The second ever Shivering Songs Festival took place from February 3 to 5th. It was a delight and demonstrated the warmth of the music community in snowy New Brunswick. Some of my personal highlights (there were many) included Hot Toddy Trio’s first performance in several years, which saw the veterans grinning and blazing through an excellent set, performing their well-loved album Shoe Factory, supposedly without any prior rehearsals.
The songwriters and storytellers circle on Saturday afternoon included gracious and charming host David Myles, who shared a few new songs inspired by his new home base of Halifax. Mike O’Neill was showered with praise by his fellow participants and lived up to them with his unabashedly catchy pop tunes. Catherine Maclellan’s set can only be described as immaculate, although she was packing heat with an extra guitar player.
That evening, Wintersleep side project Postdata paired incisive lyricism with swelling guitars and synths. “You kiss her lightly so she can forget that you’re gone.” Ouch. Paul Murphy, warm and self-effacing, filled every corner of the church with his resonant and distinct voice and beamed with each round of applause.
Over in a packed bar, Halifax’s Gypsophilia got all feet moving with “a little Jamaican music for warmth, and a bit of Jewish music for flavour.” Flowing gypsy skirts and colourful leisure suits alike would have looked right at home. Managing to tear myself away, musicians’ musician Snailhouse closed the night off with the competent help of festival hosts The Olympic Symphonium.
For live videos of Shivering Songs performances by Paper Beat Scissors and Mark Kozelek (and I assume more to come), head over to Southern Souls.
