(Sprag Session (l-r) Jason Roach, Donnie Calabrese, Darren McMullen, Colin Grant, and Merlin Clarke - photo: Corey Katz)

Realistically though, it’s not so much a name change as it is an overdue naming of the band made up of Colin Grant (fiddle), Jason Roach (piano), Darren McMullen (mandolin, guitar, banjo), Donnie Calabrese (bass), and Merlin Clarke (drums). This lineup of players, each very well-regarded in their own right, was originally conceived to back up Grant on a couple of tunes for one of his records, and then they started playing shows together, and kind of by default ended up known as the Colin Grant Band. Now with a new record ready to launch and five heads full of ideas, it’s time to formalize the band’s identity.

“With our first band record ready to release in a few months’ time, and a new approach we’ve been taking to arrange our music collectively (rather than a ‘big band backing up a fiddler’ sound), the time is right for us to re-identify ourselves as a team,” said Grant in an interview with seaandbescene.com, explaining the new name. “We started jamming two tunes in my parents’ basement for my last solo album Fun For The Whole Family that motivated us to keep writing together, and in the two years since, a whole new repertoire of tunes has come bursting into the world, with tune-writing from Jason and Darren as well.”

In advance of the album, Sprag Session is offering up this video of their studio session recording “The Gwanwitcha” at Sonic Temple in Halifax, shot live off the floor by Darcy Campbell of Shot on Site Media.

Visit the band’s new website to preorder their debut album and for more information about Sprag Session.

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(Ukrainian-American Bandurist Julian Kytasty will be performing Friday night at CBU Boardmore Playhouse with Cape Breton fiddler Colin Grant)

In 2012, the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Whitney Pier is celebrating 100 years of Ukrainian faith and culture in Cape Breton. A week of activities including workshops, lectures and a book launch, wraps up Friday night, February 3, at the CBU Boardmore Playhouse with a concert featuring Ukrainian-American Bandurist Julian Kytasty and Cape Breton fiddler Colin Grant.

Kytasty has taken his music around the world, from the Inuit lands to Patagonia. This Ukrainian-American composer/conductor/singer/flute-player/kobzar/bandurist began his musical career as a solo artist and bandura teacher. His original compositions are among the standard repertoire of bandurists world-wide today. He has created and conducted avant-garde music, lectured at Yale and Harvard, and recorded music both solo and in collaboration with international artists.

Julian Kytasty Plays the Bandura, Part One by Michal Shapiro.

On Thursday, February 2, Kytasty will explore music and authenticity, kitsch, culture-making and ways in which tourism may affect the expression of cultural traditions in a lecture/demonstration entitled The Unembroidered Bandura, taking place at CBU in Room CE327 from 11:30am-12:45pm. He will also discuss and demonstrate differences between North American and Old Country music cultures and experiences.

The Bandura Part 2, Tradition by Michal Shapiro.

At 4pm on Thursday, an exhibition entitled Mnohaya lita: Celebrating 100 Years of Ukrainian faith in Cape Breton will open at the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage & Science on George Street in Sydney with a blessing by Rev. Roman Dusanowskij and parish celebration led by Kytasty. CBC Mainstreet Cape Breton with Wendy Bergfeldt will broadcast live from the opening. Mnohaya lita means “many years” in Ukrainian and is a perfect greeting for the long celebrated history of the Ukrainian community in Cape Breton. The exhibition will run until November 2012 and focus on Cape Breton Canadians of Ukrainian descent, their music, dance and other important cultural traditions. As a joint effort of the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Parish, The Ukrainian community, The Old Sydney Society and Dr. Marcia Ostashewski, Monohaya lita will feature events and workshops on Ukrainian dance, food and music throughout the year.

The week of celebration wraps up Friday night, February 3, with Sea Winds & Immigrant Songs featuring Julian Kytasty and Colin Grant. The concert starts at 7pm at the Boardmore Theatre, Cape Breton University. Tickets are $12 / $10 (students and seniors) and are available at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Parish, 577-7929; Whitney Pier Pharmasave, 564-8250; Pharmasave Healthpark, 564-6500; and Pharmasave New Waterford, 862-7186. The concert is sponsored by Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church; Centre for Cape Breton Studies, CBU; Office of the Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences, CBU; and the Department of History and Culture, CBU.

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(Singer-songwriter Angelo Spinazzola with a Grade 3 class in Eskasoni in 2011)

The First Nations Songwriting Sessions featuring children from Eskasoni, Membertou, Chapel Island and Waycobah is up for the Children’s Recording of the Year, the only Mi’kmaq work to be nominated this year in any awards category.

“To be able to teach and give the children a creative outlet and fun way of empowering themselves and connecting them with their culture and nature is the main goal of the project,” Spinazzola said. “All the other spinoffs are added bonuses.”

For one week starting Thursday February 2, The First Nations Songwriting Sessions will be available for free download at reverbnation.com.

Spinazzola also got a second nod this year with a nomination in Roots/Traditional Solo category for Beautifully Imperfect which continues to get regular national and local airplay.

“Wow! How great it is to be doing exactly what you want to be doing and to be accepted for what it is that you believe in,” Spinazzola said.

After Mi’kmaq artist Dozay Christmas heard Spinazzola’s children’s song “On the Peace Wheel” during a broadcast on CBC radio five years ago featuring students at Harbourview Montessori School, she invited him to work with Mi’kmaq children at First Nations’ schools.

The First Nations Songwriting Sessions – his sixth studio recording since 1992 – involved children from Grades 3 to 5 who learned the creative process of songwriting in a fun way through music, words and voice.

Beautifully Imperfect was inspired by Spinazzola’s travels around the world during the past six years when he wasn’t teaching to Mi’kmaq children in Cape Breton or running his North River Kayak tour company in St. Ann’s Bay and Baddeck. The people he encountered in his travels and the experiences he had has inspired him to write and create new and fresh ideas. He’s hoping to publish his work someday as well as write more music.

“After I return home and get a chance to digest all these new experiences on the road whether on First Nations’ lands, or outside of Canada in remote areas of South America, Asia or Europe, I write in hopes of sharing what I’ve learned from a hands-on prospective. There is a lot going on out there.”

Winners of various categories will be announced by the ECMA in Moncton when the event is held April 11 to 15.

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(Finewood Flooring - photo: Jessica Klein Herenbrink)

From the highway, a short snowy tree-lined road quickly opens up to the mill and offices for Finewood Flooring. The Christianos are busy at work when I arrive half an hour early. “People always think we’re way out there,” Candace Christiano tells to me with a laugh. “But we’re only twenty minutes from Baddeck!”

As we sit down in the cosy office for Finewood Flooring, Candace Christiano shows me a magazine article from the ‘70s, written about the young couple who had recently immigrated from New England. At that time, land was unaffordable in their southern home, so the Christianos followed the coast north, to see what else was out there.

In Cape Breton they found affordable land, but the young couple wasn’t sure if that could make a full-time living here. However, the industrious pair soon found a way to do it, and they set to work building their home and business in Middle River. Now 30 years later, the Christianos employ about 10 people from the local community, who help them manufacture tongue and groove hardwood flooring boards. As we tour the mill, Candace tells me it was a fairly steady and natural progression from their early beginnings in carpentry and woodworking. As new machinery was acquired, they were able to evolve the business. A strong appetite in the European market for maple flooring has really helped the business flourish.

At Finewood Flooring, all the wood that comes to the facility gets used. Rough cut boards are sorted into various products based on imperfections and the quality of the wood. If a slit in the board prevents it becoming 5 inch wide plank floor board, then it is marked and cut into smaller size flooring. What isn’t used in production, the scraps and waste, is pelletized and used to heat the manufacturing building, or sold as pellets. The Christianos see their value-added product as being an efficient use of local resources. Not only are they reusing the by-product, but they are also saving the cost of shipping that material by exporting a finished product rather than raw materials. Finewood Flooring products are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as having come from healthy forests where forests, wildlife, waterways and the rights of local communities are conserved.

Having come from an area that had a well-developed economy for value added wood products, the Christianos were surprised to see how under-utilized hardwood timber was in their new home province. They can now point to a few major barriers that contribute to this situation. For starters, they had to prove to many people that there actually could be a hardwood industry in Nova Scotia. Peter Christiano explains that the timber economy that has established here, is actually suited to a forest type that is in transition. The mills and timber grants are set up to harvest softwood conifer trees which are more common to the boreal forests of the North, but which have become prevalent here as farmsteads are reclaimed and the forest transitions back into mature Acadian forest. The infrastructure and timber leases for Crown land are based on the softwood industry and access to the hardwood components and the infrastructure needed to sustainably harvest those resources, are still not readily available.

(Eastern Nova Scotia’s Woodlot Owners of the Year, Peter and Candace Christiano - photo: Jessica Klein Herenbrink)

Despite the positive accolades coming their way, this forward-looking couple still see serious challenges ahead for their community and the hardwood industry. Though forestry practices and conditions seem to be slowly improving, the Christianos deal with the same problems facing the region at large. When I visited, they had just lost an employee to the Tar Sands of Alberta. How to create an environment where people can thrive and live sustainably in rural Cape Breton communities is an issue always close at hand, even while standing in the middle of a good living model for sustainable local enterprise.

The Christianos believe that there is so much that could be done to create a more vibrant industry and community. From creating more value-added wood products and services to establishing family-friendly forest trails that provide opportunities for learning about our forests and developing an appreciation for what they provide us with.

After a healthy discussion about current affairs, and trying our best to get to the bottom of what’s wrong with the world, the Christianos and I decide to close the book for another day. Shaking hands with these fine folks, I am grateful that they didn’t heed the advice from the one piece of hate mail they received, following publication of the 1970’s magazine article. That of course being along the lines of: “Go back where you came from, draft dodgers! We don’t need you ‘round these parts!” How far from the truth! So let us not be quick to judge hitchhiking forest dwellers like Sam. For, like the Christianos, he’ll probably be able to teach us a thing or two about sustainability.

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(Betty Lou MacDougall (Linda), Steven Peters (Biff), and Matthew Boyd (Happy) - photo: Cape Breton University )

The Boardmore Theatre is lighting up the stage this month with its rendition of Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, Death of a Salesman. Starting Tuesday, January 24, the playhouse will put on six performances of this western classic as part of the theatre’s 41st Season of Plays.

Directed by Todd Pettigrew, Death of a Salesman will be preformed on the evenings of January 24 – 28 at 7pm, with a Sunday matinee on January 29 at 2pm. The cost of admission is $12 for a general ticket, $8 for students and seniors and $6 for CBU students. January 24 is Pay What You Can Night; bring whatever change you can spare or make a food bank donation at the door. January 27 is Talkback Night, which provides the audience with an opportunity to discuss the play with the director and performers.

Director Todd Pettigrew says, “Death of a Salesman has become such a classic that it is easy to forget what an extraordinary piece of theatre it really is. Not only is it a brilliantly crafted tragedy, it’s a moving family drama, and an insightful social commentary.”

In this Pulitzer Prize winning play, a worn out 1940’s salesman, who has spent a lifetime working on the road and earning barely enough to keep his family afloat, is slowly losing his mind and quickly realizing his dreams of wealth and fortune will never come true. His son Biff, a once promising athlete right out of high school, returns home for a visit having accomplished little of the greatness once expected of him. When Biff and his brother hatch a plan to open a high profile sporting store, their father regains a flicker of hope for his family’s wealth. But, can a lifetime of lies and secrets really be left in the past, or will the truth come out and jeopardize the family’s newly reformed dream of success.

“Like all great plays, it is timeless, but today, as we are increasingly aware of the problems of economic inequality in our societies, the play feels especially relevant. In Willy Loman, a man striving for a dream of success always just beyond his grasp, Death of a Salesman reminds us of the peril of divorcing value from work, of placing image ahead of substance, and of making profit essential while making people dispensable. If you remember the play only vaguely as something you read in high school, you’ll be amazed by how funny, yet heartbreaking it is on stage. For anyone who has children – or parents – this play is simply something you have to see at least once in your life,” says Pettigrew.

For tickets or other inquires contact the Playhouse Box Office at 563-1652. The box office hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 1pm to 5pm and one hour before show time. The box office will open one week prior to performances and remain open until the night of the last show.

For more information on the Boardmore Playhouse as well as a complete list of this seasons line up, visit cbu.ca or CBU Boardmore Playhouse on Facebook.

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This Annual Potluck has been an important event in Velo Cape Breton’s schedule since 2005. Each year, the Potluck is a time for cyclists to get together regardless of weather and enjoy a good meal and good stories. On top of great food, the supper cyclists will also be treated to an overview of the year’s rides and the Velo Cape Breton cycling awards.

The 2012 rides schedule will be revealed on Saturday night. The jam-packed schedule includes many favourite rides and a few new additions. For those looking for a more relaxed peddle, come hear about the “Family-Friendly Cycling” events and the “Learn to Ride” workshop and course series. The much-anticipated details of the “Epic Rides” will be announced, which includes the ever-popular Across the Highlands Challenge. New for 2012 will be the Lobster Roll – 100! With 100 kilometres of Cape Breton waters, the Potluck won’t be the only meal to look forward to this year.

Each year, Velo Cape Breton members honour their fellow local cyclists for their dedication, volunteering, commuting and improvement. Eight awards will be given out to island cyclists and businesses.

Feel free to bring your friends and a supper dish. To simplify cooking tasks, everyone with a last name beginning with A to K is asked to bring a dessert. Everyone with a last name M to Z is asked to bring a main course dish. Please join us at the Dobson Yacht Club for a great meal and a great evening!

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(Bernie Robichaud brings his Cyrus: Dug Dealer or Public Speaker to town Thursday night)

Shit will be goin’ down in Sydney this Thursday night, January 19, when Cyrus rolls into town for Caper Radio’s latest night of comedy at Daniel’s on Charlotte Street.

Caper Radio, Cape Breton University’s campus radio station, has been presenting comedy shows in Sydney for almost a year now.

“We started in March of 2011 with our first show featuring Dylan Rhymer, Jeremy Doucette, Ian Black, James Thompson, Ash Young and myself at the Upstairs,” says Stefan MacNeil, Promotions Coordinator for Caper Radio, who will also be performing Thursday night. “Since then we’ve had three more at the Upstairs with people like Bryan Aylward, Peter White, Nick Beaton and Bryant Thompson. All guys from the Halifax comedy scene. Then we then had a X-Rated comedy show featuring Canadian comedy veterans Darren Frost and Kathleen McGee.”

The shows have been generally been a success says MacNeil.

“This summer was great because we had Nick (Beaton) and his weekly shows, and he’s somewhat known locally so people came out to those. Other than that the Sydney scene is really hit or miss. With our shows we have had some great turn outs, but we have also had some really bad ones. But I have to say the comics always have fun and the crowds are always great regardless of numbers.”

Usually known for presenting live music and showcasing local and visiting musicians on their website, Caper Radio got into presenting comedy shows because they saw a need in the local scene.

“I first started working at Caper Radio about three months after I started doing stand up and have always been a big fan of live comedy, which is something that Sydney’s arts community is lacking,” says MacNeil. “Other than the occasional Membertou or Savoy Theatre show, there is no comedy scene in Sydney and nowhere for people interested in trying comedy to do so. So that was the intention, to give people in Sydney a place to try it. Also, it’s no secret that stand up is just better in small rooms. There is something comforting about a small dark bar that gives people the freedom to laugh at anything without feeling guilty or uncomfortable.”

This will be Caper Radio’s sixth comedy show. Advance tickets are available at Daniel’s, The Bonnie Prince and at Caper Radio (Student’s Union Building, CBU). Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door and include a meet and greet after the show. Showtime is 9pm.

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(Kim Dunn - photo: Murdock Smith)

The evening will consist of a silent auction, three course meal, and entertainment by the Kim Dunn Trio. Dunn, a North Sydney native, has had a successful music career for over 30 years working with the who’s who of East Coast artists and beyond including Rita MacNeil, Bruce Guthro, Matt Minglewood, Jimmy Rankin, Lennie Gallant, David Myles, Jill Barber, Dave Gunning, George Canyon, Alison Krauss, Peter Gzowski, Philip Glass and many more. After producing, musical directing, arranging and playing on countless albums by other artists, Dunn has brought his song-writing and singing to the foreground with his first solo project, Take This Hammer. He will be showcasing this self-produced debut CD for supporters of the Northside Community Guest Home Foundation this January, blending elements of Jazz, Blues, Pop and Folk together for a special evening that shouldn’t be missed.

The event will be hosted by 103.5 the Eagle. It supports the Foundation’s Complete the Dream campaign which aims to raise $300,000 for additional equipment, furnishings and activity items for Cara House. Cara House is the Guest Home’s latest addition, which opened its doors last November to 39 new long term care residents and which allowed for an expansion of programs and services for all 144 residents. The Complete the Dream campaign thermometer is up to approximately $220,000.

Tickets for reserved seating and tables are on sale until January 20, and can be purchased by contacting the Foundation Office at 794-8781, 11 Queen Street, North Sydney.

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(Finale from the opening concert of the 2011 Celtic Colours International festival - photo: Louis De Carlo)

The Cape Breton Island-wide event partnered with 130 non-profit organizations and venues to present more than 300 performers in 45 concerts and 298 Community Cultural Experience events. The Celtic Colours in the Schools program was presented to 4,302 students in 22 schools throughout Cape Breton and more than 2,000 volunteers contributed almost 27,000 hours toward making the event a success.

Held in 76 communities throughout all four counties, the Festival attracted visitors from 50 US states, all Canadian provinces and territories, and 19 other countries. A total of 18,323 tickets were sold, and more than 12,000 people attended Community Cultural Experience events. An additional 6,649 people from all over the world tuned in to the Festival as nine concerts were streamed live online—one each day. With the increase in ticket sales and about half of the audience coming from off-island (55%), audience expenditure increased from $6.2 million in 2010 to $8.1 million in 2011 with more than $7 million directly attributable to Celtic Colours.

Celtic Colours’ 15th year was an exciting one from start to finish. In April, Festival founders Joella Foulds and Max MacDonald were inducted into the Cape Breton Tourism Hall of Fame by Cape Breton native Michele McKenzie, president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission during a luncheon hosted by Destination Cape Breton Association. The following month, Foulds received an Honourary Degree from Cape Breton University. Hot on the heels of wrapping up the Festival in October, it was announced that Celtic Colours was named to the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Signature Experiences Collection and then in November the Festival won the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s National Cultural Tourism Award. Ending the year on a high note, it was announced on December 30 that Artistic Director Joella Foulds has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada, in recognition of her contributions to Cape Breton Island’s cultural sector as an arts administrator and volunteer.

The 16th Celtic Colours International Festival will take place October 5-13, 2012. The lineup will be announced in June with tickets going on sale in July.

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(Heartwood Slacks, pictured here performing at Governors Pub in Sydney, will be helping ACAP Cape Breton kick off their 20th anniversary on Monday, January 9 at ACAP Cape Breton’s Centre for Sustainable Communities, 582 George Street - photo: myspace.com/heartwoodslacks)

To highlight ACAP Cape Breton’s work the board and staff are inviting all Cape Bretoners to take part in a year-long celebration. The events begin on Monday, January 9th with a kick-off open members’ meeting. From 7 to 8:30pm the public is invited to a sneak peek into the 20th anniversary celebrations, to learn about ACAP’s activities, and to hear guest speaker Fred Baechler’s presentation entitled “WATER: Damn, That’s Neat Stuff!”. Entertainment will be provided by local music group Heartwood Slacks beginning at 6:45pm.

The new Make A Splash: Water Education Tool Kit will be also be launched at this event. The Tool Kit was created by ACAP Cape Breton in partnership with the CBRM Water Utility and the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board to highlight local water issues to elementary school students.

“We’re looking forward to sharing the work we’ve been doing with the public and to provide opportunities for learning and discussion,” says Susan King, Executive Director. “Fred Baechler is a local hydrogeologist and engaging speaker. We are thrilled to launch the new Water Education Tool Kit that provides local information to students in a fun and interactive manner. This is the first event of the 20th anniversary celebrations to mark the impact of ACAP Cape Breton in the community.”

The meeting is open to the public and will take place at ACAP Cape Breton’s Centre for Sustainable Communities at 582 George Street, Sydney on Monday, January 9 at 7:00 p.m.

The Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) Cape Breton is a non-profit, charitable community organization. Located at 582 George Street in Sydney, this dynamic group integrates environmental, social and economic factors into projects focusing on action, education and ecosystem planning.

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