“I Heard Them Play Our Song. . .”

I hope Justin Rutledge forgives me for borrowing a fragment of his lyrics to open. However, last night at Central United if felt as if every song played by Melissa McClelland and Justin Rutledge simply was “our” song.

There is no doubt that the setting in Central United Church contributed to the evening. It is a Methodist Meeting Hall built to heroic proportions. The pews are arranged Greek amphitheatre style, curving around the central wall and stage. As the floor is slopped, we all have a sense of intimacy with the performers. Wood floors and wall panels create a sense of warmth and keep the sound lively. And the sound technician travelling with the show had the room precisely and finely tuned, enhancing the magnificent artistry of the musicians.

On offer on Friday the 13th – 21st Century Madrigals by two troubadours who seem to have figured out that we North Americans are shaped by movement, geographic and emotional. We research our family stories by tracing the places our ancestors moved from and to. We build our own stories moving from place to place, and leave companions to search for the hope of a new relationship. We build new families as we go. Both Melissa McClelland and Justin Rutledge can observe and spot the precise image that holds the definition of a journey and set the lyric to music that makes it live. Even those songs which were first hearings seemed to be resonating with a core experience, as if I must have heard it before. Yep, all the songs played last night were our songs.

Escorted by richly described images in the lyrics set to music that illuminated the meaning, we, the audience, accompanied the musicians on a richly textured journey. From ballads, through blues, into folk rock, there was a treasure of musical stories to be absorbed.