East Coasters deliver humour and humanity with local performance

Westerners have a stereotypical image of an East Coast kitchen party as a fun night of fast-paced reels and jigs.

Instead, Bluebird North’s St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday was a sublime night, bringing out lots of smiles and a few moist eyes as it morphed into a mellow, heartfelt surprise.

Standing in a straight line across the Arden Theatre stage, Ron Hynes, Dave Gunning, Madison Violet and Catherine MacLellan — accompanied by Prince Edward Island musician Chris Gauthier — serenaded the audience for two-plus hours with heartwarming blends of folk and roots music.

Couching heartbreak, warmth and humour, these exquisite songwriters captured the essence of their lives and paid tribute to what each holds dear — family, friends, community, love, a house and a piece of rock to call your own.

Taking turns at the microphone, each of the songwriters demonstrated their personal style. Although distinct singer-songwriters, they all shared the common thread of powerful, image based storytelling songs.

Hynes, the unofficial master of ceremonies, broke the ice by telling short risqué witticisms about the small community he came from.

“There were never more than 300 people at a time. I was confused until a stripper clued me in. Every time a baby is born, a man leaves town,” he smiled with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

But he showed his softer side singing House, a tale about a sea-battered house filled with warmth and love. Completely contrasting this gentle ambience was Dry, a dark addictions tune. Only someone like Hynes, with a voice that scrapes the pavement, could express the emotion and mood with such authenticity.

Madison Violet, the lovely duo composed of Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac, started off with a sure-fire hit The Ransom, the winning song of the 2009 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Right from the get-go, their blend of roots music was filled with robust voices, rich harmonies, inspired up-tempo melodies and personal lyrics.

In the bittersweet Christy Ellen Francis, the duo paid tribute to MacEachern’s 100-year-old grandmother, a former lighthouse keeper who raised 16 children. The most emotionally painful song was Woodshop, a quiet snapshot of a grieving family. MacEachern lost her brother Steve in an automobile accident that made headlines, and the song uses ordinary moments to reveal the true impact of their sorrow.

Gunning, a tunesmith with a palette of bold imagery and a broad sense of humour, dove into the concert, singing Before the Morning Sun, a hanging song he’d co-written with James Keelaghan about a farmer’s revenge on a banker who took his land.

“I’ll probably be the only one singing a hangin’ song tonight. They aren’t that popular these days,” he quipped.

Later Gunning turned his talents to romance in Saltwater Hearts, a song inspired by an elderly couple who had been married 50 years. Gentle and touching, it made you want to believe such a deep love was possible for everyone.

And finally the very poised Catherine MacLellan, reminiscent of an early Emmylou Harris, stitched together a swath of new songs from the sad and mournful Trickle Down Rain and the pop/rock tinged Don’t Call Me Stranger to the empowering Left On My Own.

The entire ensemble ended the night with the mega hit Snowbird, a tune penned by MacLellan’s father Gene. MacIsaac pulled out her violin to accompany the guitars and the evening finished on a note of promise.