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Wednesday, 17 September 2014 23:55

A touch of the Netherlands in Maberly

Changing careers mid-life is very rare but crossing an ocean to do so is even more rare.

Tess Steenberghe and Jeroen Kerrebijn, who took over the helm at the Fall River Restaurant in Maberly in July, moved from the Netherlands to the area after deciding they wanted a change - a big change. She, a lawyer and he, a neck and head cancer surgeon, left Dordrecht, the Netherlands along with their three children to embark on a new life in Canada.

The couple first became enamored with the beauty of this country after Jeroen completed a fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto in 1996. Ten years ago they purchased a cottage in the Haliburton area and they have known for decades that they wanted to make the move to Canada. It was their 20-year-old daughter Isabel who gave them the final push they needed. “She said that if we were going to do it we needed to do it now,” said Tess.

Both knew that they would not be able to pursue their professions here without having to go back to school, but they embraced the challenge of finding new work. “It was a combination of factors,” Jeroen said. “We knew that we and the kids were getting older and knew that the sooner we came over the better.”

Tess said that buying the restaurant/coffee house and gift shop in Maberly was a complete coincidence. “We love the nature and the ample outdoor space in Canada and were looking at outdoor businesses, like resorts or campgrounds and a friend put us onto this area. We actually found the restaurant listing on the internet just by chance and it looked like the perfect thing for us.” Neither have experience in the restaurant business though Tess waited tables as a student and Jeroen delivered goods to restaurants, but former owners Michelle Murphy and Paul Zammit agreed to help by showing them the ropes.

While much remains the same at the restaurant in these early days, Tess and Jeroen have some interesting new plans. They are aiming for a varied but smaller menu and will be both growing and sourcing out local ingredients as well as adding a choice of daily chef specials to the regular menu.

Customers can expect the same goodies at the Coffee House located beside the restaurant, where one son will be serving up fair trade specialty coffees, pastries and sandwiches. The Coffee Shop is open all day on Saturdays and Sundays and is open during the week for breakfast from 7-11am until Thanksgiving. Outside of those hours, coffee lovers will be able to get take out coffee and pastries from the restaurant. The tradition of a fine dining experience will be continued and an affordable daily menu of lunches with numerous healthy starters, home made daily soups, fresh baked breads, home made pizzas, a fresh charcuterie (meat) plate, a cheese platter and delicious locally made desserts will be offered. A prime rib dinner special is another plan and will be offered regularly on the weekends.

The new owners bring with them a love of Indonesian food, which is popular in the Netherlands. Customers will be able to enjoy skewered meats dipped in a spicy peanut sauce, as well as a native Indonesian treat called Rijsttafel, a large plate of different meat, fish and veggie dishes served with different kinds of rice, which will be offered on special nights. Some of the traditional Netherlands desserts they have planned are Stroopwafel, a thin caramelized sugary and chewy waffle-type cookie as well as poffertjes, mini puff pancakes that are made fresh and served with butter and powdered sugar. The couple plan to cater special events and parties off site and invite special events bookings at the restaurant as well. Live music is also a consideration and there are hopes to have a regular live music evening once monthly. Renovations for the restaurant are also in the plans and the new owners hope to make the interior walls friendly to local artisans who might want to hold a show and/or display their work there.

Jeroen and Tess are working on a new website but the old one, which is still up and running, will offer current information (fallriverrestaurant.ca). While the gift shop is currently closed until later this year, the couple plan to stock it with a wide selection of gourmet food products, cottage/home wares, truffles and more.

While Tess and Jeroen definitely have their work cut out for them, already they are enjoying meeting and serving their new customers and are looking forward to making the Fall River Restaurant their own and a popular destination for both tourists and locals alike. The Fall River Restaurant is located at 21980 Highway 7 in Maberly and will be open year round Wednesdays through Sundays with the kitchen open from 11am until 8pm. Call 613-268-2197 to make reservations or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Lanark County
Thursday, 28 August 2014 08:14

Crowds flourish at local fairs

Locals and tourists took advantage of the sunny weekend weather to take in the sights and sounds of two traditional fairs that are both long past their 100th birthdays.

On August 23 the 132nd annual Maberly Fair saw hundreds of visitors pass through the gates at the Maberly fairgrounds for their one-day fair, whose theme this year was Poultry. Sparking off the day's events was the parade in which participants competed for multiple prizes, all donated by area businesses. The zucchini races as usual attracted a boisterous mob of onlookers who watched close to 40 zucchini car creators send their vehicles careening down the track created especially for the popular event. Spread out on site were a plethora of exhibits and live animals including the light horse events, the heavy and light horse draws, 4H Club live animal displays and demonstrations, a petting zoo, plus hundreds of traditional class competitions in the fair's main hall, as well as a vendors' alley complete with a psychic giving readings. The children's games drew a motley crew of all ages and the outdoor stage area offered up a plethora of top-notch local entertainment for music lovers. For those who worked up an appetite, delicious fair food could be had at a reasonable price.

Early in the day local musician Tony Leduc was presented with a brand new accessible van that was purchased through generous community donations. Fred Barrett, president of the Maberly Agricultural Society for his second consecutive year, was pleased with the turnout and said the aim of the fair is to bring the farming folk and city dwellers together to share in the agricultural history and traditions of the local community. “The original purpose of the fair was to spread farming knowledge and that still happens to some degree today. But other non-farmers also love to attend as well, especially people who have gardens and who make things like honey and maple syrup and who like to see how their products stand up. Today the fair is more about bringing the community together to celebrate, visit and have some fun since for many, the meetings that happen here often only happen once a year.”

Barrett also mentioned that this year the society acquired a new lawn mower so that volunteers are now able to cut the over 100 acres of property themselves, which is a big money saver for the society.

The 122nd Parham Fair took place on Friday and Saturday at the Parham fairgrounds and though one day shorter this year it offered up the majority of popular events that continue to attract visitors. The midway is as always a huge draw for youngsters, as are the more traditional horse draws that took place in the main ring on a well attended Friday night opening.

14-34 parham fair

Photo: winning big at “Wacky Water” at the 122nd annual Parham Fair l-r Michelle Miatello, Julian Miatello, and Clayton Wade of Kingston

It wasn't possible this year to hold the Sunday demolition derby, so the fair organizers opted to overhaul the main ring, replacing all of old sand with new sand and offering up new events like the demonstrations by the Tiny Hooves Miniature Horse Club who “celebrate the versatility of miniature horses”. Their demonstrations included jumping, cart driving, halter classes and an obstacle course with 11 participants taking part.

The main hall was filled with every kind of competitive class and one could spend hours there taking it all in. Numerous other activities were set up on site including a petting zoo, and contests for kids plus wagon rides and much more. This year organizers chose to highlight local entertainers. Up and coming local rockers HD Supply entertained on the main stage on Saturday afternoon and Shawn McCullough and bother Dave attracted a very sizable and appreciative crowd for the Saturday night closing show.

I spoke with Wendy Parliament, co-president of Parham Agricultural Society this year, who said that due to high insurance costs the society decided to bring the fair back to its more traditional roots. While the decision was a tough one Parliament said she and her team decided to make the fair more interactive for families and visitors of all ages and events in the back corral this year included interactive and educational demonstrations by local farrier Jeff Atkinson, sheep shearing demos by Ross Creighton, old plough demonstrations by Fred Lloyd and an antique farm tool display, log sawing demos and contests headed up by Boyd Tryon.

Parliament said that the focus of the fair this year was to celebrate rural life. “We tired to look at what kinds of hobbies and interests local people here have and wanted to highlight that.” With that in mind vendors were not charged to set up a booth and show off their locally made wares.

While local fairs these days are having a challenge to make ends meet, it is encouraging to see these two local agricultural societies making what they feel are necessary changes in order to keep the fairs alive. Hats off to them and to all of the volunteers who continue to put a traditional and agricultural focus on these special annual events, which attract so many visitors.

Photos-

2133- 

2135 Fiddlers and friends entertained at the 132nd annual Maberly Fair

2172 members of the Tiny Hooves miniature Horse Club Wilma Vanwyngaarden, Tina England and Sheila Cook

2228- riding high at the 122 annual Parham Fair l-r,

Kayla Tyo, Hailey McNutt, and Rachel Duggan

2229  with game wrangler Neil

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Thursday, 28 August 2014 07:54

New director for Tay Valley Choir

by Marily Seitz

If you love to sing and make beautiful music with others, then the Tay Valley Community Choir may be for you. An eclectic repertoire, lovely four part harmonies, and cozy country concerts distinguish the Tay Valley Choir. No audition is required, only a love of music. The choir practices Mondays from 6 to 7:30pm, alternating between Glen Tay Public School and the Maberly Hall.

The choir is delighted to welcome Rebecca Worden, local musician, music therapist and former co-director of The Oddities Choir, as the new choir director this year. Rebecca loves the sense of unity that comes when people sing together and she is looking forward to bringing to life some of her favourite arrangements.

To join, register at the Tay Valley Township office or at www.tayvalleytwp.ca. Early bird registration (before September 5) is $40 per term or $75 for the year. After September 5, fees are $50. The season begins Monday, September 8 at Glen Tay Public School. For further information contact Rebecca Worden at 613-264-1999.

Published in Lanark County
Thursday, 12 June 2014 09:03

New installations inspire at Fieldwork

For those who love art and the great outdoors Fieldwork, the outdoor art gallery located at 2501 Old Brooke Road near Maberly, is the place to be. On May 24 over 75 art lovers gathered for the project’s biggest opening since it got underway in 2007. Fieldwork is an art collective that receives funding from the Ontario Council for the Arts, and which presents “thought-provoking, site-responsive art installations” to be enjoyed by the public free of charge. The collective this year includes three of its founding members Susie Osler, Chris Osler, and Chris Gossett and new member for 2014 Sheila Macdonald. The collective invites visitors to stroll the freshly mowed paths and venture into the surrounding woods to experience top notch art in a gorgeous natural setting.

Part of the magic of Fieldwork is the role that nature plays in the viewing, not only by inviting a dialogue between itself and the art works, but sometimes providing the actual materials from which the pieces are constructed and inspired. The new 2014 art works were created by members of the collective and guest artists and are a mix of pre-made art installation pieces and others that are made of materials found on site.

Geoff Wonnacott's piece titled "The Knot" is from the first category. It took the artist three days to create and in the artist’s words the piece speaks to “the interconnectivity of things at every level of life.” The Knot appears to be from another place and time, like a foreign object that landed in the woods from another world but in actual fact it was created from a much more common material - plastic drainage tubing, tons of which lie hidden underground virtually everywhere there are buildings. The artist cited some statistics on the material itself - specifically how sales of the stuff in Ontario alone from 1976-2012 would “be enough to circle the equator 30 times over.” The piece speaks to the never ending knots created by the ongoing interconnectedness of the natural and man-made world and how this interconnectedness, like The Knot, cannot ever be undone.

The piece “Ghost Barn” created by Carey Jernigan and John Haney pays homage to wooden Ontario barns of the past. The over eight foot structure, constructed from sheets of translucent white industrial acrylic, sits on top of a pile of old salvaged barn boards front and centre in a huge open field. The piece pays homage to the artists' love for the barns they grew up around and laments the fact that these traditional structures are quickly disappearing from rural landscapes. In Haney's words, “The whole concept of the piece was to talk about both the presence and absence of the form and to draw attention to its disappearance.” The piece is charged by solar-powered LEDs and appears to glow from within after dark, adding to its mystery.

The Zone Vert artist duo of Christine Juillard and Michel Bachelet, who hail from Sherbrooke, Quebec, created their piece titled “The Time of the Tree”, a series of unique conical shaped tree forms of various sizes made from wooden materials found on site. One tree, made from well aged and weathered moss-encrusted boards, is astounding in its color variations and it blends in wholly to its forest surroundings. Another, constructed from burned planks, jumps out at the viewer from a stand of white birch trees. The piece celebrates in abstract form the shape and idea of the tree using the forest both as back drop and as a material source.

The fourth piece titled “Whip-poor-will”, created by artists Susie Osler, Lisa Creskey and Marc Walter, speaks to the idea of home if you happen to be a nocturnal, noisy and rarely ever seen whip-poor will. The large scale nest created from huge piles of natural debris found on the property invites the viewer inside where an amazingly camouflaged, huge ceramic sculpture of the creature is nesting. As one looks more closely one finds many hundred white moths nestled in the nest walls, each made from unfired clay and containing wildflower seeds that the viewer is invited to take away and disperse around the property.

The final piece in the show is by far the most colourful. Set in a sun-dappled section of pine forest, “Speaking Volumes-In memory of the book” took a truck load of 1500 books to create. The work, created by Barbara Cuerdon and Karina Kraenzle, is a cylindrical structure made from donated books and aims to replicate the interior feeling and stillness that books create for readers. The piece, an amazingly colourful form, has a magical presence that immediately invites the viewer to contemplate these 1500 now silenced voices, which will be left by the artists to go back to their original source.

Following their talk the artists invited guests to the piece for a reading of two poems, the first by Czeslaw Milosz titled "And Yet The Books" and the second by L.A. Koensgen titled "Pathetic Fallacy". Fieldwork makes a great day trip destination for those who like to be challenged by cutting edge art that is often inspired by and created from the very place it sits. Fieldwork is open all year round and is free of charge. For more information visit www.fieldworkproject.com

 

Published in Lanark County
Thursday, 27 March 2014 15:51

Biochar: What Agricultural Charcoal Can Do

Lloyd Helferty is an engineering technologist and the president and co-founder of Biochar Ontario. On March 22 he gave a talk titled “The Landscape of Biochar in Canada: Exciting Opportunities in Biocarbon” to a group of Green Party supporters at their annual fundraising dinner, which was held at the community hall in Maberly.

Helferty spoke at length about the practical applications of Biochar, which he defined as a “fine grained charcoal, high in organic carbon and largely resistant to decomposition.”

Helferty said that Biochar is not the same product as the charcoal that people burn in barbeques nor is it the chunks of charcoal one finds in the ash of their wood stoves. Rather, it is produced by a process called pyrolysis, which he defined as the “thermal degradation of biomass in the absence of oxygen.”

The result of pyrolysis is that the carbon in the plant matter becomes “fixed” in carbon structures that do not easily degrade. According to Helferty, Biochar's most beneficial applications are as a soil amendment due to its enhanced nutrient retention properties and its ability to reduce fertilization requirements while also protecting soil from the negative effects of climate and environmental impact. In the information that accompanied his presentation, Helferty said that “Char-amended soils have shown 50-80% reductions in nitrous oxide emissions and have reduced the runoff of phosphorous into surface waters as well as reduced the leaching of nitrogen into ground water”.

Helferty stated that Biochar can offer “potential synergies between enhanced soil fertility and food security, the production of green energy and the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide”.

He said that the long-term applications of Biochar can be used to “transition to long-term sustainable soil management practices while simultaneously enhancing the biological fertility of soil since Biochar increases porosity in most soils and can also increase the absorption rates of water in soil, thereby reducing the effects of water runoff”.

He said that Biochar also acts as a filter, thereby helping to protect and purify water sources.

Helferty's aim through Biochar Ontario is to source out and apply the various environmental and industrial uses for Biochar, many of which he highlighted in his presentation.

These included uses in agriculture as a soil conditioner and fertilizer substrate, uses in water filtration systems, functional clothing, insulation, civil engineering, energy storage systems, feed supplements in animal husbandry, as well as applications in the agro-forest industry.

Regarding its long list of possible applications Helferty said, “I consider carbon to be one of the most versatile atoms in the world and it has this capacity to be used in so many beneficial ways. It's kind of like a Lego building block in that it can be used to build so many different things at a micro-scale.”

Asked what he sees as the most ideal development and use of the product in Canada Helferty said that ultimately he sees the Biochar being used in the Canada's mining sector.

“Canada has a very strong mining industry and if we could develop a mining project, perhaps in a foreign country where mining practices can often have serious negative impacts on the land, utilizing Biochar would be a greatly beneficial, particularly in the case of open pit mining.”

Helferty went on to say that on a international level, Biochar could be used to reclaim much of the desert lands that are spreading rapidly in many countries around the world.

Although Canada is set up potentially to benefit from the many applications of Biochar, it has yet to kick start the industry, although a number of studies and research programs carried out in the 1980s showed promise. That and the fact that most of the land in Canada is fertile means that the product has yet to be explored in depth.

However, Helferty said that companies and organizations all over the world are making headway in their own studies regarding the potentials of Biochar and that he hopes to see Canadian companies and industries in the near future increase their explorations into this product.

Published in General Interest
Thursday, 01 September 2005 10:26

Maberly_fair

Feature Article - September 1, 2005

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Maberly Fair:Photos

(click photo for larger image)Mrs. PeePee, a poisonous 6 lb. Cane Toad, and her handler fromLittle Ray's Reptile Zoo at Maberly Fair. A13 lb. cane toad has been documented as having eaten a Chihuahua. If they have trouble swallowing, cane toads are able to dislocate their eye balls so they can better stuff food into their mouths. At Ray's Reptil Zoo there is a fine line between very, very cool and very, very gross.

(click photo for larger image)Highland Dancers took part in the Maberly Fair parade.

(click photo for larger image)Lois Webster promoted the Central Frontenac Railway Museum at the Maberly Fair last weekend.

(click photo for larger image)The horse pull was a popular event to watch at the Maberly Fair.

Published in 2005 Archives
Thursday, 06 April 2006 05:16

Hootenanny

Feature Article - April 6, 2006

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Feature Article - April 6, 2006

The return of the hootenanny

byJeffGreen

A couple of years ago, a group of musicians began holding Hootenannies in Kingston and at the Maberly Hall. The events have a high spirited energy and the music is a mix of great Canadian Country and Bluegrass inflected tunes. The Hootenannies have always been well received and the concept has grown. Last year a western tour was organised, and this spring the hootenanny tour will be coming to Montreal , Toronto , Hamilton , Kingston , Guelph , and this Sunday, April 9, will be returning to the Maberly Hall.

Featured artists include many that are well known locally, including: Jenny Whiteley, Oh Susanna, Luther Wright, Cam Giroux, Dan Whiteley, and the Hootenanny founder and host, Victoria ’s Carolyn Mark.

They will be joined by Shuyler Jansen, Hank and Lily, Gor Tough and Diona Davies.

Tickets will be available at the door and at Shadowfax in Perth for $18.00. The doors open at 7:30 and the show starts at 8.

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Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 17 August 2006 08:57

Maberly_fair

Feature Article - August 17, 2006

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Feature Article - August 17, 2006

Come to the Maberly Fair

by Paul Pospisil

Happy-face clowns, sad clowns, silly clowns and clowns of all description will entertain young and old alike at the 124th Annual Maberly Fair coming up on Saturday August 26 at the Maberly Fairgrounds.

Clowns are the theme for this year’s fair. Look for special clown theme competitions throughout the hall exhibit classes; join the parade dressed up as a clown; and, get in the spirit of clowning and having fun at the fair. The Shriners Klowns will be doing face-painting and handing out balloon animals to the kiddies. Tip the Clown will amuse the kiddies and even the directors and volunteers will be clowning around.

The Maberly Fair has run every year since 1882. It serves as an annual community gathering; pays tribute to the thousands of people who made their living from the land; and perpetuates the original purpose of fairs by encouraging excellence in farm production of food by means of competition.

At this little country fair, you can watch a light or heavy horse show, see poultry and farm animals being judged, wander through an array of fine baked goods and home preserving, honey and maple syrup displays, garden and orchard exhibits and superb examples of homemaker arts and home crafts.

The Light Horse Show starts at 9:00 a.m. Watch young competitors hone their showmanship skills. The 2006 parade departs the Anglican Church in Maberly at 10:15 a.m., marching and dancing its way down County Road #36 to the fairgrounds. Prizes are awarded for the best floats and for the best clown theme.

The afternoon program features the pony pull and horse draw by the Ottawa Valley Horse Drawing Association.

There’s a complete array of heritage and educational demonstrations showing the skills that once were commonplace in rural life. Look for spinning and weaving in the hall exhibits, carving, woodworking and antique farm equipment outdoors. A new outdoor shelter built by volunteers this summer will house some of the displays.

An information booth will promote the 125th Anniversary Fair coming up in 2007. If you wish to contribute or participate in the 125th, drop in to the booth. Some 125th Anniversary souvenir items will be on advance sale. The fair is a family event with activities for all ages. Sack races, three-legged races, the egg toss and other old-time children’s games start at 2:00 p.m. Log sawing and nail driving contests for both men and women provide an exciting display of skill and prowess in the battle of the sexes. Alcohol is not served nor allowed at the fair and there's no midway at the Maberly Fair to gobble up your money. It's a day of old-fashioned fun on a bargain budget.

A snack bar and ice cream booth operate during the day in the renovated Snack Bar annex. A hot and cold buffet meal, catered by the Leatherworks of Carleton Place, is available in the Dining Hall starting at 4:00 pm

Both grounds and buildings are wheelchair accessible, there are indoor toilets with hot and cold running water and an abundance of free parking on the grounds.

The Fairgrounds are located on County Road 36 just south of the South Sherbrooke Fire Hall. The Maberly Agricultural Society maintains the fairgrounds by means of volunteer work parties and community donations. Visitors will find many changes and facilities improvements. Contributions are very welcome. To donate, phone 273-5683. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for youth; children 6 years and under are free. For more information on the fair, phone 273-5069 or check our new website at www.maberlyagsociety.ca.

Be sure to come to the Maberly Fair, see the clowns and enjoy a day of wholesome family fun!

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Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 05 October 2006 08:24

Marigolds

Feature Article - October 5, 2006

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

Marigolds at MERA

by Linda Rush

Friday, Sept. 29th, was one of the coldest evenings we’ve had so far, and the furnace was not working at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners, but this did not deter an audience of about 60 people from enjoying a terrific concert put on there by “The Marigolds”. This group is composed of Suzie Vinnick, Caitlin Hanford and Gwen Swick, each of whom is an outstanding singer songwriter in her own right. Singing a mixture of blues, folk, country and jazz tunes, they captivated the audience with their wonderful voices and beautiful harmonies. The MERA Schoolhouse is a wonderful setting for an intimate concert, with its good acoustics and comfortable ambiance. This concert was one of a series organized by Jenny Whiteley of Elphin. Several of these excellent events have been offered in the Maberly Hall in the past year or two. Our community is indeed fortunate to have a musician of the caliber of Jenny who is willing to bring quality musical events to local audiences. Jenny does not have another such concert finalized at the moment, but if you want to keep up to date on her activities you can visit her website at jennywhiteley.com

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Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 16 November 2006 07:20

Cd-releases

Feature Article - November 16, 2006

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Feature Article - November 16, 2006

Jenny Whitely "dear" and Christine Graves "wreckless daughter"CDreleases

by JeffGreen

Singer songwriter Christine Graves, newly returned to Balderson, joined Elphin’s Jenny Whiteley for a combined CD release concert at the Maberly Hall last Friday night.

“wreckless daughter” is Christine Graves’ fourth release, and her first since “stray”, which was released in 2001. She was a member the a capella group Malaika, between 2000 and 2005.

“wreckless daughter” is the product of a period of reflection in Christine Graves’ life. The title track contains the telling verses “she wants to spread her wings, like a song bird, open up and sing” and later “flying cross the water, headed home, reckless daughter”.

In her live show, Christine sang most of her songs accompanying herself on guitar. She was also joined by Biron on bass on three numbers, and she also played a little piano and some harmonica.

She performed most of the songs from “wreckless daughter” and even if the live show did not have the richness of music that came from the full band backing on the cd, the intimacy of the sound and the surroundings made up for it.

Much of ‘wreckless daughter’ is confessional poetry. It is about the life experiences that Christine has undergone in the past few years, the reference to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ is not gratuitous, and the cd succeeds musically by virtue of the tunefulness of the songs and Christines’ voice.

“wreckless daughter” is also about journeys, through the seasons, as in ‘chickadeesong’, and the vagaries of love in songs like ‘some old things’ and others.

‘ Santa Maria ’, the final song on the cd, sums it all up beautifully, with the lines, “in this moment lies a lifetime, in each love your destiny. Now this journey must be ending, like each day with each sun set. Santa Maria always waiting, memories we can’t forget”.

After the break at the Maberly show, Jenny Whiteley and her guitarist/songwriting partner/husband Joey Wright took the stage to celebrate the release of Jenny’s third solo album, “dear”.

‘dear’ was produced by Steve Dawson, who also produced Jenny Whiteley’s juno award winning ‘Hopetown’ a couple of years ago. The 12 eclectic songs on ‘dear’ include a classic old style bluegrass number, “Banjo Girl”, which Jenny wrote with Joey, some darker story songs like ‘Indoor lightening’, ‘Yellow Couch’ and ‘Four storey Story’, a traditional cheating song “Other Side of Life”, sung as a duet on the cd with Jim Byrnes, and distinctive covers of Ray Davies ‘Heart of Gold’ and Chris Whiteley’s ‘Take Your Time and Do it Right.”

While ‘dear’ features drums and bass and piano or organ flourishes in most cases, with ‘Banjo Girl’ being a notable exception, the sound was pared down in Maberly to Jenny on rhythm guitar and lead vocals and Joey on lead guitar and backing vocals. To my ears, a few of the numbers in Maberly sounded more relaxed, more authentic than the album. This was particularly true of ‘Take Your Time and Do it Right’.

Whether live or in recordings, a new collection of songs from Jenny Whitely is always welcome, and her ability to deliver dark and witty lyrics of her own creation is second to none.

There is a great example of this on the final song of the album.

It’s called “When it Rains I Pour”, and contains the lyric ‘Oh a man might take a drink but the drink will take a man, and how it begins is a serpent in a tree. I looked over the garden wall, and the rain began to fall. Feels like rain, and when it rains, I pour’.

Near the end of the Maberly show, special guest Melwood Cutlery joined Jenny and Joey on piano, and performed a heartbreaking version of “The Ballad Moonlight Lady” from his “Campfire” release.

All in all, it was a fine night of original music in Maberly, the performance capital on the Fall River .

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Published in 2006 Archives
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