I always like to keep a record of Bob’s contribution to the discussions about Great Big Sea and those posts as they attract lots of visits (over 300 for the last two updates). As with previous posts I have removed the name of the fan who asked the question to protect their privacy. I have copied Bob’s words directly from these posts to allow him to speak for himself without any interpretation or addition from me.
After a considerable amount of discussion Bob stated… “in its later iterations, was designed to accommodate side projects, guests, long periods of silence, various comings and goings, and had done so successfully for a decade. That it is not active right now is because Sean wished it to end, quit, and subsequently through various and tiresome corporate manoeuvres, has made it very difficult for the band to continue in some form without him. That is the dull and tedious truth. Also, to dispel another myth, there is no big team around the band, it is just the three of us, along with our manager Louis Thomas”.
One fan asked the question about Sean McCann’s use of Great Big Sea songs at solo events and whether it would be in violation of the agreement or partnership of Great Big Sea under its current arrangement. (I have always wondered this considering Sean’s negative attitude towards his past experiences with the band).
Bob was kind enough again to respond “In theory, Sean or whoever billing himself as 'Sean McCann of Great Big Sea' violates the agreement, as it is what is known as self-dealing, i.e. taking work from the corporation by undercutting or damaging it's core business. That said, it would be difficult to impossible to enforce something like that.”
Another fan asked if Alan used songs from the Great Big Sea catalogue whether he would be in violation of the agreement. And Bob responded… “In theory yes. Though if a majority of the corporation is operating against it the case becomes noot.”
On a brighter note at the end of last year Bob joined Kelly Russell and The Planks at a special concert in St. John’s on December 27. There are some totally gorgeous photographs of the band and Bob circulated via their official social media sites on Twitter and YouTube. So I decided to place a couple of those posts here.
The photographs are from the official Kelly Russell and The Planks Twitter site and were circulated by Bob Hallett on his official Twitter and Facebook pages. No copyright infringement intended.
