It's a beautiful place, where you can park for free on the main street and buy crumbly pecan tarts from the corner bakery. I went into three stores in Sunderland (in the extra time I had before arriving at the public school for the songwriting workshop). Each store had jingling bell over the door, a bell that didn't seem necessary because each merchant was waiting just inside the door to welcome me, but a lovely bell just the same.
As it turned out, the teachers weren't expecting me at the public school. They had told the workshop organizers not to send somebody today, because the whole town had been too busy with the local music festival that had just taken place. But there I was, and I had driven all that way from Toronnah, so they showed me to the music room where twenty students were assembling.
I talked with them about songwriting, telling them it was okay--in fact it was great--to just make up a little tune in their head. Anyone could do it, even if they didn't have any formal music training. A little girl about eight years old knew all about that and was eager to tell everyone about all the songs she was writing. She told me excitedly that when she sings her songs, people listen to what she has to say! All through our session, there she was, putting up her hand, again and again. Listen, she said.
I sang a song called "I Would Recognize You Anywhere" ("because your heart is mine").
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I sang that song, also, for a man in Pape Subway station yesterday, where I played for an hour and a half, before meeting a woman who was interviewing me for a thesis on subway musicians. During that short time, a friend came along who bought me a much-needed coffee from the Tim Horton's at street level, I ran into Roger Ellis (the experienced busker who had originally inspired me to consider singing in the subway) and I met Samuel (the kindly man who tells me (every time I see him) that he was on "Touched By An Angel". The man who responded to "Recognize You" was kind enough to buy a CD even though it's not on one of my current ones. (The third CD is coming soon, really it is. Have I mentioned I'm calling it "Broadview"?)
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And on Wednesday night, I went to Fat Albert's again and brought my friend Brenda along.
Both of us being huge Ron Sexsmith fans, we were thrilled to be there when he made a surprise appearance, previewing the new Sexsmith and Kerr project with Don Kerr (formerly of the Rheostatics, excellent musician and producer.)
Ron was one of those people I might have met twenty years ago if I'd gone to Fat Albert's, so it's remarkable that he just showed up after I wrote last week's post. He's one of the songwriters I admire most, and his songs have influenced and inspired mine.
We've come close to meeting several times (I called out 'I love your music' when I was pushing a stroller and recognized him on the street...he answered a few 'fan e-mails' from me over the years...) but this was the first time he heard me play. I expected to feel a bit nervous, seeing him in the back of the room. Instead, I noticed that I felt calm, and not starstruck.
It meant a lot to me when he shook my hand afterward and told me how much he enjoyed my songs.
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