"We all drink water and share the land"

If you are concerned about the impact that proposed fracking could have on the environment and people on the west coast of Newfoundland, come to Galliott Studios this Sunday, June 28 at 2pm.

Independent journalist and author Miles Howe and Annie Clair, a Mi'kmaq land defender from Elsipogtog First Nation, will be hosting a book talk and a discussion about the anti-fracking movement. Both Howe and Clair were participants in the protest against shale gas development in New Brunswick in 2013 that became shockingly violent when an initially peaceful demonstration was confronted by RCMP in full riot gear. 

Howe's book, Debriefing Elsipogtog, explores what went wrong in terms of regulatory oversight and an insufficient consultation process, as well as how people united to build a successful resistance. Ultimately, Southwestern Energy were forced to leave New Brunswick. Howe says, “What happened in New Brunswick can just as easily happen in Newfoundland.This isn't a book I necessarily wanted to write, but its value as a primer to those who find themselves in similar situations of opposition shouldn't be underestimated.”

This is the kind of issue that it would be easy to ignore until it is too late. As Annie Clair says, “Sharing the story of this struggle is important to all people, not just Mi'kmaq people. We all drink water and share the land.”

Wonderful Strange

It was suggested that this week I write about my music and my latest recording. I never know what to say when people ask about songwriting because didn't start doing it on purpose. Little melodies and bits of poetry have always come into my mind and I learned that I enjoy turning them into songs. Somehow, due to some lucky twist, playing small and simple folk songs has become a big and important part of my life. I get to connect with friends and strangers through these songs and I am pretty sure that's the best thing there is.

The new album is called Wonderful Strange, and it was released in February, just a little over a month before my new baby boy was born. I chose the title long before we started recording. Most of the songs are a little odd in some way, and I wanted the recordings to be quirky and honest. I had a great time working with Jake Nicoll in his studio on Duckworth Street in St. John's. He is a great friend and lots of fun to experiment with. Ilia Nicoll, Darren Browne and Sherry Ryan also play and sing wonderfully on the record and we've had fun playing some live shows since. You can pick up a copy of Wonderful Strange at Galliott Studios! It looks like this:

The photo at the top is printed inside the jacket of my cd. It was taken two years ago during Writers in the Wild during Writers at Woody Point. I am under a big fir tree on the Lomond hiking trail. The year before that I played in the same spot with my best pals, All the Wiles. This year I wanted to go back to Woody Point with my little family so made a special request to play in the forest again and they said yes! So, if you're at the festival keep your eyes open for me along the trail! 

Mark your summer calendar!!

June is flying by and there are already so many things (kayaking! Boat tours! Music!) happening around Bonne Bay (have a look: http://visitgrosmorne.com/). In Cow Head the Gros Morne Theatre Festival is in full swing.  I will write in more detail about this festival next week. In the meantime you can check out their schedule here: http://www.theatrenewfoundland.com/.

Starting July 3 and continuing until the end of August, Gros Morne Summer music will be hosting a variety of classical performances and trad nights at the historic and beautifully restored St. Pat’s performance space in Woody Point. Starting on July 26 you can take in The Woody Point Pageant, an afternoon show that winds through downtown Woody Point with performances all along the way. The schedule for Gros Morne Summer Music can be found at http://gmsm.ca/2015-season/.

You'll also want to have a look at the very exciting lineup for this year's Writers at Woody Point festival (August 11-16). it can be found at http://www.writersatwoodypoint.com/ . I will continue to gush about this festival as it approaches.

Ta for now!.

Welcome Back!

Happy beginning-of-the-season to friends and fans of Galliott Studios! As of June 3 we have re-opened for the summer. Hours are 11-5, Wednesday to Sunday.

I’m Katie Baggs and I’ve taken over writing this blog for a while. I’ve had the good fortune to spend time in Gros Morne over the past four summers as a musician at Writers at Woody Point, Trails Tales and Tunes and Gros Morne Summer Music. Whenever I arrive in Woody Point I make a beeline for Galliott Studios. There’s always a crowd of interesting people drinking cups of real coffee, eating epic cheese plates and getting on like old friends. And that deck!!!

Keep your eyes open for musical guests throughout the summer. On July 19, stomp your feet and sing along with folk duo the Mayhemmingways . You’ll love them! On July 31 you can catch a performance by singer-songwriter-guitar player-extraordinaire Matthew Hornell. Beautiful performances of incredible original songs, and he’s super charming too! Not to be missed.

More special guests will be announced so stay tuned. I am looking forward to keeping you all updated throughout the summer.