09/16/2025
In a world where music seems to be overwhelmed by streaming and threatened by technology and defined by that oxymoron "music business" my hope for a future lies in making music in smaller more intimate venues and preserving music as communal and community activity.
I've experience this in kitchen parties in my childhood in Northern Ontario, in ceilidhs in my parents' house in Cape Breton, in house concerts in my home in Haliburton county - but one of the most powerful memories is of playing Celtic music at the home of Norris and Beth.
On the occasion of their joint 80th birthday celebration, the inspiration came that you will find in one of the lines of the song.
In that moment, the song was born.
But then the production of this song followed a similar arc. Each person who joined the project brought something rich to it. My wife Linda, hearing the song, added a wonderful lift with her accordion. Ever the mathematician, Ken Loney's smiling observation - "You wrote this in 6/8!" was followed by his foundation of rhythm guitar that was unwavering.
Stan Russell, a Canadian legend in jazz added the bass that added so much to the song. And Nick Russell added his guitar magic as well. From there, the incredible talent of local string player Bethany Houghton added that final touch.
Nick Russel's smiling face at the recording console is a picture I will carry with me. From recording to mixing, he made it a pleasure, and adventure and above all, a collaboration. The incredible musical "ears" of Linda Love and Nick Russell were great support as we pursued every detail of the song.
There are two moments of great joy for me in this song. One was certainly the first time we played it live at the open stage in Haliburton with Norris and Beth in the audience. The second was listening to the final recording and feeling like this was the most collaborative song of my career. I owe so much to those who brought so much to this project.
track by Jim Love
