Between The Rock And A Hard Place: Newfoundland, Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle, And Even Russell Crowe

"A Glimpse Of What Could Be" Part Two - Who It's Really All About & The Irrevocable Step Forward: CMT's "Alan Doyle: Live At Revival" (Photos & Words)

 

2/28 Note: I'm not playing Blog Hookey - typed that twice as "Hockey"...where my fingers automatically go - I'm just waiting for the increased traffic Alan's Revival taping has generated here to return to regular levels before going on to the next entry. And his taping is sure important enough to warrant the pause. The wait and a few of the comments made here the past few days have  given me plenty of time to think about what to say next; I think I'm finally going to get around to some speciic ideas about solo shows. Guess it's high time to start writing.  

 

 

All done now. I'm sorry it took me so long. One lesson I have surely learned is that the more important it is, the more it matters, the more I care...the greater the challenge of writing it down. Words don't come easy, you see. 

 

 

For reasons of varying validity, it's taken me far too long to finish up with CMT's filming of Alan Doyle: LIve At Revival. Not because it hasn't been on my mind. Just the opposite - I've awakened to a brand new beautiful Alan Doyle song every morning this past week and gladly sung those songs all day long; the most beautiful of his brand new songs, Rules Will All Be Broken, played on repeat in my mind throughout a rather rough appointment on Monday and very likely will again this afternoon at the second such appointment - but because getting the photos and video frames sorted and edited has been a laboriously slow process, and then there was travel and those appointments and other commitments that peskily insisted on claiming their unfair share of my time and attention.

There was nonsense too, the same old stupid mean shit (done by the same old stupid mean bullies, for the most part) that I shouldn't have let delay me for a moment, let alone for a day or two. Foolish of me, far more foolish than any bully because, unlike those bullies, I know the Truth. I know what matters here.

I know Who this is really all about. 

 

 

View of the Boy, View from his Bridge.

 

In a world full of tired eyes,
Yours are still bright and true... - Alan Doyle

 

Every now and again, the significance of the moment is recognised while we are still in that moment. This is the Step Forward; there's no going back from Here. That's my best description of the CMT Live At Revival taping. There was Alan, standing in the middle of that pile of film equipment, standing out there with the amazing group of players he'd brought together and who in the space of three days he had formed into a Band, his own Dream Band, there to support him and his new music. There he was, handling every aspect of the filming process with sure-handed competence and ease, not with the usual nervous tension I've seen in him every other time at these filmed shows. Not this time, not at all. Not with these songs. 

There was Alan, confidently performing his beautiful new songs with his amazing new band, songs that are open and honest, immediate and sincere, thoughtful and passionate, vulnerable and real. Songs that are loving and genuine and sweet - songs of himself, the strongest and most powerful and best of himself. Unforgettable melody lines, lovely instrumentation, and striking lyrics that tell a True Story - from the heart and to the heart. For the heart. 

It was wonderful; he was wonderful, as wonderful as he truly is. Alll the while, the cameras were rolling. No, Alan, there is no going back from this.

And that is Most Wonderful of all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm Sorry  (with Hawksley Workman)

Break My Fall  (with Hawksley Workman and Jim Cuddy)

It Ain't Enough

Lay Me Down

My Day

Break It Slow

(I Don't Mind Dancin' With You - impromptu)

Light The Way

A Heart Worth Breaking (Alan on piano)

Rules Will All Be Broken

Where I Belong 

 

Some of these titles are, of course, purely speculative, and there's no saying which songs will make the final cut and be shown on the CMT show, which will also include a documentary portion about the makng of the album.  

 

I know this is going to disappoint some folks who would have dearly loved to be at the taping, but I've (finally) decided not to put up any more videos, not yet. The songs are beautiful and wonderful and that makes the decision so difficult (especially with Rules Will All Be Broken), but I will not risk doing anything, however small, that could interfere with how Alan wants to debut his songs, whether on this show or some place else of his choosing. When the show airs, I'll put up what video I have as a Behind The Scenes point of view. 

But since it's his songs I'm protecting, that means the video frames are fair game. Middle Ground, as it were.  

 

The Alan Doyle Band (and Guests) - Some of these photos/video frames aren't the greatest quality since nearly all of them were taken from the KneeCam (we kinda sorta weren't supposed to be using cameras after the first song). My knee had quite the interesting vantage point:  a wonderfully clear view of Alan (I could not have asked for a better or more appreciated view) but a bit tricky to see - that is, for my knee to "see" - some of the other players on the other side of the piano and the drum kit.

I also had an excellent view of the keyboards and an utterly fascinating view of Kris; after God only knows how many GBS shows, I finally got to see what he's doing back there...and to hear just how frigging loud those drums of his are. 

 

Alan Doyle, Kendel Carson, Jim Cuddy 

 

 

Alan Doyle, Kendel Carson, Jim Cuddy

 

 

Kendel Carson, Jim Cuddy

 

 

Cory Tetford, Alan Doyle, Kendel Carson, Hawksley Workman

 

 

Cory Tetford, Alan Doyle

 

 

Cory Tetford, Alan Doyle

 

 

Todd Lumley

 

 

 

(Peekaboo) Kris Macfarlane, Derrick Brady

 

 

Kris Macfarlane

 

 

 

It was a splendid band playing in support of Alan's spectacular performance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During Light The Way and It Ain't Enough, I kept thinking about Alan playing the High School Hockey Dances. I really loved that thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules Will All Be Broken could be the most beautiful song I have ever heard; so says my heart. Worth waiting eleven years for; worth waiting a lifetime for. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, you are. Absolutely. Always and forever. 

 

 

It's time for that second rough appointment. It's time for your song. 

 

 

*****************************************************************************************************************************

 

 

It worked, again. Alan has written a powerfully beautiful song. 

 

While waiting outside the Revival Bar to be let in for the taping, we could hear soundcheck/rehearsal going on but couldn't see much of how the venue was set up. When we were let in and directed to our seats - again, much credit to the CMT production staff for smoothly and efficiently shepherding all of us safely across an obstacle course of instruments, mics, wires and cameras and to the various places in which they chose to put us  - it still took me a minute or two to sort out the arrangement of mics and figure out that the band would be playing in a circle, facing inward toward one another.

That set me to puzzling out who would be at which mic. Since we were basically sitting between the drum kit and the piano, it was pretty clear where Kris and Todd would be. I found the bass and the fiddle - Derrick and Kendel thus located too. That put Alan at the top of the circle, directly across from where we were sitting. Which made sense, given the bank of Big Cameras and all the sound equipment that was right behind us. There were also some handheld cameras behind the bar to our left, but no cameras at al down at the other end of the room, where the majority of the audience members had been seated. 

He's going to play with his back to most of the audience, I realised suddenly. His performance will be to the other players and for the cameras. Whoever made that call, it was brilliant. This was a showcase for Alan's songs, not a concert. As delighted as all of us were to be there for the taping, this performance wasn't about those in the studio audience; instead, it was about introducing Alan's Solo Album to each and every person who will watch the CMT show when it airs nationwide.  

While Alan had - and of course made the most of - ample opportunity to be his usual endearing self with the audience members, chatting up and thoroughly charming the folks behind him in-between songs and while retrieving and tuning his instruments, when it came time for his songs, those songs got his full focus and undivided attention. And his whole heart. His was a magnificent performance, subtle and nuanced, commanding and sure, poignant and seductive - every moment in perfect consonance with each song and for each song - him courting the camera like a bold and tender lover confident of his welcoming embrace. 

From the first moment he came out, greeted by louder applause than I thought humanly possible from such a small group of people, I looked up into his face and could see that he knew - knew that this was going to be special, knew it was going to be worth the long wait, knew he was going to make the most of his wonderful new songs.

And he was right about that. He was right about all of it. I love it when he's right. 

 

 

You never know what will and what won't make the cut in the final edit of a filmed show. There were some great comments made between the songs, some of them funny (Alan's mentions of how attractive his Mom finds Cory and Kris's tongue-in-cheek - and longsuffering - "Tempo's not my job" quip) and some were sweet (in particular Hawksley's much-appreciated-by-me remark that "No one works harder, no one is smarter, no one is funnier than Alan Doyle").  

I hope a bit of broadcast time is set aside to show how thoughtful and kind Alan was with his band members, asking them solicitously if they were alright, if they needed any water, if all was well. He's a good band leader, the sort of leader who makes you willing and glad to follow him.  

I hope most of all that CMT shows enough of Alan's between-song demeanour to make it clear just how steady and sure and poised he was throughout the filming. He was the Man who knows full well the measure of himself and the worth of his songs, the Man who believes enough in himself and his music to be both serious and sincere. He was Alan. It was wonderful to see him there. 

I doubt the cameras were running during the equipment issues with Todd's organ when Alan started in on the breathlessly beautiful not-yet-ready-for-live-performance I Don't Mind Dancin' With You, an expertly written tune in which resides this sparkling jewel of a lyric:

I've been around
The wrong side of town
So long that it feels right to me

Truly perfect and perfectly true. I can't wait to hear this song on the album and in the live shows too, along with all the rest of Alan's Boy On Bridge songs. The richness and depth of the 10 songs performed for the LIve At Revival show are deeply impressive in their own right; knowing that even more is yet to come on this album - again, it's difficult to say just how many songs will be on Boy On Bridge, but at last count, Alan was talking about more than 15, perhaps as many as 18 - has me over the moon about this album. 

However Alan's songs wind up being arranged and performed - there will be the studio arrangements and then the live-show arrangements, with the latter possibly varying if it turns out he has different band members with him at different times, these CMT-show live versions likely being one of those several arrangements - the Constant will be the songs themselves, them and the Man, the Boy On Bridge, who has created them. They are such good songs, honest and strong, true songs that encompass and embody a real-world emotional landscape: love, regret, hope, loss, delight, fear, need, passion. And the wealth of sweetness that's there to be discovered and treasured in the heart of that Boy. 

 

 

There will be so much more to say about Alan's songs when his Solo Album is released, as well as when the live shows begin. For now, just a bit about the songs as heard at Revival: 

From I'm Sorry (co-written with Hawksely Workman, who joined Alan's band for this song), a hauntingly melancholy chorus: 

You can't unring a bell
You can't untell a story
You can't unbreak a heart,
I'm sorry, I'm sorry

I love how this one opens, with Alan quite literally "banging his own drum," then playing the guitar long enough to set the track and next switching to the mandolin. I also love the Jackson Browne echo of the melody line when he sings "Fast forward to the broken heart..." Most of all, I love how painfully true this song is, how openly it accepts the consequences it so achingly wishes it could be spared. 

 

Close proximity to the drums made it difficult to hear much more other than those drums in Alan's second song, another Hawksley co-write, on which both Hawksley and Jim Cuddy joined in. I'm calling it Break My Fall because that was a repeating lyric and central theme in what played as a gentle, hopeful, wistfully longing love song. 

 

It Ain't Enough is pure energy, pure drive and hunger, pure need and hope. It's pure Alan. This is the song that answers the question Can The Alan Doyle Band rock? with an emphatically shouted Oh Yeah!

 

Lay Me Down is sublimely lovely, a sweetly sensual lovers' waltz.

Long past surrender, the bow'r sets the stage
With a single star spotlight where the deeds will be played
Our story's unscripted in this Secret Show
We'll draw back the curtains; we'll see where it goes...

With Alan on mandolin and Todd's accordion entwined with Kendel's fiddle, along with Alan's and Kendel's close harmonies, the sound and sense of the song come together and become as one.

 

My Day is sheer exuberance, matched with a willful determination to seize the day as one's own. 

Let the sun shine, let it rain
I'm walking in good times, come what may
This is my day, no one can take it away
This is my day today

Backed by a bright, bouncy bass line and what can only be described as perky drums, this sounds the most "Great Big Sea-ish" of all the Boy On Bridge songs I've heard so far. And this is a Very Good Thing: If Alan is going to be genuinely free to express the full range of who he is and what he can do, the part of him that has excelled so brilliantly at being a part of GBS belongs in that expression too, as a significant part of the larger whole, an integral component of the Boy. It's also very smart to include on his solo album a song that feels reassuringly familiar to diehard GBS fans, a song that is also, along with It Ain't Enough, quite radio-play friendly. 

Alan has achieved great things with GBS, unparalleled accomplishments, but every time I encounter someone who believes that these accomplishments make up the sum total of who he is and what he can do, I always think of it being much like somebody describing his physical appearance by saying "Alan Doyle has a spectacular right thigh."  Which he most certainly does, quite spectacular indeed. And so is his left thigh...and his right arm...and his left...and his belly... And so on. My Day is a spectacular right-thigh of an Alan Doyle Song, made even more delicious in that while it sounds so thoroughly GBS, the subect matter could be seen as very much a statement about his own venturing out as a solo artist.

 

They filmed Break It Slow twice - this is the song during which there were equipment issues, with that gorgeous impromptu I Don't Mind Dancin' With You interlude in-between - and both times it was reminiscent of an acoustic Springsteen song (another Very Good Thing), especially these lines:

But I'll be okay,
Please don't delay
Do what you gotta do

This is a song about being left behind by the one you love - a song you can dance to. A song Alan dares you to resist dancing to. Absolutely Springsteen.  

 

Light The Way is Alan's Hockey Dance Rocker, the Boy at his most eager and fierce, near-ready to burst with cocky excitement and pressing demand, shredding his Fender, striking his poses, and stealing the breath away from the bedazzled girl. Not to mention pounding her pulse. It's glorious, utterly so. And it is going to bring down the house at every single show he plays. 

 

Alan at the piano, bold and brave and beautiful. I don't know the name of the lovely song he sang there - I'm calling it Heart Worth Breaking because of the power of that lyric to move the heart intent on loving.

Well, I've got a heart worth breaking
Would you like to take a try?
It's not something that I'm keen to
Openly advertise

The Boy when he is vulnerable is the Boy at his most appealing, his most lovable...his most real. And he looks so gorgeous playing that piano.

 

I first heard Rules Will All Be Broken on the laptop as a snippet from one of Alan's recording sessions with Mike Post. I was sitting in the Air Canada Lounge at Pearson when it claimed my heart, one of those unforgettable moments that you know beyond doubt will remain vivid and immediate in memory for the rest of your life. It was the moment I knew for sure that the long wait was going to be worth every day, every month, every year of its duration. And that the wait would eventually, finally, blissfully, reach its end. At Revival, hearing the full song for the first time, it felt like Arrival at the desired destination. 

As long as Alan is writing songs this beautiful, this perfect - as beautiful and as perfect as he is - he'll continue making his own music. The only waiting left to do will be for More. 

 

Where I Belong is a heart's anthem to Home, a song written for Alan's own Home that is going to resonate with all who have, for one reason or another, journeyed far away from the homes to which their own hearts will always belong. This song is Alan's gift to those hearts - solace and ache, sorrow and joy - and the circumstances that led to its appearance on Alan's first Solo Album have resulted in the song winding up exactly where it belongs.

I believe with all my heart that Newfoundlanders will be singing Alan's song a hundred years from now. I hope with all my heart that they'll be singing it at Home. 

 

 

And that was the filming of Alan Doyle: Live At Revival, which will in a few short months be the first introduction, the First Hello, of Alan's new music to so many people, who are, I believe, going to be very impressed with what he has created. The album should follow soon after - the first album, that is - and then the live shows. As many as he can persuade/cajole/charm his new bandmates into playing. 

This is the Beginning of the Beginning. Moving forward step-by-step on a never-before-travelled Brand New Road...the Road that leads from What Could Be to What Wonderfully Is. 

 

 

Through the sunlight and the snow.

 

 

"A Glimpse Of What Could Be" Part One - The Best Of Alan Doyle (Live At Revival)

 

 

Alan knowing for sure that's he's at his Best. And being so right about that.

 

 

I can't wait to see what's comin'  
Hell or high water, I'm off and runnin'
Either way...
This is My Day today
This is My Day today - Alan Doyle, "My Day"

 

A few nights ago, I shared a bar with a trio of Rural Newfoundland fellows, all of them near-lifelong friends. They were deep in their conversation and their cups; I was deep in thought about such matters as need and desire, courage and passion, choices made and risks undertaken. Roads both more and less travelled, longed-for destinations sought-after and achieved, and brilliant bright lights sparkling like diamonds on a distant horizon. Warm hands reaching out with a lingering tenderness, opportunities eagerly embraced and slipping through reluctant fingers.  

Then I thought about the Boy who is most dear to my heart, a needy boy with fierce desires, a brave boy whose passions run deep and wide and strong. A determined boy who makes the choices and takes the risks and walks the long, hard road that takes him where he knows he belongs and wins him what he hopes he deserves. A sweet and vulnerable boy whose capable hands could be both treasured and trusted. 

I was the last person out of that bar on this night, all others - including the now-wobbly trio - having already taken their leave. Before I too left. I raised the final glass of the evening in a heartfelt toast to the success and the happiness of - a toast of kindness toward, belief in, and love for - that Boy.

It was His Day that day. As is every day that comes after. 

 

 

 Alan where he belongs  

 

The filming of the concert portion of CMT's Alan Doyle: Live At Revival (there will also be a "making of the Boy On Bridge album" documentary component to the program) was, by any and every standard of measure, a remarkable success. I'm going to start with the technical, prosaic stuff first and save the most wonderful part of it all - the beautiful new songs and Alan's impressive performance as both Solo Artist and Band Leader - for later. I'm going to make you wait for the wonderful, which will be consistent with the theme of The Best Being Worth The Wait.  

Despite having had a mere three days to rehearse, the debut performance of Alan's exceptional band (the "Dream Band," per Alan himself, and quite understandably said) came off with flying colours, with the five of them (Alan, Corey Tetford, Kris Macfarlane, Todd Lumley, Kendel Carson, and Derrick Brady with guest turns from Hawksley Workman and Jim Cuddy) sounding awesomely good together on nine brand new Alan Doyle songs (Alan sang the tenth and final song a cappella), even earning extra credit for coming very near to pulling off yet one more song - a heart-winning song about dancing, romancing, and taking chances, one of the most charming (and unforgettable) tunes of the evening - done while the crew was scrambling about trying to fix Todd Lumley's organ (yes, Alan made all the appropriately inappropriate jokes, as he so predictably and endearingly does). All night long I kept thinking that if the band could be this good together after only a few days, there were no limits at all to how amazing they would be capable of becoming in time. 

Another thought that kept resurfacing all night long was how impressive CMT's crew was. I've been to quite a few of these shoots - a goodly number of them GBS shoots - and this was one of the best work atmospheres I've ever seen for filming. We watched the latter parts of an efficient set-up (they'd been at it all day), as Toronto's Revival Bar (I'd never been there before, had no idea where it was until told it was basically across the street from the Mod Club) was transformed into Alan's Soundstage.

The set-up was sheer brllliance. The main floor of Revival, where the filming took place, is a long, narrow room with a bar running the length of the room on one side and a padded bench running the length on the other side. The band was set up in an elongated circle, facing in toward one another, which was perfect for playing because it allowed everyone to see everyone else - most of all, it allowed Alan to see everyone else - absolutely crucial to get the timing right when they've played together for such a short time. And it set a warm and intimate mood too, much like having been invited in to witness the artists sharing the songs among themselves, rather than performing them to an audience (or to the cameras).

Most of the audience (perhaps 75 or so total were there for the show, a mixture of fans, friends, family members and industry folks) were seated directly behind Alan, with another good-sized group seated on that long padded bench on the far wall. There were a handful of folks situated behind the bar, some sitting and some standing, and a few of us were placed in-between the drum kit and the piano, directly opposite of Alan, at the bottom of the circle of which he was the top, which was a perfect view for seeing him, all the rest too (a uniquely fascinating view of Kris on the drums and both Todd and Alan on piano) but not the best circumstance for hearing (both then and for the rest of the evening...Jesus, drums are loud).

The cameras were so unintrusive that I forgot about them for most of the night, right up until I saw one fellow with a handheld camera reflected in the piano when Alan was playing it. We had cameras right behind us, so it may have all been more noticeable to the larger number of people sitting directly behind Alan, who fretted (needlessly) about having to "suck in" his backside when he was more used to so doing (again, needlessly) with his frontside. But from my own vantage point, that was the smoothest and least disruptive filming I've attended, which means the reactions and responses of the audience members are all the more likely to be at their most natural and unassumed.  

It's impossible to say how things went behind the scenes, but from what was visible, even the smallest details went smoothly, such as getting everyone on the guest list inside and seated with none of the usual confusion and despair over names missing from that list. Problems that cropped up during the shoot - such as Todd's organ dysfunction - were handled with dispatch and the filming quickly put back on the tracks. 

Most impressive of all was the relationship between Alan and Joel, the Director. Throughout the entire process, their give-and-take (Was that good, Joel?...It was perfect, Alan...I think I'd like to do it again, Joel...Alright, Alan, let's do it again) was warm and relaxed, the two of them sounding more like longtime friends than Director and Talent. What they most seemed like were Project Collaborators, and that bodes spectacularly well for how excellent a program CMT's Live At Revival - which is apparently scheduled to air some time in May - is going to be. 

Which is exactly what the spectacular Man at the centre of it all deserves. I have all kinds of good things to say about how wonderful his evening at Revival was, about his beautiful new songs - including a heart-claiming song about rule-breaking that has now become my own most-loved of his songs (still debating whether to put up the video so it can be heard sooner rather than later) - about why the album's title is so perfect, about what kind of band leader he is.

 

About the versatile skills of the accomplished Artist.

 

 

About the dazzling brilliance of the incendiary Rock Star.

 

 

And about the breathless sweetness of the vulnerable Boy. 

 

 About The Best of Alan. 

 

Now it's time for the waiting part. Turnabout, fair play, taking my time...you know. But for sure not eleven years; just a day or so, just long enough to get some more video frames edited and to find words worthy of their Subject. Given how utterly wonderful that Subject has been of late, I've been feeling some pangs of inadequacy on the Word-Worthiness Front. I'll add it in here when it's ready for you to read. 

 

 

Adding a personal note of thanks to those who've been kind and supportive - each in his or her own way - here and various other places. Much appreciated.  

 

 

"Oh, It's Sad To Leave A Song Unsung..." - Alan Doyle Live At Revival (CMT Filming), First Thoughts

Last night at Revival - I'm still smiling at the blissful perfection of that name (can I get an Amen? How about a Hallelujah? - was amazing. And moving...deeply so, achingly so, to the point that I very nearly chose a title lyric from another one of Alan's beautiful new songs: Words don't come easy, you see. But that got me thinking about But I don't mind dancin' with you, and once I found myself there, the words started to come, easily. Some of us do wear our hearts on our sleeves, all the better to offer them freely - to the right person. To the One with a heart worth loving.

 

Utterly delightful - Alan on piano (note the Boy On Bridge album artwork on the wall behind him):

 

The video was done from the vantage point of my left knee. My own view was even lovelier, because I could see Alan's hands as he played the piano. Such a  Beautiul Boy. 

 

 

I still have quite a bit of work to do on what photos and videos I did get from last night; the light from where I was sitting was low for non-flash photos, but I did get a least a couple of decent shots, particularly ones that included guest performers Jim Cuddy and Hawksley Workman, and I might put up some video frames in photo format too. The videos themselves are a bit problematic since my extremely close proximity to Kris's drums made for quite the unique audio results. A fascinating view, but challenging sound. 

There are a few videos with low or no drums that I might put up. Or maybe I'll just go with snippets, all to further whet the appetite for (and perhaps help increase the viewership and sales of) the CMT special and, most important of all, Alan's Boy On Bridge solo album.

Which leaves the words, serious and thoughtful words, which are now far more eager and abundant than is my time to write them down. Today is a travel day, with a late arrival on the schedule. It's going to take me some time to sort carefully through that abundance of words and choose the best and most-deserved. For the Best and Most-Deserving.

In good time, I'll get to particulars of the show and performance - both the band members and Alan's own solo/band leader performance dynamic (I have lots to say about that) - and also comments about some of the songs. For now, what I most need to say is that Alan's new songs are better - stronger, sweeter, more powerful and more honest, more vulnerable and more real - than even my highest expectations. Which were admittedly sky-high, yet still fell short of what he's accomplished here. And the range of the songs - from exuberantly celebratory rockers to tenderly sensual ballads to luminously lovely waltzes - begins to approach the versatility and the depth and the scope of their Writer. Which is the highest possible praise of all, coming from me. 

This is such excellent music that it truly is sad to think about how very long this wait has been for its creation and performance, its applause and acclaim, about all his unsung songs that did not make so many shows. Alan has worked very hard in theses past years and his impressive accomplishments, both professional and personal, speak eloquently for themselves; I always see Alan as the Man who always does what he can, as much as he can, as well as he can. But still, this music should have come sooner than it has: Because it is this good, because he so clearly takes such great pleasure in its creation and performance (as well as in its applause and acclaim), because it is such an important part of him that has gone unheard for far too long.

But now that he has finally done it, now that he has (quite bravely) taken a Big Step that has the power to significantly impact the shape and alter the course of his life, satisfying a longheld desire by turning deepest dream into tangible, triumphant reality - now that the wait has reached its conclusion - there is scant room for anything other than delight and gratitude, for anything other than being glad for hearing the song and thankful that its singing did not take one day longer. For being full-heart (and, yes, worn on my sleeve - right where it belongs) happy that he doesn't have to wait one day longer. For being endlessly proud of him for what he's achieved and for who he is. 

And for being breathlessly thrilled by the promise of and the hope for what's yet to come: Taking our time at making up for all that lost time. Please, may no song be left unsung.

 

 

"...It's What You're Gonna Do" - Resonant Truths & Perfectly Mixed Emotions: Alan Cool & Alan Hot

 

The very first photo of Alan's brand new band deserves a brand new blog:

 

The Alan Doyle Band - rehearsing for CMT's Live At Revival

Left to right: Todd (Mr. Lonely) Lumley, Kendel Carson, Kris Macfarlane, Alan Doyle, Cory Tetford, Derrick Brady

 

Guns assembled. One rehearsal behind us. What a thrill. - Alan Doyle, Twitter, February 12, 2012 

 

 

Did I tell you I got my Million Miles package from Air Canada a while back? Sorry, I can’t recall if I’ve mentioned this here before. Yeah, a shiny box with a model airplane and golden luggage tags came in the mail. A letter of Congratulations from the head of the Airline was included. I am having trouble finding words to describe my mixed emotions upon receiving this box in the mail. First of all, it felt cool to know that singing songs has afforded me so much travel and a chance to see the world while working. What a treat. Then I started thinking about how many hours and days all that must add up to, and how much of my adult life I’ve spent sitting in a metal tube in the sky. Then I didn’t feel so cool. Then I went, ’Shag that, you spoiled bastard, you got to sing your way around to half of planet Earth. That’s awesome.’ Then I felt cool again. I was going to put the trophy plane up on the shelf in the house, but it felt kind of wanker-ish, you know? It felt a little too ‘hey look how important I am.’ Then I did not feel cool. Then my little fella came up and asked if he could have the fancy model airplane use it as a play toy. I said yes as quick as a blink. He put it next to his Spy Jet from Cars 2. Then I felt cool and left it at that. - Alan again, February 11th blog

 

What Alan has written here is one of his best, one of his most impressive, passages. It is honest and genuine and moving; it is acutely revealing and utterly beautiful. It is him.  

If you're going to write a passage that so perfectly describes the heart and soul of all that you are, of all that is sweetest and most dear and easiest to love about that heart and that soul of yours...then it's going to take some doing, and a bit more time, to offer the response such a perfect passage deserves. The rest for the morning, then - I want to sleep on this.

 

 

A little boy places his Dad's hard-won fancy model airplane - the Trophy Plane - next to the Spy Jet on his toy shelf: A concrete image which is the perfect closing, the necessary Ending, for this first chapter of the New-Band Beginning. An image that resonates with the Truth of the Man. 

Ambivalent longings, contradictory desires, complex passions. Ambition and humility, courage and caution, impulse and straegy, determination and doubt. Aching need and restless guilt, grand accomplishment and disappointed expectation. Rushing toward and shying away, hesitant and bold. Giddy celebration and earnest gratitude. Risks, regrets, and renewed resolve. Hard choices and high prices, harsh words and the kindest heart. Plausible deniability and chasing tornados. Hope and fear and hope again. Reconciliation and acceptance, dazzling success and lasting love. 

A fancy model airplane touches down on a little boy's toy shelf; a brilliant solo album soars up into the wide world outside. 

All these things make up the Man, the Boy, seen clearly in him from first glance, heard clearly in his music at first listen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There you are. Here you are. The Real You, the genuine and complicated and wonderful you. Then and now and always, this is what gives your songs the power and the grace to impact and to affect, to reach out and to touch all those who will listen and who choose to sing along.

This is you being sweet and dear and forever worthy of love and respect, admiration and acclaim. This is the heart and soul of you...of the Boy On Bridge. 

This is Alan at his Coolest. And at his Hottest too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a bit more Hot and Cool (and Gorgeous) Alan from Arroyo Grande:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let the next chapter begin; let the next million miles commence. 

 

And a very happy Makes All The Difference Day to you.

 

 

 

"...It's Where You're Goin' To" - Hushed By Wonder: Endings And Beginnings ('Boy On Bridge' Touches Down In Toronto...With His New Band) & Happily-Ever-After Stories

 

 

Eyes on the prize...

 

It’s a day of beginnings and endings. I am enroute to Toronto to start rehearsals with my new band as we prep for a CMT Taping Wednesday night. - Alan Doyle, February 11th blog

 

 

Have you ever longed for something so deeply for such an endlessly long time that when it finally starts happening, when the dream finally begins coming true, you're so caught up in the wonder of it all that it's a challenge simply to catch your breath and then let it back out again, let alone to find the right words to express that wonder? Yes, you have; of course you have. At least I hope you have, because it is truly an awesome thing to be hushed by wonder. 

Most awesome of all is seeing Alan's first Solo Album - the music I've been waiting to hear ever since the first time I ever saw him, the music he's been waiting to play since much longer ago than that - finally nearing completion and sweet release. Knowing that rehearsal with the members of the New Band, the band which will be playing his much-longed-for songs, begins today for CMT's Alan Doyle At Revival show (could there be a more perfect title?) makes me want to applaud and cheer even before the first song begins.

I know Alan and I know his songs, having recognised the measure and the worth of both in those first few moments. I know what his album Boy On Bridge is going to be: it's going to be the Beginning of everything we've been longing for. And the Ending of the waiting. 

 

 

And what an amazing band Alan is putting together to celebrate this Beginning:

 

This is also to be the first gathering of what I hope forms the nucleus of a touring band that I hope to take on the road in the spring. I look forward to the first handshakes and hugs of amazing musicians I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along the way and have agreed to join me on this project. By way of introduction, these are the guns you should see and hear when the CMT special airs later. 

You’ll know some of them very quickly. Kris Macfarlane, as you all know has been GBS’s musical anchor for almost decade. He’s sat behind me for close to a thousand concerts, I’d say. Can’t imagine doing it without him. Cory Tetford, you’ll recall was one of two singers and guitarists in Crush, an awesome rock band from Newfoundland. I’ve known Cory and admired his playing and incredible voice for over 20 years. Always wanted to play with him. Kendel Carson is a wonderful fiddler and singer who you may know from either the Paperboys, or the Dustin Bentall Outfit or as one of the three beautiful gals for the trio Belle Star. Again, I met Kendel many years back when was riding around in the Paperboys van playing with GBS in the US or Germany or somewhere…not sure to be honest…those were hazy days. Todd Lumley, aka Mr. Lonely, has been Hawksley Workman’s right hand for along time playing piano or drums or whatever Hawksley was not playing at any given time. And again, I met Todd a thousand years ago when he was touring with one of my Fav bands of all time, the Walton’s out of Regina. And last but not least, Derrick Bradey, who has played bass with Hawksley for a long time and is a fixture around the Toronto music scene. I met Derrick when Hawksley brought him on board to record some songs for this cd about a year ago. He is an awesome musician and fella. 

 

Kris having Alan's back - speaking both figuratively and literally (his is, after all, the best seat in the house) - is a good thing, a safe and sound thing, for Alan; it will be good for Kris as well, since Alan's solo tunes are going to give Kris more of a chance than he usually gets with GBS to show the world just how skilled a drummer (among other instruments) he truly is . And I hope that Kris will be open to and supportive of Alan's own chance to show the world more of who he truly is and of all that he can do. 

Cory is, quite simply, awesome - both his voice and his guitar-playing. I've been wanting to suggest Alan bring Cory into his new band, but I didn't think he'd be willing to tour, at least not to play as many shows as Alan is going to want to play. I'm still not sure if he's on board for the long haul or if it's for the one-off of the CMT gig, but no matter what, it is going to be blissful to hear them together. The first time I ever saw Alan play an electric guitar was when he joined Crush onstage in Halifax at a 2003 ECMA showcase. I will never forget the look of sheer delight on Alan's face as he eagerly wrapped his hands around that Fender, and I will never forget how spectacular he sounded playing and singing with Cory and Paul Lamb.

I'm not sure about Kendel either, whether or not she'll be going on the road too. I hope so, because she's a great choice of bandmate - she has a lovely voice that is going to blend beautifully with Alan's (and Cory's) and she's also an accomplished fiddler. Todd is an exceptionally versatile musician and Derrick is another core member of one of the better bands I've seen anywhere - as fascinating as Hawksley is in his solo shows, he's is unstoppable when he performs with his full band.

 

And so too will Alan be, absolutely unstoppable with his music and with his band. This CMT gig is a really big challenge, having only these scant few days for everyone to learn the songs and how to perform them together as a band, as Alan's Band. It's not often - actually it's almost never - that any band's very first show together is the gig that's being filmed for a national television audience, filled with all the distractions of lights and cameras, and without even having the advantage of the natural crowd you'd draw for a "real" show.  

It's a huge and daunting undertaking; to be very honest, I'd be beside myself worrying about Alan right now if it were not for two unshakeable Truths, the First Truth being that I believe - I know - Alan is going to put every bit of determination, focus, energy, ability, and, most important, all of his passion into bringing the members of this band together and making it work, making it both sound and feel the way he knows is best. Yes, he's got only three days to do all of this, but I do not doubt that when given three days, Alan Thomas Doyle can do just about anything he sets his heart and will on doing. He might need only two. 

The Second Truth is the simplest, the most straightforward: I believe in his songs, with all my heart. I believe he can trust in his songs with his own heart, believe that he can allow himself to be the Man - and the Boy - who wrote those songs, giving them the voice they need to speak their own Truth. I believe that this will suffice - for a Beginning.  

And that when he does this, we will all be hushed by wonder. 

 

This has been for the Morning Reader. More to come later on today.  

 

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A sweetly swift afternoon tryst for now. I'm saving the final part of Alan's blog entry - the most beautifully written part, the most intriguing and endearing part...the most Alan part - for later tonight. 

 

Great Big Three

 

 

Just finished recording a new GBS track as well. We have gathered our list of tunes for the GBS XX collection and now have two new pieces of music to add to it. We are also finalizing a few big Summer Tour dates and of course tweaking the schedule for the Twentieth Anniversary Tour which will should take up the last few days of 2012 and pretty much all of 2013. 

 

A long-together couple I know decided a few years back to open up their constant-companions lifestyle - professionally and personally, since they jointly run a (very successful) business - so they could each be free do those things in which the other had little or no interest. She's gotten deeply involved with a national advocacy group, and he is busily establishing himself in the local film industry; time is forever a fleeting and precious commodity and the particulars of schedule-balancing are a ceaseless challenge, but right now they are both happier, separately and together, than I have ever before seen them in the decade-plus that I've known them.

And most of their friends and family members who at first glumly (and loudly) predicted that this desire for a change - this passion for More - almost certainly meant that the End Was Nigh are at long last beginning to acknowledge and believe in, perhaps even to envy and desire, their happiness. Through all of the doubting and the nay-saying, the couple held calmly and confidently to their self-plotted course; each time anyone tried to frame the Question as Either/Or, they responded firmly in word and in deed: Both.

Their Answer is finally being heard, finally being accepted, by nearly all of those who care about them and wish them well, those who enjoy their company and take pleasure in the wealth and variety of their talents. As well a by all of the new friends they have made along the way. Some stories really do have happy endings. And great new Beginnings. 

 

2012 is Alan's Year; it is going to be Wonderful, Unforgettable and Amazing.  So too with (XX) 2013.

Both. And More. Ever After. 

 

 

"I've Seen A Little..." - A (Spectacular) Work In Progress

 

 ETA: Hot news, wonderful news, straight from Alan's Twitter page:

Alan Doyle "Boy on Bridge". CD release date and a live TV taping in Toronto to come very soon. Stay Tuned. Thanks.

 

(Self-)Portrait Of The Artist As A Sweet Boy

 

And this would most definitely be, this most definitely is, a perfect example of More Spectacular To Come.

For those who do not know, "Boy on Bridge" is literally the title of 12-year-old Alan Doyle's on-screen role in the Petty-Harbour filmed movie A Whale For The Killing. And it is metaphorically the perfect description of the Sweet Petty Harbour Boy he is and will always be...and of the Dear Man as well.  

Yay, Alan! You're almost there with your Solo Album - your very first Solo Album. I am more Proud of you than I have writer's words to say. Right now, that is. Give me some time and I'll find words good enough for all that you deserve. Or at least very nearly good enough for you and your album.  

 

 

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Today is a particularly good day to appreciate - and to anticipate - the Spectacular.

 

Alan Doyle, Arroyo Grande GBS show, March 2011

 

 

Ehrm..Madonna has a slightly higher production budget than your average GBS concert. Enjoyed the spectacle of it. - Alan Doyle, February 5th Twitter

 

Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show truly was a spectacle; I enjoyed it too. While watching the performance, I was thinking about how spectacular Alan would be if it were him performing up in the blaze of that worldwide stage. Abput how spectacular he is on every stage I see him.

"Spectacle" can be bought and sold; spectacular comes from heart's true desire. 

 

 

I've been going through a chaos of old files, trying to get some idea of where all my now-inaccessible (apparently for good) Megauploaded videos might be. It's going to be a lengthy task, made all the more so because I keep getting distracted by ("lost in" might be a more accurate description) the photos from the shows. So much beauty, so much power, so much growth. So much spectacular. 

So much more spectacular to come. 

 

 

 

 

Now I've gotten it in my head to write a few words about the show from which these particular photos come - Arroyo Grande, this past March. Not a Big Deal show on some huge stage in a Bright Lights City; just one more gig on the Long, Long Road, this night in a small West Coast town that I'm fairly sure no one in the band had ever heard of before being booked there. A town they very well might never stop in again. 

It was a show that was difficult to get to (a multi-hour Amtrak delay, a hotel mix-up, one lost taxi followed by a second taxi that came to an overheated stop along the side the highway, leaving me to jog my way the last few miles to the venue) and a show that was difficult to play (not only because of the venue-evacuating fire alarms going off mid-set...the real struggle was that this was right in the midst of the back miseries that would very soon put Alan in hospital) - a show with every reason to suck, and so not in the good way. 

But it didn't suck, not in the bad way, not even with so many good reasons - so many good excuses - for it to do just that. It might have been a bit rough around an edge or two, but Alan was spectacular. I was acutely proud of him for what he did on a night he could have shrugged off or slogged through - a night I sure woudn't have blamed him one bit for shrugging off or slogging through - but didn't.

He made the entire night spectacular, from the opening song to the encore's final notes, after which he took the time to lean over the edge of the stage and sign the little boy with the broken arm's cast before making his sweet-smile exit. He was so spectacular that what I walked out of that venue with was the firm belief, the lasting assurance, that he really can find the way to do anything his heart truly desires - everything his heart truly desires. And that is Wonderful. 

 

Wonderful in the spotlight and out. But oh, so much sweeter to be in. As he should be. 

 

 

More Spectacular to come. You can count on it. You can believe in it. 

I sure do. 

 

 

"Wide Open To The Rest Of My Life," The Next Chapter - Absolutely And Unapologetically Alan (Solo Shows & The Rest Of The Winnipeg Photos)

 

The last blog was getting a bit long and there are still quite a few Winnipeg photos to add in, so I decided to start a brand new one. A choice that goes perfectly with The Next Chapter. 

 

 

Alan, arms wide open, ready to reach for and to grasp "More". What a heaven's truly for.

 

Great Big Sea's Winnipeg shows have been among the best of all their shows I've seen, especially the MTS Centre gigs. Always a great show, always for a great crowd, the kind of crowd that's glad for anything and everything the band has to offer - The Hits, the Old Standards, the Brand-New Tunes, the Newfoundland Folk and the Rink Rock. Chances are good that they'd pass the Buying Time test too. As the band has grown, their Winnipeg crowd has come right along with them, accepting and embracing, singing along with and cheering for and applauding Today's Music as much as they do Yesterday's...as much as they will Tomorrow's.

The last MTS gig (October 2010) was characteristically spectacular. The sound was a bit rough, as to be expected for a rink gig, but the lighting was blissful (Note to GBS: If you could find a way to have this level of lighting skill at all of your shows, the payoff would justify the money/effort expended. Trust me.) The crowd was as delightful as always, and the band rose once again to the occasion. Alan always blazes at the Rink Rock shows; on this night, he was dazzling. He was irresistible and irrefuseable. He was wonderful. 

After the show, I was in the venue's restaurant, chatting with a local couple sitting across from me while waiting for someone to join me. They'd seen GBS before, at that same venue before, but this show was, they both agreed, the best they'd ever seen. Not just the best GBS show ever, but the Best Show Ever. The fellow kept saying "It was fucking amazing!" over and over again. His lady was considerably more articulate; she said it was the show she'd been waiting for all of her life. 

They knew I'd seen a pile of GBS shows - though likely not the full measure of that pile - and she asked me out of all the shows I'd seen which show had made me feel that same way, like I had just seen what I'd been waiting for my all of my life. 

I answered her without a moment's hesitation. I told her I was still waiting. 

I am still wating. But not for much longer. 

 

I am so excited about Alan's solo music - his albums and his shows - that it's really hard (in the good way) to stay calm enough and sit still long enough to write about it thoughtfully.

I have immense respect for what GBS has accomplished over nearly twenty years, learning how to go about being the best at what they do, becoming more than most anyone expected they could be and being the best at that. Then becoming more than most anyone expected yet again.

They've been smart, they've worked hard, and anyone who doesn't believe that along the way they've contended with and triumphed over a shitload of cultural predjudice and stereotyping is either ill-informed or less than honest. 

I respect Sean for how he's gone about striking out on his own solo path, especially how much time and energy he's invested (though I still think 13 shows in 13 days was a bit cracked) in touring his music. I admire the determination he's shown in putting together a new band, comprised not of his closest buddies or his most fun friends but instead of the best and most suitable players of his music.

Most of all I admire Sean's courage in stepping away from much of the familarity of the GBS World, steps necessary not only for his solo music to come alive and reach its full potential, but also for himself to be free to establish and develop his own Solo Artist identity, something far less likely to happen while he was still surrounded by those whose long and close contact with him in the Great Big Sea context would cause them to expect his actions to remain consistent even when he steps beyond that context. Once a Great Big Seaman...

It was a wise choice, though a completely clean break with the GBS World might have been an even better choice for the flourishing of both solo music and solo artist, an even better choice for persuading those in attendance at his solo shows that this new music has a uniquely separate life and a distinct reality all its own. As does its Creator. 

It's damnably difficult to do Something New, to become Something More, while still in the midst of those who know what you'll say, what you'll do, what you'll think, what you'll create in most any given instance that occurs when you're with them. It's also the scariest time of all to be venturing out on your own away from the security of established patterns and the safety of old acquaintances - which is why I so admire the bravery required to do just that. It reminds me of an earlier act of courage, of the time when four terrified but ambitious boys set sail into The Unknown, pitching and heaving their way across the Cabot Strait on the ferry to Nova Scotia. 

 

And now it's Alan's turn, finally. His own album, the very first of all that are yet to come; his own shows, as many as he can possibly squeeze into the schedule. His own set list and his own performance dynamic, both of his own choosing. His own crowds, who will come to accept and embrace, to sing along with and to cheer and to applaud, to be glad and grateful for, the deep wealth and the rich variety of songs he will offer to them. His own band, performing his own music.

His own music: Three absolutely and unapologetically perfect little words. As much as I've enjoyed, respected, admired and supported all that's gone before, this is what I've been waiting for. This is my Wonderful.  

It will be wonderful for so many others too, but what really matters, the true point and purpose of it all, is how wonderful it's going to be for Alan - new music, new growth, new challenges and new triumphs.  A new chapter: a new opportunity to be his best, to become more than most anyone expected. 

To play the shows he's been waiting for all of his life.

 

 

 I love those three little words. 

 

 

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The rest of the Winnipeg photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan's Helmethead-introducing "Congratulations" to the US Olympic Hockey Team (You're Number Two, You're Number Two!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful. Absolutely and unapologetically so.