Jem...Chapter 195

*Before…

I go from the banking app to Facebook and liking their page and adding the link to their shop onto the band web page and then post up on both about them making our cookies and by the time I’m done that Rayne’s come in with fresh blankets and sheets that smell like the dryer.

I set my alarm to match the kitchen and help Rayne make our bed and we slip into the fresh and still warm sheets together and we snuggle up tight.

*And Now…

Waking up after sleeping in or well sleeping in for us is all sorts of nice. Even after everything we were done early compared to Jake’s and The Amsterdam by like an hour and Rayne didn’t have to get up and go so there’s that as well.

So we actually sleep until like nearly eight.

And I wake when the alarm goes off and I can smell the coffee already going and I nuzzle against Rayne and she mumbles and I kiss her and slide out of bed. “Busy, busy we’ve got lots to do today.”

She rolls over and she fake snores and I laugh and I slide my lips to the small of her back and I blow a raspberry against her skin making her laugh squeal and likely wake up the rest of the house.

“Angel! Angel! Stop!”

I back away as her feet do the tickle-kicks and she gives me a faux glare as I blow her a kiss and back out of the room and she throws a cushion at me.

“I love you!”

She growls. “Then you’d let me sleep longer.”

“I love you!”

“I want coffee!”

I go and use the bathroom and I get cleaned up, brush my teeth and take my skittles and some vitamins. Then I head to the kitchen and put the bacon in the microwave and then pour myself a coffee and then slice up bread for toast and French toast and use the egg-mixture I made up and get breakfast ready.

It takes awhile for the food smells to raise the masses and that’s kind of nice since Molly’s actually not awake from pulling one of her endless all-nighters.

I get that’s her deal and lifestyle but she burns a lot of time doing so much behind the screens and doing stuff for us.

Actually I go and snag one of the laptops and go into the kitchen and look our stuff over while cooking.

Our page is full up now and going as are all our links so far and the connections to the sights of our friends and partners and our Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Instagram pages.

We’re really kind of busy online. I mean like even this early we’ve traffic and fans online and there’s stuff going on.

I flip French toast and make more regular toast and take the bacon out and put it on paper towel to drain off and then I get myself a slice of toast with some strawberry jam and my coffee and sit to read.

And interact with a few people surprising them and plug Fall Fair some and then there’s pictures from Go-Go’s Bakery and I plug them some and post up the cookies online.

The house is starting to come to life.

And Rayne’s the second one down. “Pas de Cafe chere?”

“Sorry hon I got busy and distracted both.”

She takes a sip and she leans down and coffee kisses me and we switch places as I tend to breakfast and she reads and starts to eat the second half of my toast.

It’s such a cute us and relationship thing I so don’t mind.

Mike comes in and there’s cheek kissing and hugs and Brooklyn follows and then it’s Max who’s in complete guy blush mode and Kimmie and Molly and Carmen are the last one’s in.

The kitchen is full and then some and we move the computer back to the living room and we sort of do this whole serve yourselves family style thing from the table and we take it all to the living room and eat together there while we talk about the afternoon’s playlist and things we need to do and all the extra stuff that’s going on plus ideas for the videos.

Molly has another coffee and she speaks up from her computer. “Hey we have mentions again in the paper and some reviews online.”

She starts reading out loud to us.

“I go to Fall Fair every years it’s part of my job and I’m always glad to do it because it’s one of those last stands of my childhood and as a Pointer it’s just tradition. (Thank you Starlight Butterfly for that.)”

“This year I’m beyond happy. There’s a shift in the wind here and it’s a good one. I’m a parent and as one of the under forty set I see things a bit different than the staid and true older generation that like things a little quieter and unchanging.”

“I see a lot more charity here in the booths and the involvement and people giving even with business booths. And those booths are a lot different this year too. There some more places with mom and pop stuff and some of the eateries are doing sample foods of what you’ll find on the menus here in town and that shows a lot of promise...even some of the school related things have changed with the kids in the 4-H clubs doing a big thing here with their garden projects and it’s pretty darned cool that they go from talks on compost and recycling to organic farms and feeding folks. Seriously take a few minutes and stop by they’re even cooking up food there from greens to roasted squash ravioli in butter that they made themselves.”

“And the music’s changed too….all for the better with us still having all the country and bluegrass and even some new names there but we have seven count it seven new groups of under twenty bands that are playing this year and then there’s Northstar studios & Blackjack records with a booth and Starlight Music and Entertainment both are in Harper’s point and both are working labels….and for all those kids watching and dreaming of things of something like we did back in the day it certainly feels this year that it’s possible.”

Molly looks at us and she leans back. “That was this morning’s town paper’s editorial.”

I look at the others. “Well that’s actually pretty awesome.”

Max smiles sipping his coffee. “The music thing’s kind of spreading I know I keep hearing of people coming to places in town because they are hiring or letting people play. Like the Hojos (Howard Johnstones) out by the old connector is fixing up it’s bar and tap room to get people into play and maybe drum up some business.

That, that actually makes sense it’s another casualty of jobs leaving and things shifting and that includes the highway. It still sees some traffic because it’s still open it has to be but it might have been pretty hard going. I mean they closed their bar in the first place.

I nod. “And the folks coming in from out of town has stepped up the food game here too.”

Molly nods. “Jake’s pub-page has gotten reviews and is actually listed on places to go instead of just not having a profile and with them advertising online and Twitter and Instagram and they’re doing good and The Pine Tree’s gotten really decent mention. People are coming for that and other places in town are trying new stuff.”

I’m grinning. “Good! I mean it’s different now and people look for stuff differently and if we came like do that as as town then maybe that money will spin to jobs and working people spend money.”

Kimmie gets up and points at me. “Dammit as soon as you can you’re getting your GED and getting that brain and butt into business school!”

I hold my hands up. “I am, I am and I’m already register for the new year for my GED courses and then business school in the fall.”

She gets this frustrated look and stomps her foot. “You better.”

Brooklyn sighs. “Let her rant Angel you and I both know that Koreans are all about education and getting degrees and stuff.”

Kimmie howls at her in a really bad fake accent. “You!, You I not Ko-wee-ann I am Japanese!”

Brooklyn… “Same difference besides how am I supposed to know i mean your parent called you Kimberchi.”

Kimmie screams and then they start fake martial art fighting each other...yelling… “Black Mamba!”..... “Pussy wagon!”

Max looks utterly lost.

The rest of us just watch the Brook and Kimmie show.

Then Brooklyn does some hand strikes and then a couple of kicks that look real and Kimmie screams. “Aaaugh! White Devil!” and she runs upstairs.

Max still looks in shock and Mike’s grinning and pats him on the arm. “Wait until they wake you up drumming and jamming.”

He blinks. “Really?”

We all say. “Really!”

Then we’re putting stuff away, doing the dishes and getting dressed for the day.

Carmen has some things already picked out for us and I like mine. Faded jeans with a white tinged pink band tee with that splatter pattern plus our Starlight Butterfly logo, some jewelry accessories and boots along with my make-up and hair getting sorted and then a straw cowgirl hat.

It’s pretty Fall Fair and really cute, and I’m very into it.

We pack things up and Carmen has a lot of stuff like these really big tubs of like industrial glitter-gel and things that I’m marvelling over. She looks at me. “I ordered bulk last time we needed costume make-up for the band but we’re likely going to go through this this week.”

I’m nodding. “It’s cool that you did, great idea.”

She smiles and she blushes. “I’m still working on other things but I thought that it’d be cool if we started sourcing our make-up from local to at least Canadian brands.”

“That’s a good idea, is there a local cosmetics company?”

She shrugs. “Not that I’ve found yet but we...I mean Molly and I are looking around.”

“Cool that’d be a really good local thing to boost.”

She nods. “Like with the cup-cake place.”

“Totally like they’re so worth it too. A woman run and staffed business so it’s super rare and then they’re in a part of town that really needs people spending money down there and it’s all a win.”

She looks at me. “Yeah you’re definitely a business mogul.”

I help her with another box. “Yeppers, but No coins Please.”

“Huh what?”

I laugh. “It’s an old kids book my folks had tons of them.”

We get loaded with the things she needs and then the band gear and I make sure we have a cooler of bottles of water and frozen orange juice and literally ask if they took their vitamins which got laughs but they say that they did.

I’m actually serious on that a bit you know, I know they’re seen as iffy sometimes but it does help, it helps you with energy and just from getting run down as fast.

Then again it could be one of my post-cancer things but still.

We get there at Trudeau park and it’s busy, there’s all the yards with cars parked and campers and people selling parking spots on their lawns which used to happen back when I was younger but it’s been spotty for a lot of years especially recently.

Though this is Saturday of Fall Fair and it only goes until next Friday so today and tonight and Sunday during the day are a lot of the big events especially for the Fair aspects with the farm stuff and gardens and all of that stuff plus all of the acts.

I see fans already here in SLB shirts and when they see the van they start cheering us and we roll down the van windows and we crank the stereo and we start blasting *Magical Power Panties*

That gets a few cheers from them and as we’re pulling into the event staff parking and that’s a cool way to start the day.

We meet up with Josie and her crew and there’s some woman with another girl in goth make-up and black clothes with flour on them and a tee-shirt with a black and white print version of the Rolling Stone magazine cover with the band on it.

She has boxes with her and and the other girl and I offer my hand.

“I’m Angel and you girls are from Go-Go’s?”

The older one says. “I’m Tammy Ruston and I’m the owner and this is my partner Laif.”

Laif is interesting looking kind of guy, butch, tomboy goth passing and not with the short lesbianesque haircut and the undercut to go with it and a serious amount of piercings to go with all of it and the goth make-up.

Actually there’s this goth girl sort of test and look and scan each other between them and Rayne and Molly.

Though it does seem to more of a friendly thing than something else and Tammy’s looking at Raven who is wearing her Wall-Mart smock over her band tee and her gothic clothes. Raven shrugs looking back. “Pays bills.”

Then they grinned at each other.

Laif rolled her eyes at them but she looked at me.

“Thanks for the order and the boost we got from you online we got pretty busy when people found out we ship things out.”

I grin as I’m getting some of our things. “No problem and I seen that on your page that’s really a cool thing to have.”

Tammy says. “Thankfully these days the shipping companies are okay and there’s the internet market where people will support us and everything.”

We walk together all in a group with us and Josie and others together all the way over to our booth where we start setting up and talking and Mike and Molly are getting things set up with the computers and the cameras and video equipment and Molly has a bistro sign set out with more prices and that “We’ll disc your lesson for $25.00!!!”

Okay I never thought of recording the lessons but we have been putting them up on our pages.

And there’s lots of shirts and print stuff for not just us but for The Fall Fair with like this sketch of the park and the rides and instead of the moon there’s our band Butterfly starscape logo and there’s the date on it with “First Public Venue!”

And there’s stuff for Sawyer’s Funrides.

I adore, just adore this shirt she did that’s like faded browned paper color and it has all these picture frame like cells on it with things from all these papers with dates handwritten underneath of it and “Ontario Heart & Canadian Strong” in big letters on the back of them plus more of the old shirts that Danny and Kate were selling.

And there’s stuff for little kids too and our younger fans with our stuff but shirts with the punk spray paint look and MPP on them and another one that’s pink with a black decal girl dancing back first and she’s wearing decal panties with our stardust pink colors.

There’s another version of that with the dancing girl having the Pom-tails like Sailor Moon and then there’s this one that’s this girl’s face or half of it and there’s here hand crossing over in front with the V-finger gesture from the cartoons and she has sort of Jem like make-up over the one eye you can seen but it’s in our Star butterfly shape and in spacescape colors.

We’re oohing and awing over the shirts and I’m hugging Josie.

“Oh my god these are so cool!”

Josie hugs me back. “Well yeah of course this is what you get when you are really cool and let me cut loose with designs.”

I laugh. “Well yeah you do this for a living and have a design degree.”

She hugs me harder. “And that’s what I love about you is the respect, I’m just not so print monkey.”

Tammy’s looking at all the stuff. “Wow...okay how much do you charge because all of our stuff comes out from Toronto.”

We sort of sit and talk as things are opening and Raven heads off to the Wal-Mart booth and gives me a long open kiss and she takes an entire box of cookies with her for her co-workers.

We talk pricing but more with the chamber of commerce and I actually talk about the benefits for like services and things that really change the way that doing business works like better credit card rates and better services with the banks and loans and lines of credit plus there’s insurers on board for both home/business/vehicles/staff and then there’s the same layers for both on the local level and provincial level and there’s even being a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Laif’s looking at me. “That sounds awfully like working for the man.”

Josie and I look at her and Tammy who looks interested. “To me it’s kind of this point where like businesses have banded together to make it easier and that meets the law of the land. I mean big businesses use this stuff and they even have a bigger scale of it too. We should be using the same things that people have like fought to get in place to start up our indie businesses or keep our Mom & Pop’s afloat.”

Tammy’s nodding. “I know I could use some help with some things.”

I stand and two-finger whistle to Lorna and Kimmie yells. “Hey Chamber of Hotness!”

I almost laugh and Lorna looks like no one in her life experience would have ever gone there but Kimmie just did.

And there’s like no mistake who she meant when she said it.

She’s dressed really nice but that’s thrown by just how hard she’s blushing because well people are staring at her and us.

We do all burst into laughter when the first thing out of her mouth getting over here was. “Dammit Kimmie!”

Which Kimmie solves by giving her a hug which has her blushing and looks passing between Tammy and Laif.

It’s that whole we found a baby dyke look.

And no, Lorna’s a grown woman but like all the tells are there and she really does come across as either maybe in the closet or recently out.

I look at her and Lorna’s really blushing.

“Hi morning Ms. McAllister, I’d like you to meet two of the people in town with one of the newer businesses. This is Tammy Ruston and her partner Laif of Go-Go’s.”

Tammy offers her hand and there’s some handshakes all the way around and Tammy says. “Angel here has been preaching the gospel of joining the chamber of commerce.”

Lorna looks at me. “Well it’s definitely something as a member in the municipal arm of the Chamber that’d encourage businesses to join.”

I nod and grin. “I’ve gone over the broad strokes stuff but we’d both like to hear more if you’re not too busy this morning.”

Tammy adds. “Or before it gets too busy.”

Lorna looks at me. “Well the bands and companies like Starlight Music and Entertainment made that happen this year.”

I look at her. “Harper Points a good town and we have a good fair this year.”

Lorna nods and thanks to SLB and K&T and some of the other bands people are coming here for more things and found them too with the upswing in dining and well frankly the site traffic too. This and the promise of the Fair being really full of acts and talent this year actually has traffic up this weekend.”

I think for a minute then nod. “Good, we need that boost and some good traffic will keep us in people’s heads as a place to come to.”

Tammy looks and me. “Okay, okay we’re definitely in. with you two and Josie over there and everything going on this actually has me a little more hopeful and a little less scared of running my own business.”

We sit and we talk as the gates open and there’s people coming in and we’re actually pretty busy from the start so I’m back and forth between lessons in our little side stage with me doing some guitar and keyboard and singing and we’re signing things and we’re giving out cookies.

Eventually they head off together all talking about things specific to Go-Go’s.

Laif asks before they head off. “Is there anything more you need?”

I nod. “Another whole order of cookies the same size but how about cupcakes for our band set tonight ones with our logos on the frosting in sprinkles.”

“We can do that for sure.”

I pay her the money through the phone app and then post up [New batch of SLB cookies ordered!]

And to go with that I get some selfies and pictures taken with Laif and tammy and post those up too.

Which gets me hugs before they go off talking business.

A free SLB cookie for every purchase over thirty dollars and of course we have cookies for the little and younger kids and Carmen’s busy as heck with the make-up and face painting while we’re not doing all of that we jam a little and even Raven will come over once in awhile to help out and play and teach some bass.

Molly’s idea is going on really well and we are doing recordings of the kids and that so seems to be a draw here with people who both have kids and want to send this to loved ones and Molly even sends stuff to their e-services so they can have things already online.

That’s insanely popular an option apparently and there’s a few mothers there with their kids and I hear that they’re sending stuff off to their service dad’s overseas.

“Molly service gigs are free.”

She looks at me and then at the mom she’s loading up who looks like it’s a big deal. “Sure thing Angel.”

The woman looks at me. “Thank you, I could’ve paid.”

“Service folks don’t make a lot of money, it’s already paid.”

We only have a couple of them and they look like they all came together so yeah it’s a thing and we’ll eat the cost of it all and I toss in some of Fall Fair shirts since we have them in guy sizes more and we all sign them...us and the kids and their wives and on the back I write in big letters “Pointers Fight.”

My Uncle John was in the services, That’s my cousin Jenna’s dad.

I might not think sometimes a lot of things in the government and the world but yeah some things are just ingrained.

Respect the vets, support our troops even as much as that sometimes just sounds like it political bullcrap and wear a poppy.

If this was the one good thing I did today then today was already a good day.

I actually go for coffees at the Tim Hortons booth and meet up with Raven while I’m doing that at the Wal-Mart booth and she’s looking excited and happy.

“You look like things are going well?” I say and step in and kiss her.

She smiles. “I don’t get really into this job a whole lot and it’s gotten way better since the band and my boss being into us being kind of popular right now. Today’s been pretty great we’re selling stuff here at discount at the booth online orders like fifteen percent if you get things here through us. We’re selling a lot of instruments and stuff like that.”

“And we’ve got this whole charity thing going where you throw the rings over the bottles for a chance to win a gift card with like the different colors being different amounts on the cards. Plus folks can donate to buy cards right here for the Church Street Shelter.”

I look at her. “They’re sticking with it?”

She nods. “He is and we’re really doing well too like with folks remembering the shelter with seeing the videos.”

“The videos?”

“Yeah we put it on a monitor and we have the volume cranked and people are donating pretty steady. I’ll bet we’ve close to three hundred in gift cards for the shelter.”

“Okay that’s pretty awesome.” I offer my hand and she takes it and we lace our fingers together and we walk around just taking a look at some of the things before we get coffee.

Kisses & Thorns is at the Blackjack records booth and they’re sort of doing what we are but different with signing their things and lessons with Muzz? I think that’s his name and Summer actually doing lead and bass lessons but a bit more advanced than what we’re teaching, they’re kinda teaching how to do like speed guitar and that kind of stuff and some other things. Summer’s got sunglasses on and she looks a little rough around the edges and yet she seems to be okay with the teen guys she’s teaching the opening guitar to AC/DC’s *Shook me all night long.*

I look at Raven who’s smiling and says. “Ouch, yeah she’s hung over and it’s still really early for Summer.”

I nod. “She does seem to be the way too late and not move until dawn kind of person.”

“Always was but yeah I think she got worse after things, I know that I did.”

I watch her as we’re headed elsewhere and I see Hannah watching her too and then us and she actually smiles and waves at us as we head to other parts.

Fall Fair the way that it’s set up or have been set up usually is that they bring in temporary fencing at the edge of the parking lot for Trudeau Park. Now the park itself is pretty long and sort of narrow but it has a nice long lawn for people and there’s an artificial beach made like way back that was made from like old concrete way back in the seventies or eighties and that was filled in with more stuff until it kind of made a break for the waves and that made a little sort of beach. It’s kind of okay to swim I mean the bottom goes from sand and gravel to muddy and sticky clay and then drops off fast and deep past the buoys.

And it’s Lake Superior so even with the best of conditions it’s always pretty cold.

Anyways the park’s a long rectangle with some beach and picnic tables and swings and things and that’s all moved for the fair and the east side of the grass is where all of the booths are and part of the parking lot and the west side is all of the actual Fair stuff with the crafts and food and all the local things and student booths and in the middle on the grass is the midway and the rides and that’s set up like that so there’s a really nice view of the lake from the rides while you’re on them and at the center back of the park’s parking lot is where we have the sound stage this year so the sound plays out over the fair and the water and not so much into town.

Everyone comes and goes in through gates in the eastern side of everything and the western side is like for us and other fair related stuff.

We just sort of wander and window shop sort of and talk to people and wave a lot and shake some hands and take some pictures with folks and Raven actually spreads the word on her booth and some of the charities and I sort of do the same with ours but I do the same with some of the other booths as I find out what they have going on and I Instagram things and post little things up for our site of what they’re doing just as a boost.

I do make a point to go by the 4-H booth that got mentioned in the paper and there was a line for the stuff they had.

I got a little cup paper dish with two ravioli in it that are fully of pumpkin/squash filling and it’s sort of the normal sweet spices like you’d expect but there’s like salty cheese in it like feta that cuts it and then it’s in a brown butter sauce.

And then there’s pumpkin leaves they have as a wrap that was good and they’re using local fish in it and they did like slow cookers of greens.

Raven and I shared and we complimented them on it all and they’re giving a presentation of all these things like recycling and urban growing and how important local farms and businesses are.

It’s kind of odd too because I know some of the adults from my school and my old middle school.

Ace’s comics has a booth and people there selling and trading cards and comics but there’s people there appraising things too and one guy is talking and showing on a screen hooked to a really fancy tablet on drawing hints and teaching.

There’s school projects from middle school on up and then there’s Beavers and Scouts and Girl Guides and Brownies all doing their thing and raising money for their things and trips and there’s cadet corps there too with all three branches even though here in town it’s a mixture of sea cadets with the lake and army cadets here.

We do have air cadets and they’re here but they’re based in Red pines I think.

There’s so much to see and a lot of it really good...just feels really good there’s even a couple of swap/meet tents with the sort of flea market stuff going on and even some artists selling their things.

I can’t help myself there I buy a couple of paintings that I liked with some local scenery and things that I just want. I’ve never owned anything with actual paint on canvas.

We head back thinking we’ll see more tomorrow and during the week and we get coffees for everyone and I’m getting for the booth and Raven is getting for her team at the wal-mart booth and we kiss and head back.

I have to go around the crowd and the line of folks there for things and there’s some cheers at me being there and we’re right back into it.

Loads of talking to folks as it’s getting closer to late morning and lunch and people are starting to trickle in more.

Laif comes with more of our order and we talk and I talk them up with the people right up at the table who literally have never heard of them and the people are impressed at them shipping but more with they do a in town delivery and they have a weekly or daily order.

Laif’s telling that you can order and get on their delivery list membership and they will drop things off to your house like fresh bread or whatever you want.

It’s funny how fast some of the locals signed onto that and how long it took Laif to get out of there.

“See you tonight?” I ask.

“Yes we’ll have the cupcakes all ready for the show.”

“Cool beans that’ll go great with our new song.”

There’s people there asking/talking. “New song? Cupcakes?”

I grin at them. “We’re treating the fans to cupcakes tonight to help promo our new song and to help spread the word about Go-Go bakery and we’ll be doing a new song this afternoon as well.”

And of course we have it on camera and posted up live as I’m saying it and we’re definitely getting site buzz and talking to the people there right up until we have to leave everything to Josie and her crew who have been here the whole time and being our backbone for selling.

Word got out as we get ready in the waiting area for our afternoon show. It’s warmer and we have still a bunch of seniors there for the free seating but there’s some fans too.

I see some folks that might be the business types or some kind of officials and Lorna’s there with them and I see who might be some of the bloggers there too.

We go with a more casual sort of fall fair kind of look not as rocker club girl kind of thing but not like country or anything just really sort of laid back. Fair and band tees, jeans and all of that.

I step up to the mic.

“Afternoon everyone, we’re Starlight butterfly and we’re really happy to play for you all this afternoon and share some of our music and the music we like with all of you.”

We actually get folks going right off the bat with *Queen of Hearts* By Juice Newton. That gets some movement a little sorta dancing a bit of shimmy and foot tapping but lots and lots of smiles.

Then we slip into Brooklyn actually singing and she’s doing *I’ve got a name* By Jim Croce.

Yeah old, old as stone but it’s really folksy and really this good fit too and those rolling me down the highways...perfect, perfect lead into *Life is a Highway.* By Tom Cochrane.

Then warmed up we do a slowed paced version of *Keep the faith* By Starlight Butterfly and we follow that one up with *Forever and Always* By Starlight Butterfly and we break up our stuff some more with *I can see clearly now* the Johnny Nash version and not the 80’s video version.

I mic the crowd with that and some of them do sing back. “Bright...bright...sunshiney day…”

Which isn’t like club rock sing back but i’ll still take it and it still makes me smile that some of them are doing it with us.

And that pulls a few more folks into see what’s the deal and some stay and watch.

And we try to keep that vibe up and we do *Carousel* By Starlight Butterfly and then Raven does her thing and she sings *Billie Holiday* By Starlight Butterfly to me and this is a good crowd for this because well honestly more folks actually know who Billie Holiday was and why this is such a really romantic song.

And then we’re close to time and I step to the mic again.

“We’re going to sing a new one and it’s something we wrote just for the Fall Fair but it’s for the guys here in town and all along the lakes and even out further.”

“This is Fisherboy.”

*Fisherboy* By Starlight Butterfly. We really are playing this sort of folksy kind of pace with it it’s sort of worked out to this kinda Barra MacNeils sort of sound.

He gets up too early…
Makes a coffee, checks the sky.
His loved ones are all tucked in…
An if he’s lucky it’s not a sad, sad goodbye.

He makes it to the water…
He gears up and braves the cold.
His Father did this and so do his brothers…
He’s just a poor fisherboy.

(Chorus) He can dance just like an Angel…
When the deck’s heavin to an fro.
He’s as strong as they come hauling traps an those nets.
He’s as warm as the engines below!

Y’know it’s a damned hard living.
Not everyone can do it or does.
But someone’s got to put...the food on the table.
An it’s all that his family has done.

(Chorus x2)

Those great lakes they can be feisty.
True inner seas that be true.
And he’s gone everyday just to scrape up some pay.
So his kids might not ever have too.

(Chorus)

I’m smiling and there’s this feeling, this up on stage feeling but it’s more than that as there’s some of the folks out there listening doing the sway with the song and then there’s some doing that and hugging but there’s already people singing along.

We’re finishing and there’s a few of these older guys that have played before us and the next group to come up as well a country act called Bonny Parker and that’s like the saying Bonny and not the woman’s name.

The MC looks at us and comes over asking. “They want to know if they can hear that again and can play in with you.”

This older man with salt and pepper that sort of reminds me of Sam Elliott drawls a little. “That’s a damn pretty song you wouldn’t mind us playing in maybe add some fiddle.”

The Bonny Parker’s lead singer nods. “We’d love to add some vocal and stuff, that was...that was talkin family girls.”

I look at the girls and they nod and I move and we make room. “We’d be honored to gentlemen.”

I look to the crowd that got a little bigger.

“Looks like we’re going to do this one more time.”