Two of the more prominent local performing artists are tuning in for a theatrical musical extravaganza to raise money for the St. Albert Public Library.
Singer/songwriter/recording artist Roland Majeau and his band are on a double bill with actress Maureen Rooney for a benefit performance on Tuesday, May 17 at the Arden Theatre.
The benefit concert kicks off with Majeau and his eight-piece band performing songs from two of his new album releases. The J.T. Project is a salute to the iconic stylings of James Taylor, the man who popularized folk/pop as 'cool.' And Find My Way To You is a folk/country/pop album of Majeau's original songwriting.
Following the musical portion, Rooney remounts Hats and Gloves, Hard Work and Dreams, a one-woman show she first wrote, directed and acted in 2001 for Founders' Day. This one-hour multi-media production gives life to six pioneering women whose awe-inspiring life and contributions shaped St. Albert's social structure.
All proceeds will be directed towards a visiting authors' program.
When the Friends of the St. Albert Public Library first asked Rooney and Majeau to participate, there was no hesitation on their part.
Both are parents that witnessed first-hand the magic of sharing the printed word with children.
"There's something very powerful when an adult reads to a child and that's something I want to encourage," says Majeau, a father of three who recently became a first-time grandfather.
"There's a connection that happens when you are giving of yourself. And reading also opens up a whole world of possibilities, of adventure, of excitement. All that is brought alive by reading."
Eager to share his music with the hometown crowd, Majeau and close friend Trent Worthington (synth/vocals) have put together an awesome band that includes Wes Caswell (bass), Andrew Glover (piano), Tim Lemke (guitar), Ben McNab (percussion) and Abra Whitney (vocals). Special guest John Cameron joins them for two of Majeau's signature songs When Superheroes Die and No One Understands Me Like You Do.
Majeau first took on the J.T. Project after Rawlco Radio asked him to record an album of Taylor's cover tunes. "So many people commented on how I sounded like him," explains Majeau, whose music was played on Magic 99 before it changed format.
With a $10,000 grant from Rawlco, Majeau set out to record Taylor's mega hits such as Fire and Rain, You've Got a Friend, Up on The Roof, Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight and How Sweet It Is.
But his favourite is Sweet Baby James, a "campfire lullaby" Taylor wrote in London, England shortly after the birth of his nephew.
"It really connects with me, and for a lot of people it defines the early days of James Taylor."
Majeau can't say enough about the icon's songwriting skills. "He wrote a song about his nephew. But people added their own story to the song. And that's what makes him great. He can write about a personal event and people make it in their own image. They make their own story while the song is being played."
More humble about his own songwriting, Majeau is nonetheless deeply proud of Find My Way to You, a collection of songs on the struggle of making it in the music industry.
"Trying to make a living with music is difficult. I haven't been able to do it. I've paid my bills and raised a family going back and forth to construction. You work construction one day and you're immersed in music the next day. You switch back and forth. It's a different mindset."
Heroes are also a big theme in Majeau's songs, and he dedicates Searching for Superheroes to all the unsung champions.
"It's an idea, a concept, the search for superheroes around us. When you go through difficult times, and somebody shows up and gives you a boost just because they care — that's a superhero."
He tells of a Calgary woman diagnosed with cancer. One neighbour bought a freezer, put it on her deck and invited the community to fill it. They did.
Women of St. Albert
Quiet heroes, or rather the forgotten pioneer heroines, are also a central theme of Rooney's tribute Hats and Gloves, Hard Work and Dreams. The six local women she profiles were pillars of the community. Although different as night and day, they shared one common characteristic — gumption.
"They were women who wore hats and gloves and did hard work and had big dreams. At some point they made choices to suck it up. Without them there would have been nothing."
A favourite is Mary Sernowski, a poverty stricken Ukrainian immigrant that endured a horrifying childhood and difficult marriage.
Every week she would drive a cart to the farmers' market selling dried flowers, plants, quilts, noodles and perogies. Despite her own tragic circumstances, Sernowski was always filled with joy and she quickly became a favourite baba with vendors and customers alike.
"She even encouraged Lois Hole to plant flowers."
And then there is the feisty Kate Maloney, the town midwife, a rare breed of woman who never married. "She was a gun-slinging, horseback riding, land owning, career woman at the turn of the century."
Another incredible woman was Rose Plante Normand, a Métis woman who had married the handyman of the St. Albert mission. "She pounded the first nails into the first boards to build the mission."
"She's been described as a very kind, very hardworking woman. She was never able to have children, but she adopted every child left on her doorstep. And people would just drop them off in the middle of the night."
Sister Emery, one of the original Grey Nuns, also worked with children nursing them through the insidious smallpox epidemic of the late 1800s. "She would comfort the dying, get meals, race around giving vaccinations and grow a garden so they would have something to eat."
Alice Giroux, the town doctor's wife, also brought great comfort to people. As well as raising three children, she functioned as her husband's ER nurse. "At the same time as cooking supper, she would cook salves and poultices for patients."
And finally, there was schoolteacher Bertha Kennedy, a woman who raised seven children and taught thousands more. "She believed that parents need to give their children time, not things."
Rooney adds that St. Albert has honoured the contributions of men by naming streets after them. But in the historical context, women's sacrifices and achievements have been shunted aside.
And much as the fundraiser is keeping the library functioning, this production keeps the women's contributions alive and adds a new dimension to the 150th anniversary celebrations.
"We are part of that history and it instils a pride of ownership in people who lived here. The more you feel pride of ownership, the more you take care of it."
Tickets are $30 and are available at the Arden. Call 780-459-1542.
