First of four. Brockville
Hi Everybody
For those of you who live in a different continent or those who live in a different part of this continent, Brockville is in Ontario, Canada. It’s on the edge of the Saint Lawrence River about halfway between Kingston and the Quebec border. Geographically, it is on the southern tip of a precambrian granite shelf called The Canadian Shield.
I’ve played here about four or five times over the years. After today’s long drive from my place in Mississauga, I’m thinking they’ve moved it further down the Saint Lawrence.
Absurd, you say? Keep in mind that the area from here to Cornwall is famous for having had entire towns moved during the construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway during the 1950s.
So now that I’ve written about my silly notion that Brockville is further away than it used to be because of the tedious, long drive today (strange to say, but in terms of monotony, it rivals the drive that Barry Keane and I did to Fredericton, New Brunswick in 2024!), I’ll now talk about the show.
This concert was significant not only because it was our first in three months, but also, and maybe more so, because it was the first with our new lead guitarist, Bill Bell.
I was concerned about how it would work out, not because I doubted even for a second Bill’s exceptional talent, but because we only had one rehearsal due to the totally f**ked weather this winter.
I won’t say our performance was flawless, but a close longtime friend of mine who was there said it sounded great. His name is Mark Jewett, and we’ve been good friends for a really long time. In April, it will be an incredible 58 years!
Just like a real friend, not a fair-weather buddy, he feels no responsibility to praise what I do just for social reasons. In my book, that gives him genuine credibility. He was right! After a song or two, all my apprehensions were gone.
Tomorrow we’re off to a place that a lot of people I know find boring and stodgy…. Ottawa. I’ve worked there many times over the years, and I always enjoy it.
Before I go, let me say something about this project I’ve been working so hard on with my good friends Rick Haynes, Barry Keane and Andy Mauck. Someone who also deserves credit for launching this thing is Carter Lancaster. He had to step down for personal reasons.
There’s only been one other situation in my music career that rivals this one in terms of fulfillment. That would be my musical partnership with Shirley Eikhard.
The songs we played always had arrangements that we made together. Performing on stage was definitely musically satisfying, whether we did it as a duo or with a full group of players..
In contrast, my appreciation of The Lightfoot Band starts from a slightly different corner.
The analogy I use is that of a kid who, after slogging his way through a long snowy winter, has his first nice spring day of the year. He’s allowed to go to school without his clunky snow boots. That cumbersome weight is gone from his feet. He feels like he can fly. I know because he is me.