What a terrific way to end the week! Joyce had the foresite and perseverence to nab us the tickets to Allison Girvin's performance with her band at the Capital Theatre last night.thank-you Joyce! Not to mention our pre-entertainment...We enjoyed a nice dinner and beer at the Hume hotel before the performance, giving Joyce and I to catch up on the blab and share some laughs,as we usually do. Nice to have a sister so close!
Allison's show was great! She has a voice like a bird...clear and precise in every note! She basically performed the songs from her newly released album called Resonance....and more! The songs were a selection from mostly ancient works from various countries around the world...including Acadian Canada. With her massive black worley curly long corkscrew hair, and dressed in a patterned shamrock green gown with spagetti straps, she commanded everyone's attention before she even opened her mouth, and once that happened, she had the audience captured.
She pre-empted each song with a translation of the song, which was often pretty humorous, since these were songs from very early and tough times...usually involving a lover lost, or great adjectives describing love ( stronger than dragging chains behind me) or someone lost in a sea of milk....and then there was the woman who bore ( or dreamed she bore) a baby which then burned in her arms. She wrapped the ashes in a sheet and took it the sea where she was going to drown herself. However, the Lord told her to return to her room and she would find her baby alive there. With that one, the audience had a fair laugh.
With many, the translations were vague and ancient and mostly made no sense at all. Allison kept us in stitches with her interpretations, not to mention her stories of Finland where she learned a Swahili Song Called " Jumbo". Translated, it essentially only said a few words, like "Welcome to Kenya, Hello, Welcome!" the audience didn't care what it said, because it got everyone revved up,as the bongos played a lively African beat, and three or four other people, including her husband joined Allison singing the lively tune. I think, the audience would have been up and dancing, had there been room to do it!
One interesting fact,was that she grew up in Prince George...Hmmm...I wonder if her first singing instructor was the same choir master that Sonia had in the Maestro? singers...(Holy cats, I can't remember the name of the choir, let alone the name of the talented woman who taught fifty kids to sing.) Anyhow, Sonia learned well from her and continues to enjoy singing in a Women's choir today. Perhaps Allison Girvin had her start from the same instructor.
It was a packed house...totally sold out and if you missed it, perhaps there will be another performance at a later date.I would highly recommend it, if you enjoy a rich evening of song from a talented young lady who is well known to Nelsonites. Also, her CD, Resonance will soon be available at Otter Books and online at Allisongirvin.com once the website is up and running.
"The Creator"
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