<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) The lads of Canada's Great Big Sea got their start in the bars of St. John's, Newfoundland. The group has been together since 1993.

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Great Big Sea

• In concert: The Canadian folk-rock band performs at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave., Edmonds. • Performance: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. • Tickets: $30-$35, $15 youth (17 and under); available by calling 425-275-9595 or online at www.ec4arts.org.

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Canada's Great Big Sea rolls into Edmonds

Huge in their home country, folk rock group continues to build international following

Enterprise staff

Canadian folk-rock band Great Big Sea brings their distinctive sound to the Edmonds Center for the Arts Nov. 20.

Forged from the remnants of two other bands, Great Big Sea found its feet on the unforgiving streets of St. John's, Newfoundland and dragged themselves out of the bars to release their Warner major label debut “Up” in the spring of 1995, propelling it to platinum status with relentless touring and a raucous live show.

Their next effort “Play” enjoyed even bigger success and the band moved its show into hockey stadiums across the nation. U.S. labels took notice and GBS was subsequently signed to Sire. Accolades and a solid cult following ensued. When asked about their unlikely success, founding member Bob Hallett is typically candid: “We weren't the best musicians in town,” he says, “we just wanted it more. We were driven by a bloody-minded need to succeed and we were rewarded for our bleeding.”

The band has earned several major music awards in Canada, including Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated for several Juno Awards (similar to the Grammys in the U.S.) including Group of the Year in 1998 and 2005.

In 2005, the band released its long-awaited “traditional” album, “The Hard and the Easy,” on which they recorded their favourite Newfoundland party songs. Their lastest album “Fortune's Favour” finds them embracing new sounds and new ideas, pushing the boundaries of their own art and music.

The group has traversed the globe, all the while wearing their hometown on their sleeves and attempting to marry the traditional music of Newfoundland with their own pop explorations.

“Our music is of Newfoundland,” explains GBS's Sean McCann. “It would be impossible to do what we do if we were from anywhere else. Our songs come from the sea and the cliffs and the rocks and all the other natural beauties our country provides. Without her we simply couldn't exist.”