Photo: courtesy of Naomi Campbell
Lightfoot and some of that old stuff really resonated with me. I liked the storytelling through songs. Stompin’ Tom [Connors] obviously was our most loyal Canadian. I mean, every single one of his songs was a story, whether true or crazy or whatever.” No More Pennies marked a return to basics for Gunning, who spent the several years preceding its release recordings songs written by other people. In 2010 he released a tribute to John Allan Cameron, a collection
“I was sitting on quite a few songs and it was time to do one for sure,” he says. “There were maybe half a dozen songs I knew for sure I wanted to put on the CD, and once I chose those I had to try to pick other ones that would fit or contrast in an interesting way. Whether or not we hit close to the mark, that’s so subjective.” The songs on No More Pennies are extremely diverse, which Gunning attributes to his fondness for writing with other people. (No More Pennies includes
ds, but I felt n I heard
Photo: courtesy of Naomi Campbell
of songs by the legendary performer whose immediately recognizable twelve-string guitar playing and punchy baritone influenced a generation of folk songwriters. The following year Gunning put out a Christmas album, Christmas Too, that infused traditional carols with the sound of his solo records — quietly ambitious guitar licks and that distinctive tenor, simple yet effective. No More Pennies marks the first collection of original songs Gunning has released since 2009’s We’re All Leaving.
songs written with George Canyon, David Francey, and Bruce Guthro). For Gunning, who frequently tours alone, co-writing offers a respite from the lonely life of a singer-songwriter. More importantly, he says, the combination of instant feedback and creative tension makes the songs better. But while No More Pennies is one of the most diverse records he has ever made, the songs can be divided into two distinct groups. Some are simple story songs constructed around an acoustic guitar lick. Most of these are destined for the
stage. Others feature more elaborate instrumentation and arrangements. These “album songs” are not written to be played live, but to push the boundaries of what their creator can do. This is apparent on songs like “Little White Seeds” and “Too Soon To Turn Back,” both of which depart from the standard folk music palette. The former is a dramatic duet with Scottish songwriter Karine Polwart that builds from a gentle guitar lick into a towering crescendo of guitars, accordions, tin whistles, and James Keddy’s throaty uilleann pipes. The latter ventures into the realm of pop music, casting quiet verses against a sweeping chorus that fades back to silence in a cacophony of unexpected minor chords. But the most unusual song on the record is undoubtedly “That’s When We Fell,” which Gunning wrote after watching a friend’s long-distance relationship implode. “My good friend Jamie Robinson, who actually helped produce the record, had been seeing a girl from Germany,” he says. “Their only enemy in life was circumstance. She wasn’t going to quit her job there and he wasn’t going to go there, either. It just fell apart. He was really, really having a hard time, and it wasn’t something he was really wanting to talk about — and he certainly wouldn’t write about it. So I started writing about it.” “That’s When We Fell” is unusual because it is deeply personal. Gunning concedes that parts of himself emerge in most of his songs — how could they not? — but that the line between the personal and the universal is not always clear. Most of the songs on No More Pennies tell stories that anyone can connect to, regardless of their geographic location or their personal experiences. “Coal From The Train” relates an old family story in which railway employees surreptitiously shoveled coal off of passing trains, a gesture of charity toward people living in poverty near the tracks. “A Game Goin’ On” is an ode to pond hockey, a charming song that conjures up images of kids clad in clunky winter boots and oversized Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys. The last song on the record, “Living In Alberta,” summons the ghost of Stan Rogers’s classic “The Idiot” with its portrait of a man trapped by circumstance and desperate to return home to the east coast.
“It’s funny because when I look back at this record there are a lot of songs that are about Canadian things,” Gunning says. “I don’t really know where the songs come from. You sort of just sit down, and then maybe get an idea. When you write a song you just feel happy. You think, maybe I can write another one someday. But when I put the list together I realized there was sort of a Canadiana thing happening, in a nostalgic way.” This is a good thing. The songs on No More Pennies are nostalgic in the best possible way. Instead of attempting to recreate the sound and feel of the folk music he grew up listening to, Gunning set out to capture fundamental experiences and relate them in universal. The album is bound together not by a particular sound, but by Gunning’s ability to
examine in great detail individual threads woven into the fabric of this country. Which is why he decided to call the record No More Pennies. “I just thought I’d pay tribute to the Canadian penny, salute it as it’s on its way out,” he says of the little copper coin. “It seemed to make sense when I looked at what some of the songs were about. Didn’t know I’d get in trouble with the Royal Canadian Mint, though.” Dave Gunning January 24 @ The Artful Dodger $TBA Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com
13 Dec 27 – Jan 2 @verbregina
contents
local
editorial
comments
q+a
arts
feature
food + drink
music
listings
nightlife
film
comics
timeout
culture