ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A light thump and/or slight crackle are often the first sounds heard when “Play” is pressed for audio files on the Bandcamp page Kelly Russell established for his production company, Pigeon Inlet Productions.
It’s an odd noise to hear on a WAV file or MP3. But there’s a reason.
Russell recently uploaded his out-of-print vinyl collection to the internet as a way to preserve the songs, jigs, reels and recitations he had carved into wax beginning 42 years ago. Many of those LPs and 45 singles are now rare. They are occasionally offered for sale in the “used” bin, he says, but typically don’t stay there long before they’re purchased.
He started his production company after he joined The Wonderful Grand Band on fiddle in 1978. The group recorded their first album later that year at Clode Sound Studios in Stephenville.
“I absolutely loved the experience. I just fell in love the whole process of recording,” he said.
He loved it so much, in fact, he didn’t want to stop. And as he thought of older musicians he knew from across the island, people like Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit, he had an idea.
“All this great music needs to be recorded and none of the major labels are going to come to Newfoundland and record fiddlers, older folk singers and storytellers, (so) if it’s ever going to be done, someone here has to do it,” he said. “In 1979, I embarked upon my first project … and Pigeon Inlet Productions was born with the release of an album called ‘The Chronicles of Uncle Mose’ which was a collection of recordings of my dad, Ted Russell.”
Rather than record himself, he preferred being the organizer, the producer and someone who pulled all the different aspects together to make the creative process happen for others.
“Plus, I just loved the music I was hearing,” he said. “What I heard from these fiddlers like Emile and Rufus was very unique music. These were older guys, and I knew they wouldn’t be around forever. I wanted to not only preserve their music but make it available so lots of people could enjoy it.”
“A Breath of Newfoundland”
Even before he was known as a member of the comedy and musical trio Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, Ray Johnson was making music and releasing albums while working as a teacher in Glovertown.
In 1982, he released “A Breath of Newfoundland” on Russell’s record label.
“What Kelly was trying to do is tremendously important because if we lose our traditional (music), what have we got to prove who we are in terms of culture and heritage?” he said. “So, I was indebted to him for allowing me to go in and record that album.”
Also on that record is his father, the person who taught him the song “Sarah,” which became a hit song for Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers.
“(Russell) followed in the footsteps of his father. I think that was instilled in him and he took that and never forgot about it,” he said.
The fact Russell has made the music available online for free speaks volumes, Johnson says.
“With all the bands he’s been with, to go to a central location and do something like this is very heart-warming,” he said.
A living tradition
An accordion player since his childhood, Graham Wells has shared many stages with Russell and has a great deal of respect for the music he’s released on Pigeon Inlet Productions.
“Traditional music is always a living tradition, it’s passed on from generation to generation and each generation puts their spin on it,” he said. “It has to breathe, it has to move, it has to evolve.”
Years ago, Wells mentioned to Russell he should be putting his back catalogue online and offer it for sale.
“Either people will buy it or they won’t … stick em up man,” he said. “(But) he went one better when he got there. … He put them on a platform where all this stuff is readily accessible to anybody who wants to go check it out. It's free.”
Wells has a master’s degree in traditional music performance from the University of Limerick in Ireland. He says there was a mentality amongst some that traditional art forms ought to be safely stored, lest anyone misinterpret them and destroy the integrity.
“We had a ‘preserve and lock away’ kind of mentality and I really think (digitizing the Pigeon Inlet Production catalogue) is a huge step in the right direction,” he said.
Andrew Waterman reports on East Coast culture
[email protected] | Twitter: @andrewlwaterman
