ilovegreatbigsea

Petty Harbour is a proud community. Though it is less than a half-hour from downtown St. John’s, the high cliffs which surround it have prevented it from becoming a suburb. Though it has suffered badly in the current fishing crisis, ten years ago it was a thriving town, with three fish plants and a host of prosperous fishermen. The tranquil isolation of Petty Harbour was disrupted a couple of times by major Hollywood movie projects. Most notable was the Hollywood follow-up to Jaws ---- a whale movie called Orca which rolled into town with a full budget and stars including Bo Derek and Richard Harris . Quite an event for the life of a twelve year-old in Petty Harbour!

For me, it was a wonderful place to grow up. Less than 1,500 people lived in the tight gap in the mountains, and every face was a familiar one. Summers were spent selling cod-tongues (a local delicacy) and swimming in the icy water holes. Winters were endless games of road hockey --- or wharf hockey --- as Petty Harbour’s streets are too narrow and winding for a decent game. Only the community wharves provided a reasonable surface. Victories were often celebrated by tossing the losers into the drink.

Running through it all, was music. Music in the church, at school, and most often at home. There, my uncles would gather to trade the old Irish songs which were the treasuered legacy of their ancestors. My mother was the local piano teacher, and on Saturdays my brother and I would be banished from the living room so the local children could learn the rudiments of the keyboard.

I learned to play the piano and drums, but guitar was the instrument I loved. At the tender age of 15, I joined my Uncle Leonard’;s band, the "New Sandells". Already playing for 20 years when I joined, the band had a unique repetoire, one of equal parts rockabilly, country, traditional Newfoundland and hard rock.

Many bands followed in high school and when I moved in to St. John’;s to attend university. While completing a conjoined degree in English-Religion and Education, I formed a duo with John Brenton. Aptly named "Staggering Home", the duo created an over-the-top (and them some!) approach to performance. In Brenton, I found a partner whose anything-goes sense of humour matched my own, and who was up to the challenge of playing seven nights a week, plus matinees. It was while playing with John the I first met the members of "Rankin Street" --- Séan McCann, Bob Hallett and Darrell Power. Engaged in the same busy pub circuit, Rankin Street had a similar, and --- as an added bonus --- owned their own P.A. system! As I owned a semi-operable van, it was a match made in heaven. Within a year, Great Big Sea was formed, and the Great Big Tour had begun to roll.

Several months into GBS, I had to leave my job an an interpretor for the Newfoundland Museum. I also maintain a special place in my closet for my goalie equipment. An all-star player in my teen years, I still hold out hope that one day the Montreal Canadiens’; scouting staff will make the trip to the Petty Harbour Recreational League. If they ever do, I will be ready.

"The hard and the easy, we take as they come --- that's it. That encapsulates the Newfoundland spirit," said Alan.
As written on www.greatbigsea.com

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