At the forefront of blogging in the Great Big Sea fandom
world are the founding members of Great Big Sea themselves. I have never
really looked at the early blogs posts of Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett and Sean
McCann. Bob Hallett’s blog posts evolved into a recently published book “Writing Out The Notes: Life in Great Big Sea and Other
Musical Misadventures” which I have read and loved. There are various interviews on
the Internet on how he moved on from writing blog posts about his life and
adventures and became more interested in developing these into a book. I
particularly enjoyed his comments in an interview he gave about why he wrote the
blog and book and that it was a more detailed and personal way of telling
stories that might help people get out of their own head space for a while. Alan
Doyle is currently writing a book and I wouldn’t be surprised if they also
provide a basis for his story from his perspective on projects not only with Great
Big Sea but about his other musical and movie adventures too.
The mother of all blogs was Anna’s Great Big Sea Philly Fan
Site. This blog provides some interesting outlooks into the world of GBS
fandom during the last decade. “There will be an extended hiatus thru 2012 in preparation for the 20th
Anniversary Tour in 20113. Bob is writing another book, Alan making a solo
record, and Sean is touring on his 2 solo albums. Murray is touring with his
other band, The Cocksure lads and Kris is playing with other bands also until
GBS gets back on the road.” Firstly, GBS occupied a large part of
the blog but they also provided a look into the fan’s personal and family life.
Although GBS was a large part of her life and that of her family (husband and
children) for many years it was not her entire life. The blog documents her
annual holidays to Newfoundland over several years and her trips following the
band. The blog also provides some biographies, recent information, some reviews
and photos and a significant piece of history the official press release from the
day Darrell Power decided to leave the band. A copy of this is provided below. Despite
the blog last being updated on the 29 August 2011 there is no mention of Lyndahere and her blog Between The Rock and a Hard Place on the list of fan
blogs. There is a picture of Lyndahere in a group a fans on the blog which
states that she was known but there may have been tensions between her and
other fans way back then. The picture is
copied below.
The second mother of all blogs is ‘Welcome to GBS Boston’ a
fan site run by a Boston fan. “We're here
to Rant & Roar about the
most famous band from the island of Newfoundland, Great Big Sea! Their unique blend of traditional
Newfoundland music and their own original songs has proved to be very popular
in Canada, with more than a million copies of their albums sold to date. They
have headlined countless sold-out concerts, performed numerous times on
national TV, and won many many music awards”. These bloggers provide a
great range of photos, tour details, album and DVD information, news, reviews and other
information. The blog also provides a link to other Great Big Sea fan blogger sites including
the above blog indicating there may have been a community of Great Big Sea
bloggers and superfans not only in Canada and the US but in other countries such
as the UK, Germany and even Japan. The blog also talks about two groups of fans
which it thanks for their contribution “dozens of BAIGLS (Boston Area Indigo
Girls Listees) and NEUDLS (New England Ultimate Dar Listers)”. I don’t know who they were but that is the
subject of another blog. This blog was created in September 1998 and last
updated in March 2007. Noticeably absent again is any reference to Lyndahere’s
blog Between the Rock and A Hardplace.
(The picture was blocked and an ad replaced with it. I did not give permission for advertising).
Official Press release:
For Immediate Release Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 Great Big Sea’s Bassist To Pursue Future Off The Road (St. John’s, NL) -- After ten years of non-stop recording and touring, Great Big Sea’s bassist Darrell Power has decided to conclude his affiliation with Great Big Sea. “I have chosen to pursue interests, musical and otherwise, off the road and closer to home for the foreseeable future”, says Power. “It was an amicable decision and the right one for me at this time.” The remaining founders of the group, Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, and Sean McCann will continue to perform and record. A replacement bass player will be hired for live appearances. "Darrell has been a great driving force in the band and will be missed,” says Doyle. “But being in Great Big Sea is an all consuming job and we respect his decision to devote more time to his family, " adds McCann. Great Big Sea just completed a highly successful tour of Canada this Fall, visiting over 40 cities and performing for over 100,000 people in promotion of its fifth studio album Sea Of No Cares . The album debuted at #1 its first week of release at Canadian retail, garnering further critical acclaim and bringing Great Big Sea’s total album sales to over one million units sold. The group was recently nominated for seven 2003 East Coast Music Awards (ECMA), including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year and Group of the Year.last year, the band has also headlined over 100 concerts and festivals in major cities in the US and Europe.
We wish Darrell well and many happy
moments with his family. He's missed many "firsts" this past year
and deserves some down time to enjoy little Ben and the new baby. Good luck
to you, Darrell in whatever you pursue. We will always love you, your affable
nature, your stage antics and your musical ability. Thanks for the memories.
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