PLAIN FOLK

By Les Pearson

Shades of Blues and Greens: The Music of Eileen Laverty

I heard Eileen Laverty for the first time two years ago at the Canmore Folk Festival. Like hundreds of others in the crowd, I felt drawn to this Saskatoon songster. After all, she began her main stage set by confessing a certain vulnerability. She had just exchanged an English teacher's regular monthly salary for the uncertain paydays of a full-time performer. Her CD, Dancing with Angels, had recently been released. Now, like many of her high school students, Eileen faced an uncertain future. Her only certainty: the immediate future was folk music.

Her song lyrics were original, soulful, and tinged with the emigrant's angst and longing. Celtic blues. There was also Irish charm. And who could escape the appeal of Eileen's flashing smile, her fine crystal voice, or her Celtic lilt? Her stage manner that summer ranged from demure on the evening's centre stage to gutsy on the afternoon workshop platform.

My highlight involved a workshop with those zany Canadian clowns, The Arrogant Worms, and rollicking British rockers, The Oyster Band. There she was. Almost alone. She sat down, stage left. Almost out of the picture at her first major festival. She seemed like a wee leprechaun in the company of seven salty and seasoned professionals. They were not willing to cut her any courteous slack. There were digs and jibes. And women's jokes.

Then something quite startling happened! Eileen's wit sparked to life and she gave as good as she got. I do not remember keen one-liners or exact double-edged rejoinders. But the atmosphere changed. She was everyone's sister. A member of the family. And after her first song, respected. Equal. (What had I expected from a former high school teacher?)

Last summer I saw Eileen at the Regina Folk Festival and her career is blooming shamrocks. She was accompanied by the talented Greg Hargarten on guitar and vocals and by Jesse Brown on keyboards. Hargarten produced Eileen's CD and adds depth and balance to many of her stage songs. There was a new care for production in this stage show. Eileen's stage banter had moved beyond teacher tales and stories from home. The music was fuller and rounder. Frankly, it showed maturity.

All this is clear. But there are mists in this performer's career. Audiences have only seen Eileen through a glass and darkly. Behind the public persona there is a private, maybe even shy, person. While her music is often intensely poignant and personal, it begs important questions. Is she Irish or Canadian? And why is there perpetual sadness in her songs?

It is no accident that the only borrowed songs on Eileen's CD are Dougie MacLean's "Caledonia" and Steve Earle's "My Old Friend the Blues." They sum up Laverty's public persona. Is this changing? Stay tuned. Next week I'll have some answers to these questions.
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Eileen will appear in the Folk Music Club's final concert at the Medicine Hat High School Theatre on Saturday, March 29. Tickets are on sale at JD Colour, Java Bytes, and from the Customer Service kiosk at the Medicine Hat Mall.

Visit Eileen's web site at www.eileenlaverty.com