Piggery Theatre, North Hatley

I should be asleep right now, but instead,  I am running through my set list in my head, and preparing for the first show of the Townships Heritage Tour.
Spoiler alert if you are coming to the show!!! I have decided, at the last minute, to add a song as a tribute to Raylene Rankin, an important member of the Canadian music community, who will be missed.
I will sing Fare thee Well. the last time I sang that song was at my brother's wedding, fourteen years ago, in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. I hope anyone familiar with the tune will sing along.

I saw a band play the Piggery years ago, and have wanted to get onto their stage ever since.  The converted barn has been hosting plays, concerts, and a variety of other performances for fourty-five years. When I began planning the heritage tour, I knew the Piggery would be one of the venues. It is on a quiet country road, a few minutes outside of North Hatley, on a hill, surrounded by beautiful views on all sides.

I am very excited to be joined by Kate Morrison, a very talented singer songwriter living here in the Townships. She has a powerful voice, and a warm presence that i'm sure will fill the room and enchant the audience.
"Inspired by everyday life experiences, but not so ordinary subjects, Kate’s song-writing takes us on a
unique journey of intimacy, humour and humanity. Her latest album, ‘’Kiss The Sky’’, is decorated
with contemporary and traditional instrumentation that supports her strong lyrics, already full of
dimension." (from her website, www.katemorrison.ca)

We will perform in a song circle format, where I play three songs, and she follows with three songs... We will also perform some material together. It is a privilege to share the stage with her.

The show will be Thursday, October 4, at 8pm at The Piggery Theatre  215 Chemin Simard,  North Hatley 
Phone 819-842-2431 to reserve tickets

Hreitage Tour Info

I just wanted to quickly mention that anyone with questions about the Heritage Tour is welcome to email me at info@matthewmccully.ca or call 819-580-0964 for details about venues and start times.

Townships Heritage Music Tour

I had a wonderful time on the Gaspe.  the tour was a great success, the people were very supportive, and I look forward to heading back next year. The fur baby met her first porcupine and was wise enough to keep her distance. My co-pilot and photographer, Jessica Renehan, received her masters in tarping, and I got my badge for fire-starting in the rain!

Now on to the next leg of the Heritage Music Tour.

I am busy rehearsing with my guest performers, and polishing some new material to play at these five unique venues in the townships.

In the coming weeks, I will provide more information about these cultural institutions, and the performers I will have the privilege of sharing the stage with.

Oct 4- North Hatley, The Piggery Theatre, with guest Kate Morison
Oct 5-Knowlton, Brome County Historical Society, with guest Sarah Biggs
Oct 9-Richmond, Wales Home, with guest Patricia Hortop-Benson
Oct 12-Lennoxville, Uplands Museum, with guest storyteller Michel Thibault
Oct 13-Stanstead, Haskell Free Library, with guest Emily Nyman

This tour was made possible with the generous support of ELAN and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

I find that in the Fall, everyone tends to move a bit faster than usual. People are rushing out to catch the last  rays of summer sun, harvest, start school, stack wood, pickle, rake, bust out the sweaters and jackets.
It is important to take a breath, enjoy the moment, give thanks for what the summer gave us, and look forward to a peaceful winter under a blanket of snow.

I invite you all to join me during this busy time, to take a breath, sit back, and enjoy some music with some talented artists, in some very unique and intimate venues.

New Richmond

Greetings from New Richmond!

It has been 24 years! Everything is much smaller than I had remembered.
I am having a great tour so far. The Historic Schoolhouse in Nouvelle was a great, intimate space to play, and it was a privilege to share the stage with Jean-Rene Martin.

It rained on and off most of yesterday and continued through the night, but Jess (my co-pilot) and I are water-proofed and master tarpers, so we are still in good spirits. All of our gear dried out today while we took a walk on the beach at Taylor's Point.

The sound is set up at the Gendron General Store in the British Heritage Village. Roger Martin, a country singer from the Maria Reserve will join me on stage tonight at 8pm, I look forward to meeting him.

Since we left, the dog has been living every day (or maybe I should say morning) to the fullest...and crashing by 6pm. Last night, she actually brought me over to my tent and ask me to open the door so she could curl up in her blanket.

The Sharman Tank is holding up well, but smells a lot like a wet dog right now (I promise I will air it out before returning it to you Chach and Jarrod)

Not much more to report at the moment. Everyone on the coast is exceptionally friendly, and I feel very welcome here.

btw for anyone trying to reach me by phone, I have no cell service out here, but all of the campsites we have stopped at so far have Wi-Fi, so I will try to check my email as often as I can.

Hope to see you at the General Store tonight!
Stay tuned for more news!

Heritage Tour

 I am heading back to the Gaspe!!!!

I am originally from New Richmond, but have not been back to the coast in twenty years. So it is time.

With the generous support of ELAN (English Language Arts Network) and the Department of Canadian Heritage, I developed a tour proposal with a goal of illustrating the vitality of the arts community in Rural Quebec. I will play a series of concerts in non-traditional venues throughout the Eastern Townships in October, pairing with a local performer at each venue.
In addition to the Townships tour, I decided to include a trip to the Gaspe, to reconnect with my roots, and take advantage of the beautiful landscape, and bring music to some interesting cultural landmarks on the coast.

There are still a few loose ends to tie up. These tours will include a video component, excellent guest musicians, a blog post about each concert, and probably a few surprises.

Here are the dates so far. I am still adding dates and performers, and will update the list regularly.

Gaspe:
Sept 6, La Petite Ecole, Nouvelle, with guest Jean-Rene Martin
Sept 7, Gendron General Store, Loyalist Village, New Richmond, guest TBA
Sept 8, St Andrew's Anglican Church, New Carlisle, guest TBA
Sept 9, Optimist Lodge, New Carlisle, in support of the Linda Lemore Brown Walkathon
Sept 11, Gaspe Elementary School, Gaspe, with guest Don Barclay

Townships: (supported by ELAN)
Oct 4, Piggery Theatre, North Hatley, with guest Kate Morrison
Oct 5, Brome County Historical Society Old Courthouse, Knowlton, with Sarah Biggs
Oct 9, Wales Home, Richmond, with guest Patricia Hortop-Benson
Oct 12, Uplands Museum, Lennoxville, with Storyteller Michel Thibault
Oct 13, Haskell Free Library, Stanstead, with Emily Nyman

If you would details about one of the upcoming shows, or you represent a heritage building that would like to host a concert, or you are a performer and would like to participate,  feel free to email info@matthewmccully.ca for more information

News

OK Folks, I know it has been a while. The latest news:

Progress is going very well on the songs for the new album. Lots of interesting sounds and ideas.

I have inherited a beautiful Toyota Tercel, which I have named Batina Green. I have added one bumper sticker so far, "my dog is my copilot".

With a new car, comes new possibilities. I am setting up a late summer-fall tour of Quebec. I'm excited to get back to the Gaspe, and to discover other parts of the province for the first time.

What am I listening to right now? Bowerbirds, The Clearing. My favorite song? Stitch the Hem. Brilliant.

My mandolin banjo (Manjo)...has been repaired, and the new action is inspiring!

the weather has been phenomenal so far this summer, I can't wait to hit the road and do some camping, lake swimming, bonfire building, roadtripping, and all that fun stuff...oh yeah, and then sing about it...

This is not an open letter. This is a storm

Here are the basics of a storm.
1. The calm.  There is an electricity in the air. A darkness approaching, eerie quiet, an uneasy feeling.
2. The eye. there is panic, loss of control, chaos, disorientation, despair.
3.The aftermath. Acknowledging survival and evaluating loss. Repair, rebuilding, and in some cases, recognizing irreparable damage and mourning.

I am afraid of a storm, because I have no control over it, and it could kill me.

This is a storm.

On different days, I change between the calm, the eye, and the aftermath. But always in the shadow or the throws of it, and I feel powerless and desperate.

My needs are basic, and no different than any other human. Food, water, shelter. Regardless of the quality of life I maintain through various means, my basic needs never change.

When I evaluate the competence my Government, I start with my basic needs. And then the storm rolls in...
Resources have become commodities, Ministers have become brokers, and basic human needs are secondary to the fueling of an ever-thirsting economy.

Our economy doesn't need to weather the storm . It is the storm.

I feel angry and guilty. Angry because I am a pawn in a corrupt system. And guilty because I let it happen.

So when I wake up, should I put myself in the calm, the eye or the aftermath? What course of action do I take?