Since the death of Gene MacLellan, Lennie Gallant is probably their best known folksinger. There is a fiddling family of Chaisson's in the Rollo Bay area who are great.
The Old Dublin Pub in Charlottetown is a great spot to enjoy some Irish
tunes.
             Obie

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: greg stephens
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 02:42 AM

Thanks, Obie, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Mooh
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 09:17 AM

We caught Cynthia MacLeod & Gordon Belsher (and a guest singer) in Charlottetown last August. Pub was non-smoking too. Great time and lots of fiddle tunes. You might slide over to Summerside and see if anything's happening at the College of Piping.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: greg stephens
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 09:35 AM

Mooh: you dont remember the name of the pub do you?

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 11:32 AM

Greg, your part of the world (NS and PEI) have great tourism resources on the web that were really easy for me to search for folk music venues when I was headed there two summers ago. 'Course that's not the same as a personal/Mudcat recommendation, but I'd certainly recommend doing some surfing.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Willie-O
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 11:50 AM

Greg, try finding the contact info for Grady Poe, who manages the PEI Acadian band Barachois. Super-nice folks. We went to see their pre-Barachois act ("house parties for tourists") at some resort on the island, about ten years ago--got invited to play, and because we'd been camping for a rainy week with small kids, they lent us their cottage for a weekend. Turned out Grady and I had been introduced to playing trad music by the same person--my 70's fiddle teacher Nathan Curry.

PEI fiddle style is very cool--mix of Acadian (west) and Scottish (east) mostly, less ornate than Cape Breton style. Driving and lively. And it's home to some excellent songwriter/performers.

The weather in October is a little iffy. But go for it. It's a beautiful spot and the tourists have all gone home by them.

Joke: How do you clear a dance floor in PEI?

A: You get on the PA and announce "There's a phone call in the lobby for Mr or Mrs Arsenault."

(About 40-50% of PEI Acadiens are Arsenaults, including the Barachois folks.)

Bill Cameron (say hi to Grady if you find him, I lost his contact info)

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: greg stephens
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 12:30 PM

Bill Cameron:thanks a lot. I've just managed to locate Grady's email address, and I'll write to him.
Becky in Tucson: I am surfing away as well, but Mudcatters give a bit of background chat as well which is very informative!

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 02:53 PM

(Whoops, Greg, I mistook you for George Seto - same initials, wrong hemisphere. He's from Nova Scotia, and you're definitely not! I wondered why he was asking...!)

~ B in T

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From:
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 04:41 PM

Look up Barachois, an Acadien group and there are a number of different fiddle groups (such as Celtitude/?New Name??) as well.

Still working on your October trip, eh? It's not much closer than Cape Breton is, and most of them will probably be heading for Cape Breton during the second week.

Another singer is Patricia Murray. She and Lenny are both based out of Halifax these days though they certainly play up there.

If you decide on a visit to Halifax, let me know as well.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: greg stephens
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 06:14 PM

Halifax sounds fine, George. We will go where the wind blows us. We've never visited those parts, so everywhere new will be exciting. We'll turn up wherever we get a gig or we hear of some nice people(or preferably both!).

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Mooh
Date: 24 Feb 04 - 12:08 AM

Greg...Sorry I've taken so long, had to work. I don't remember the name of the pub, it was up the street from a very large church in what I would call downtown Charlottetown. Folks were unbelievably friendly everywhere. Belsher had a gig on the ferry a couple of days later but we got squeezed onto the previous boat so we missed him.

It's late here, my bride will likely remember the pub's name in the morning.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: GUEST,NIckp
Date: 24 Feb 04 - 05:23 PM

Barachois are no longer performing. A sad loss but they decided they'd rather like some life back after 9 years touring.

We're going to PEI very early June for a few days ... looking forward to it.

Nick

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Willie-O
Date: 24 Feb 04 - 05:36 PM

Well, thats Greg's gain. They'll be home then. I remember a couple of years after I was there hearing a special CBC broadcast of a house party at Grady and Helene's house, featuring among others Helene's dad, the great fiddler Eddie Arsenault--it ran a whole hour, what a great radio show!

By the way, there's a very useful and thorough study of PEI fiddlers, tunes and styles published by Mel Bay (www.melbay.com), The Fiddle Music Of Prince Edward Island by Ken Perlman. Greg, your partner will doubtless be interested, a great book of tunes and much more.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: Cluin
Date: 25 Feb 04 - 03:12 AM

If you make it out to Stanley Bridge or stop in at Carr's Oyster Bar, shout a HEY! to my good ol' mucker, Brad Fremlin.

Subject: RE: Prince Edward Island:anything happening?
From: greg stephens
Date: 25 Feb 04 - 04:10 AM

The Oyster Bar looks good, Cluin, but its website says it shuts from October 1, and we're going to be a little later than that. But I will follow your leads, anyway.
   Have made contact with Gordon Belsher now, and information is flowing. Keep the suggestions coming,people, this is all great.