"Whenever I'm home, I'm always writing something," says PEI songbird Catherine MacLellan, who performs Friday. "I sit and look outside the window and inspiration comes through osmosis, through the experience of being here." Although MacLellan says travelling—as she'll do on tour later this year—can also spark creativity, "PEI is definitely my muse."
For almost 15 years, MacLellan's folk songs and five studio albums have been inspired by her home province, including the 2014 record The Raven's Sun, which won the 2015 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, a testament to the unique traditions she shares with the Island. "Traditions are the backbone of the Maritime music scene," says MacLellan, the daughter of Gene MacLellan, a folk musician, Juno winner and the songwriter of "Snowbird," made world-famous by Anne Murray.
"The Scottish, the Irish, the English, the French background in PEI," she says, whose songs evoke rich natural imagery that's both regional and romantic. "Especially in the folk world, you can feel a tinge of it coming through, and we're very much part of that here. The fiddles and accordions keep traditions alive. There's something different about the vibe of music coming out of the Maritimes."
Catherine MacLellan, Taylor Ashton, Laurent Bourque, Kayleigh O'Connor
Friday, January 22, 7:30pm
The Company House, 2202 Gottingen Street
$25
