John, Jerry & Le Vent

OK, first the news:
We all know John Doyle is a pretty fair guitarist, and over the years he's played with more than a few damn good musicians (Liz Carroll among them).
So, what would you say if John Doyle were to perform at ICONS 2008?
And what would you say if he was performing at ICONS with Jerry Holland? Yes, that Jerry Holland -- one of the most important figures in Cape Breton music.
Well, you can officially add them to the roster.

(Photo at right) Jerry Holland

This comes as good news for any number of reasons, especially given Jerry's battle with cancer over the past couple of years. But in the last few months, he's gradually (and cautiously) taken up performing again, including a stop in the Boston area back in April: "I'm doing better — having more good days than bad," he told the Boston Irish Reporter in March.


To put it mildly, John Doyle is looking forward to the occasion.
"It'll be a great time -- so glad to have the opportunity to play with Jerry," said John, during a break at the Old Songs Festival this past weekend.
This will not be the first time the two have appeared together, but as John says, "It's like a world premiere whenever we perform -- you never know what's going to happen next."

(Photo) John Doyle and Liz Carroll at
the Old Songs Festival.

Another ICONS 2008 act appearing at Old Songs this year was the phenomenal Quebecois band Le Vent du Nord. If you've seen them in the past, you may have known that one of their original members, Benoit Bourque, left the band a while back. Besides being an excellent musician, Benoit is as charismatic and full of joie de vivre as they come. But the good news is, Le Vent has lost none of its energy and spark: Nicolas Boulerice (hurdy gurdy, piano, accordion, vocals) is a wellspring of good humor and cheer, and fiddler Olivier Demers provides that trademark Quebecois foot percussion which gives the music its drive and ebullience. And don't overlook guitarist Simon Beaudry or accordionist/bassist Réjean Brunet.


Nicolas Boulerice and Olivier Demers of Le Vent du Nord at Old Songs.

One of the "classic" Le Vent moments came when the quartet invited the audience to join in on an a cappella call-and-response song in French. Seeking to provide encouragement, Nicolas said the band had heard that "audiences in New York sing choruses very well," while Olivier whipped out a digital camera and proceeded to film the crowd so as to "document the experience."
No way to know, of course, whether Le Vent might do a similar videographic turn at ICONS, but one thing's for sure: Nobody will leave their concert feeling anything but invigorated.

--Sean Smith