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March 3, 2006
Fiddler and ECMA nominee Glenn
Graham in Carla’s Corner
By Carla Gillis, Aliant.net
Recently,
fiddler Glenn Graham attended the swearing-in ceremony for
Nova Scotia’s newest premier, Rodney MacDonald. As cousins
and former members of the popular fiddling duo Rodney and
Glenn, the two go way back. Together, they recorded two
albums and played countless dances and festivals. In 1998,
the project earned Graham his first two ECMA nominations,
which were then followed by four more for his solo work.
This year, his album Drive is nominated in the
Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year category.
 Born
and raised in Judique, Cape Breton, Graham’s fiddling is
influenced by the traditional Scots Gaelic sounds of the
Mabou Coal Mines style, which is lilting and driving but
never too fast to dance to.
He comes from a musical family
comprised of four generations of fiddlers, pianists, Gaelic
singers, pipers, poets, composers and dancers.
His
Scottish heritage has been such a source of inspiration to
him that he wrote his 280-page Master’s thesis on the
evolution of Cape Breton fiddling.
He also
studied Political Science, which causes one to wonder if
he’ll soon follow in his Premier cousin’s footsteps. Find
out below, along with Graham’s thoughts on Halifax pizza,
‘80s nostalgia, why a fiddle is not a fiddle is not a
fiddle, and what the ECMAs mean to him. Graham appears live
at Dartmouth’s Celtic Corner every Sunday afternoon.
Where
are you right now?
Right now I'm at my brother's place relaxing, fighting
off a bit of the flu. Besides that, I've been living in
Halifax for the last six years, often returning home to Cape
Breton in the summers to perform, work and teach music.
What
are your current fixations?
My current fixations are writing songs, reading, Much
More Music’s "The Story Of" shows, Halifax's Metro Pizza
pizzas. And here's a contradiction: excercise.
What is
your favourite cause to rally behind?
Over the last couple of years, I've found myself
teaching a lot of traditional Cape Breton music and also
doing some demonstrations and explanations of it. From that,
I would say that I like trying to change misconceptions of
Cape Breton and Celtic music and culture. I'm not a fan of
pseudo-Celtism. Everything these days seems to be thought of
in commercially-influenced terms. For instance, Riverdance
and Scottish Highland games are great for exposing people to
Celtic culture but people who are interested in the truer,
more Gaelic culture should look beyond the surface. I like
to change misconceptions like "Scottish means Kilts and
Tartans" or "fiddling is all the same; fiddle is fiddle is
fiddle." I've found myself in a position to educate people
about true Gaelic culture and music and how complex it is
when it's studied and analyzed. If I can inform and change
stereotypical views, one person at a time, a cause that I'm
passionate about is being helped.
Name
the last thing you bought.
The last thing I bought was a necessity: food. I just
got back from Sobeys and got a couple of those Lean Cuisine
things and some apple juice. Besides that, maybe a beer
downtown or a quarter-inch patch cord for music equipment.
Kinda boring, eh?
What’s
in heavy rotation on your stereo?
The last CD to get some rotation was probably Coldplay's
X&Y. I still have a cassette player in my car so I'll stick
in some ‘80s tapes for some nostalgic sounds. I get a kick
out of it now where it's cool to like those ‘80s sounds--I
always did! More often than not, I have home recordings of
Cape Breton musicians, past and present icons, in the tape
deck. These are absolute gems and you can hear the music in
its most natural state. Today I was listening to a tape of a
relative of mine. His name was Johnny "Johhny Ranald"
Beaton. It must have been recorded in the 1940's. Between
the tunes, you can hear people speaking Gaelic and even
singing in Gaelic. Priceless.
And
gathering dust on your bedside table?
George Orwell's 1984, John Prebble's The Highland
Clearances, Christopher Hansard's The Tibetan Art of
Positive Thinking, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, recent
editions of Halifax's The Coast and Rolling Stone magazine.
When
you think of Atlantic Canada, you think of...
Home, beautiful scenery, great quality of life, and of
course, good music.
What
has inspired you most during the last 24 hours?
The idea that the East Coast Music Awards are this
weekend. I've got the flu but I MUST get better because I
want to be there for the awesome music and parties with my
friends.
If you
weren’t a fiddler, what would you be?
I couldn't imagine not being a fiddler, but if not,
maybe a brave soul who would have ventured out with some
songs that I have written. Singing your own stuff, in my
opinion, takes a lot of guts. I admire those who have the
courage to get out there and just do it. If not this, I'd
probably be either a teacher or a professor.
What
has been your career high and low?
Career High: My five ECMAs but 2002's Male Artist of the
Year was up there. Also getting nominated for my latest
album that I recorded and engineered myself was very
fulfilling. Hearing one of my songs on the TV show Dawson's
Creek was also a high.
Career
Low: One would be not getting a music-related job that I was
totally qualified for a while back. Anytime you feel low
about something to do with the music, you just have to tell
yourself that it will get better; and it does. Career lows
are simply just times when you're rubbed the wrong way by
someone with an attitude who doesn't understand what you do
and what your music is about. This rarely happens, but when
it does, I tell myself that the music I play has lived
through discriminatory forces for centuries. It's still
alive and will continue to survive, and so far, thank God,
I'm surviving. Ha ha!
Have
you considered following your ex-bandmate’s footsteps and
entering a career in politics?
So far, I haven’t considered following Rodney's
footsteps and entering politics. It's funny though, I was
pretty interested in politics at St. FX. I honoured in
Political Science and then took a political economy course
in my M.A. degree at Saint Mary's. So am I qualified? Yes.
Do I want to do it right now? No. My father was an MLA from
1988-92. He seemed to be very happy with the job. It was his
passion. Right now, music is my passion. But for politics,
I'll just say, "Never say never!"
Tell me
about a hometown issue you’d most like to see resolved.
For Judique, I would like to see more economic
development and sustainability. The most immediate thing in
addressing that is for the STORA ENSO, the pulp and paper
mill, employees to get back to work with a fair deal from
the company. The strike must surely be a strain on these
families. Halifax: Halifax Harbour clean-up.
What’s
up next for you?
Up next for me is more recording. I want to get into
demoing my songs and putting out a non-traditional album in
some form or another. Besides that, more playing and
teaching. I do a regular gig at the Celtic Corner on Sundays
and will probably be at Halifax's Your Father's Moustache on
St. Patrick's Day. I'll be home in Cape Breton this summer
teaching at the St. Ann's Gaelic College.
What
does being nominated for an ECMA mean to you?
Being nominated for an ECMA means recognition for hard
work and a quality project. Most ECMA nominees are chosen by
jurors that are supposed to know about your music field so
you feel that sense of peer and professional recognition.
Career-wise, it looks great in a press kit or on a resume!
On whom
do depend most and why?
My family. First and foremost, my parents. Of course
also my siblings and extended family. They've always been
there for me no matter what. In terms of my career: All Cape
Breton music fans! They help keep both me and the music
alive!
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Above photo:
Margaree (by Victor Maurice Faubert)
Glenn Graham photo by Nathan MacDonald
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