PLAIN FOLK By Les Pearson Why do today’s Canadian musicians dabble in so many genres? Simple. Because the good ones can. The more they play, the more we pay. Like Billy Jones says, “Follow the money!” Playing folk, Celtic, rock, traditional, and even jazz numbers may be the only way that most great Canadian musicians subsist. For musicians, the Canadian marketplace must look, at times, like a one trick pony. A musician has personal tastes and preferences. But you need three rings for the big top. No wonder so many nibble at Daddy Sawbucks’ “Greatest Show on Earth” south of the border. It isn’t just Canadians. I noticed it most at Christmas. Ruthie Foster is a great American gospel and blues singer. I’m predicting a March Chinook when she blows in from Texas for the Folk Club’s sizzling fourth concert. But on her latest CD, Stages (2004), there are songs like God Bless the Child that had me thinking “Diana Krall!” Ruthie is on her way up. The past four years have been meteoric. Maybe it’s the market or maybe her blooming talent. Clearly, she is experimenting with jazz and the dark side. If you love gospel, this seems like a betrayal or at least a loss. Mind you, it’s all good. Ruthie has a wondrous voice. So why not? Them that has, does. And God bless the child that’s got her own! This brings me to The Tiller’s Folly. I recently got into a tiff with a respected member of the Club when I called this group “Celtic.” “But they’re so much more!” was the argument. “They are diverse!” “Oh sure,” I thought. Let’s see…. There’s Laurence Knight on bass. So what if he’s played with Bryan Adams, k. d. laing, the Headpins, and Bo Didley! Every Celtic quartet needs a bass. And there’s Nolan Murray. He plays fiddle and mandolin. Now those are Celtic instruments! Forget the fact that he has toured with Ian Tyson, Loretta Lynn, Randy Travis, John Fogerty, and a host of other country cousins. Eric Reed plays mandolin, guitar, and keyboards. So what if he has recorded award-winning Bluegrass albums! Before I lose the argument altogether, thank goodness for Tiller’s Folly founder, Bruce Coughlan. Finally, a true Celt! He formed Tiller’s because he wanted a “Folk/Celtic” band. Bruce plays acoustic guitar, a wood flute, the bodhrans, and Irish whistles. Now that’s Celtic! Before you’re convinced, I confide that I’m wavering. Tiller’s latest CD, A Ripple in Time (2004 has great music of several kinds. Join the debate! Check out the group’s magnificent web site at www.afinekettleoffish.ca and let me know which foot you’re hopping on. Record your vote—Celtic or not—by contacting me at www.mhfolkmusic. Record your vote on the home page. I’ll publish the results next week! And just to make it interesting, I have two tickets to the Tiller’s Folly concert on Feb. 4 for the best argument!
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