SACKVILLE, N.B. — The Vogue Cinema in Sackville will host a Sunday afternoon concert on Dec. 8 starting at 2:30 p.m., featuring Ray Legere and Janet Crawford with special guests as they launch their latest CD project.
Entitled The Day the Train Pulled into Town, this project and concert are a part of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Intercolonial Railroad to Sackville, a year-long celebration organized by Live Bait Theatre.
•Check out a sneak preview of one of the songs here.
“We wanted this CD project to include songs, both original tunes and traditional songs, that examine the place that trains have played in our lives,” explains Crawford. “So there are songs about leaving, about communities facing hard times, about life’s changes, and even a song of the actual arrival of the train in 1869.”
The album consists of 10 tracks, of which five are original songs written by Crawford and another by Legere’s good friend, Michael O’Reilly. Two of the songs were written by American women Elizabeth Cotten in 1922 and Jean Ritchie in 1965 and the remaining tunes come from the public domain – traditional songs. Bluegrass, country and blues-folk genres are all represented on this CD.
Thanks to Legere’s vast experience and wide musical community, many very fine musicians appear on this CD – Roger Williams from Connecticut on dobro; Jean Guy Grenier from Quebec on pedal steel; Geoff Arsenault and Bruce Dixon from Halifax; as well as long-time musical companions Frank Doody, Marcel Duplessis and Georges Hebert - who will also be featured on stage in this concert.
Legere is an award-winning, multi-instrument musician who has toured the world playing with many well-respected professional musicians for over 30 years and has recently been recognized with the New Brunswick Lieutenant Governor’s Award for High Achievement in the Performing Arts.
“I always enjoy the creative process of co-writing tunes and coming up with something original,” he says.
This is Crawford’s third CD project and the second collaboration with Legere.
“Working with someone so talented and experienced as Ray is such an opportunity to discover new things and just enjoy the process of making music. It is always a treat and I am always thrilled with the finished songs.”
The new CD will be available for sale at the concert and then on sale at Fog Forest Gallery on Bridge Street in Sackville.
“We are very grateful to be included in this celebration and want to thank the town of Sackville, Live Bait, Heritage Canada, and ArtsNB for their support of this celebration and of our music.” says Legere.
This project had a lot of input from Sackville folks in addition to the funding. This includes Karin Aurell, who contributed her talent to the recording, Leslie Van Patter for art design; and Kim McMillan for her photography; and the Tantramar Heritage Trust for historical background and Sandy Burnett.
Tickets are available in advance at Robert Lyon Graphics or by contacting Live Bait Theatre at www.livebaittheatre.com. Advance tickets are $17 and $20 at the door.
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