CBC.ca | The Performance Hour

Joanna Barker and the Songs of "February"

2012-05-29T12:47:24Z

And I've not completely grown
into the woman that I'm supposed to be.
But hell I'm a lot closer than I was last February.

That's the closing line from the debut album by Joanna Barker.

It's not meant as a status update on her growth as a singer and songwriter.

But it could be.

A little over a year ago, Joanna Barker was taking her first steps as a performer on the St. John's bar scene.

Now she has a debut CD chronicling a year's worth of life and experience.

The album is called February - referring to the 12-month period from one February to the next - and it establishes her as a singular voice in Newfoundland's burgeoning singer-songwriter community.

Joanna Barker joins us on the show this Saturday (June 2) to talk about the album and how she found her voice as a songwriter.

Also this week, we'll hear from Jim Fidler on his latest album, Up That River, and Katie Baggs brings us up to date on her band, All the Wiles.

Sherman Downey Takes the New Songs for a Workout

2012-05-21T16:48:29Z

Music fans first came to know him as the guy with the dreadlocks from the Codroy Valley.

Now he's one of the hottest young voices in Newfoundland and Labrador music.

This Saturday's show (May 26) features Sherman Downey and his band the Silver Lining, recorded live in concert.

It's been two years since a highly-acclaimed debut CD called Honey for Bees put Sherman and his band on the local music map.

They're targeting this fall for the release of the all-important second album.

Many of the songs destined for that album were heard during the band's recent tour of the province, and they drew a tremendous response from a growing community of fans.

Those tunes are featured on this week's show, recorded at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre.

Performance Hour Video: Matthew Byrne Dusts Off an Irish Ballad

2012-05-17T15:20:42Z

Here's an inside look at the studio session recorded for the May 19 edition of The Performance Hour.

Matthew Byrne sings an Irish classic he picked up it from the English folk singer Danny Spooner. It's called "The Banks of Bann."

Matthew Byrne Digs Into the Newfoundland Songbook

2012-05-15T03:11:36Z

Though he emerged just a couple of years ago, Matthew Byrne ranks as one of Newfoundland's finest folk singers.

But you won't hear him doing many of the tried and true favourites.

Rather than treat everyone to yet another rendition of Lukey's Boat or Kelligrew's Soiree, he digs through the folklore collections for stuff most of us haven't heard before.

So every time you hear Matthew sing, there's a good chance you'll discover another page of the Newfoundland songbook.

This Saturday (May 19), Matthew Byrne drops by the CBC St. John's studio to sing a few ballads and talk about his fascination with our vast and varied folk culture.

A Note to Those in the St. John's Area:
Join us for Matthew Byrne in concert at the LSPU Hall on Thursday, May 31. He'll have a variety of special guests, including Emilia Bartellas and Aaron Collis of The Dardanelles. Tickets are available at the LSPU Hall box office. The show will be recorded for broadcast on The Performance Hour.

Also on this week's show, we'll hear from the debut album by Pilot to Bombardier, and chat with the local jazz-funk trio Evry7th.

Performance Hour Video: Chris Kirby's New Single

2012-05-11T03:17:36Z

May 15 is the release date for the new Chris Kirby album, Wonderizer.

Chris talks about the album and plays a few songs from it this Saturday (May 12) on The Performance Hour.

We also captured that session on video.

From his visit to Studio F at CBC St. John's, here's Chris Kirby with a solo version of the first single on his new album.

Performance Hour Video: Title Track from the New Chris Kirby Album

2012-05-08T18:04:10Z

The soul man from Norris Arm is back.

This Saturday (May 12), Chris Kirby joins me in the Performance Hour studio to play songs from his brand new album, Wonderizer.

It's his third solo CD, and it continues the evolution of his rich blend of blues, R&B, soul, and funk.

Here's a video from Chris Kirby's session in Studio F at CBC St. John's. He's at the piano to play the title track from the new album.

Performance Hour Video: Pamela Morgan Sings "The Frog Prince"

2012-04-24T12:49:09Z

Pamela Morgan is back in the game.

After nearly three decades devoted to folk and traditional music, Pamela stepped away for the last few years.

We haven't heard much from her since the summer of 2008, when she led a reunion of Newfoundland and Labrador's seminal folk group, Figgy Duff.

Now she's recording and performing again, and you'll hear her new songs this Saturday (May 5) in a session recorded exclusively for the Performance Hour.

From that session, here's Pamela Morgan filmed live off the floor of Studio F at CBC St. John's.

She sings a lyric by the great Newfoundland poet Tom Dawe, set to music composed by Pamela.

It wonders whether the prince of fairy tale legend might ever long for his days as a frog, and regret the kiss that changed everything.

The Symphonic Amelia Curran

2012-04-24T03:06:40Z

It's been quite a journey for the woman who got her start busking on the streets of St. John's.

These days Amelia Curran is considered one of the great young voices in Canadian music.

This Saturday you'll hear her songs in a whole new context, in a concert recorded at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax.

Amelia sings with Symphony Nova Scotia, giving some of her finest songs the full, sweeping symphonic treatment.

Conductor Shalom Bard leads the ensemble through arrangements written by two of Amelia's longtime collaborators, Erin Costello and Phil Sedore.

You'll hear favourites like Scattered and Small, Bye-Bye Montreal, and All Hands on a Grain of Sand, delivered with swelling strings and muscular brass.

With a brand new album in the works, the concert provides a look back at how Amelia Curran's music has evolved during her meteoric rise over the last few years.

Most of us are used to hearing Amelia Curran accompanied by little more than an acoustic guitar.

But the "big" sound brings out nuances of dramatic tension, humour, and insight that you might not have heard before.

Also this week, poetry by Kerri Cull of Labrador City. She reads from her new collection, Soak, and talks about it.

Andrew James O'Brien Live in St. John's

2012-04-17T03:02:13Z

They are few and far between, the songwriters who can stop you in your tracks, have you hanging on every word.

Andrew James O'Brien first appeared on this show as part of the 2010 CBC-Music NL Songwriters Circle in Rocky Harbour.

Almost nobody in the room knew who he was. His first album was still a few months away.

But from the moment he began his first song, you could hear a pin drop.

He's had that effect on audiences everywhere, and his days as an unknown performer are long over.

Last month, Andrew James O'Brien and his band the Searchers took the stage of the LSPU Hall in St. John's.

Fans packed the house for a pair of shows presented by CBC Radio, and the event turned into a celebration of one of the great young voices in Newfoundland music.

It was quite a time, as you'll hear this Saturday.

Photo: Andrew James O'Brien with Catherine Allan of his band the Searchers. (Bud Gaulton).

Performance Hour Video: A New Song from Pamela Morgan

2012-04-04T12:43:13Z

Pamela Morgan took an extended break from music for the last few years.

We haven't heard much from her since 2008, when she led a summer reunion of Figgy Duff, the seminal folk group of Newfoundland and Labrador.

But Pamela Morgan is back in the game, and you'll hear some of her new songs on the May 5 edition of the Performance Hour.

Here's one of them, Between the Lines, recorded live off the studio floor.

The ECMA Extravaganza, 2012 Edition

2012-04-03T13:09:07Z

If you go back to the early 1990s, to names like the Irish Descendants and Thomas Trio and the Red Albino, you can use the East Coast Music Awards to track changing fashions in Newfoundland music, year over year.

It's far from definitive, but the list of nominees provides a glimpse of how our music is viewed by the insiders and industry professionals who vote on the awards.

The 2012 ECMA weekend kicks off Thursday, April 12 in Moncton, and that's our focus for the next two weeks.

On Saturday, April 7, the Performance Hour checks in on the Newfoundland and Labrador challengers who are heading off to this year's extravaganza.

The 2012 ECMA idols from this province include Hey Rosetta!, Mark Bragg, the Navigators, and Ron Hynes. We'll hear them and a whole lot more.

On Saturday, April 14, we switch to a Maritime perspective, as we hand the reins over to our sister show, Atlantic Airwaves.

Stephanie Domet hosts a two-hour special live from the "Breakout Stage" in Moncton.

You'll hear music by up-and-coming artists like Banded Stilts, Dylan Guthro, and Mo Kenney.

Patrick Boyle's Ode to Confederation

2012-03-27T02:31:49Z

Patrick Boyle is a rising star of jazz who also dabbles in rock, rap, blues, and bluegrass. He plays live soundtracks to silent films. He's even composed an ode to his favorite fish n' chips shop.

At the most recent Sound Symposium in St. John's, Patrick took on another challenge: a musical reflection on Newfoundland and Labrador's union with Canada.

Well Enough Alone: The Confederation Suite, was composed by Patrick as a special commission for CBC Radio.

This Saturday (March 31), you'll hear the debut performance, recorded at the LSPU Hall in St. John's.

The show features an all-star lineup of Newfoundland jazz alumni:

Patrick Boyle, trumpet and flugelhorn.
John Nugent, saxophone.
Bill Brennan, piano.
Jim Vivian, bass.
Michael Billard, drums.

The second set from this concert features another Patrick Boyle composition: Same Here, along with Charlie Parker's Confirmation, and the Gershwin classic Embraceable You.

(Photo: William Suarez.)

Performance Hour Video: Megan Warren of Repartee

2012-03-22T12:55:02Z

Here's the lead singer of one of Newfoundland's hottest young bands, Repartee. Megan Warren performs her song "Strong" in Studio F at CBC St. John's. This video was shot during her session for the March 24 edition of The Performance Hour.

Check our "on demand" page for more video from previous Performance Hour studio sessions.

Megan Warren Follows the Songwriting Road Less Traveled

2012-03-20T15:13:45Z

Megan Warren wants you to get up and dance.

That's one of the reasons she formed a synth-pop band called Repartee back in 2009. The band quickly earned a reputation for high-energy, high-tempo live shows.

In that context, it can be hard to stand out as a distinct and original songwriter.

But Megan Warren's songs have layers of depth and personality you won't find in most catchy pop tunes.

It's one reason why Repartee is among the strongest young bands in Newfoundland and Labrador, in demand for events like Canada Music Week and the East Coast Music Awards.

This Saturday we'll hear her music in a more intimate setting, as Megan joins me in Studio F at CBC St. John's.

She'll sit at the Steinway grand piano to play a few selections from the Repartee catalogue, and talk about her songs and her band.

Also on this week's show, new fiction by Russell Wangersky, from his short story collection Whirl Away.

A Performance Hour Documentary Special: "A Bullet for the General"

2012-03-13T14:22:55Z

The latest audio feature from Newfoundland documentary maker Chris Brookes unravels the mystery of Major General Hugh Tudor.

For four decades, this decorated World War One general and friend of Winston Churchill lived in St. John's - far from his country, his wife and children, and very far indeed from the limelight.

But he lived in fear, carrying a Webley revolver and a set of brass knuckles in case of a surprise attack.

And he harboured a dark secret - one that would eventually carry an assassin across the Atlantic on a mission to hunt him down. Or so they say.

Tudor had been the commander of the infamous Black and Tans, the British force formed in 1920 to "fight fire with fire" against the IRA in Ireland.

After Irish independence in 1922, Tudor was considered a marked man, and he escaped to exile in Newfoundland.

Did the assassination attempt actually happen, or is it the stuff of legend?

With the help of Newfoundland crime novelist Thomas Curran, the documentary sleuths the mystery of a man reviled in Ireland as a rapacious war criminal, and remembered in St. John's only as a quiet old man.

"A Bullet for the General" is a Battery Radio production, and aired on RTE Dublin in January.

You'll find an audio listening link and background information on Hugh Tudor at the Battery Radio website.