~ tion wvagon and we'd drive to Montreal or Los Angeles. So
“T’saw'a fot of ‘this continent (from the back seat of a

Canadian history, nlaces
brought alive in songs

Michael Becker

Newsroom Editor
mbecker@nsnews.com

ONE of this country’s leading folk voices will

‘fill the Capilano College theatre tomorrow

night.

Calgary- based James Keelaghan features songs from his
latest — Road.

His Sith solo work is aptly titled. Last year the musician

“spent ‘more than 300 days on the read. Yet Keelaghan

maintains that he is not a restless soul. “I like travelling a
_lotand I like being in different places, but [ also very much
like staying at home.”

’ He got the travel bug from his father, a merchant sea-
man before he setthed down to raise a family. Savs
_Keelaghan, “The residue of that for us was once summer

 solled along there was always family vacation, and it wasn’t

--family vacation unless we drove somewhere for five or six
day <
*He’d pack the six kids and mom and dad into the sta-

~ Custom Suburban) by the time I was 15 years old.”
‘Up until this year it was normal for Keelaghan to be on
‘the road for about 300 days of the year. “This year ] put my
ot down and we just sort of ‘rearranged stuff. I didn’t
“feel like’ I was having a breakdown at the end of this really

°) intense: touring Period, but my body was telling me, that’s

enough,” he says.
Growing” up in Alberta Keelaghan, knew that he'd be
edi in theatre or music. However, he studied history at
fof Calgary until music took over.
~~’ Keelaghan is continuing in the tradition of Canadian folk
singers like Stan Rogers. Their songs are rooted in the good
earth of Canada’ and share the stories of ordinary people who
ke up our vast country.

Keelaghan has considered his place i in this stream. “I think
it’s'a fundamental human activity. We've always been tellers of
= tales: Po just, ‘taking my part in that long, ‘lineup.

To me it’s really important that we sing and tell our sto-
ries. The stuff that I sing about is not the stuff that’s general-
y being written about. When you walk into the history section
of a book store ora library, generally what there is there is war
nd politicians, all these people who have a vested interest in
making sure: that posterity sees them as great people.

“That to me is not what history i is about. History to me is

-a-colleetion of individual moments.. Some of the’ most

poignant things happen on the level of people’s lives like your-
self and me. We might not have a career over which we've
introduced legislation for 30 years, but there are people at piv

otal moments and pivotal times w! ho live through those sort of *
come out with a better understanding, I think, of :

things an

what rea! history was about,” Keelaghan says.

Road yields its historical moments. One song, Captain :

Torres, gets inside the true tale of a freighter that foundered in
December, 1989, in heavy seas in the Cabot Strait. The crew,

knowing that chances of rescue were non-existent, phone -
home fiom the ship's radio room to say x goodbye t to their

loved ones.
The ship went down without survivors.

Keelaghan’s latest dise is available on the Vancouver-based :

label Jericho Beach Music. It was released Jast year and is well
worth seeking out. Saturday’s show in North Vancouver starts
at 8 p.m. Tickets to the show are $20 (S17 for Rogue Folk

Club members. For ticket information call the Rogue Folk

Club at 736- 3022.

pheto Jericho Beach Music

JAMES Keelaghan plays at the Capilano College theatre ‘tomorrow night. His latest
album, Road, features guest performances by Stephen Fearing and Oscar Lopez

Top 19 tracks fro Rio Crazy,

. live events around the Low rer

Mainland:

1, It Wasn't Me: Shaggy fea-

turing Ricardo Ducent

2. My Evervthing: 98
Degrees

3. Souebside: Moby featuring
Gwen Sterani

4.1 Lust Waana Love You:
Jay-Z :
5. 1 Know: B.G.

© 6. 4 Shure: Groove Theory

7. Como me ducle persderte:
Gloria Estefan ”

8. La vida es: Nekk

9. Wow flash: Elvis Crespo
10. Hit Me: Banda X

— Ran! Crus, Rio Crasy!
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