CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. —
Songwriters spend their lives quietly working their craft.
So, when they get an opportunity to perform their songs in front of an audience and tell the stories behind them, it’s a celebration.
That was the feeling at St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Thursday night when a sold-out, enthusiastic audience turned out for the Socan Songwriter of the Year Concert.
P.E.I. songwriters Irish Mythen, Andrew Waite, Dennis Ellsworth, Rick Sparkes and Tara MacLean took turns sharing the songs that are nearest and dearest to them.
Waite sang Cash It In, a song inspired by the last letter his great grandfather wrote to his family, during the war. MacLean sang Ghosting Me, about someone who withdrew from a relationship.
Mythen sang Little Bones, a song about the “the big hole in the ground” – the mass grave of babies and children found at the Tuam care home in Ireland. Ellsworth sang Sun Flowers, a song inspired by his trip to England, realizing that everything and everyone he loved was on P.E.I.
Finally, Sparkes sang In My Time of Healing, a song he describes as a nod to Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
At the end of the concert, not one but two performers were honoured for their work. It was a tie between Tara MacLean and Andrew Waite. They both received Socan Songwriter of the Year Awards.
It was a significant moment for MacLean.
“I wrote my first song when I was 13 and this (award) means I’m still doing my job ... It means a lot,” said MacLean who took home an award for her song Ghosting Me.
Waite was also deeply moved.
“It’s an incredible acknowledgement amongst so many incredible artists and songwriters in this category. It’s huge,” said Waite, who took home an award for his song, Cash It In.
The concert was hosted by Matt Rainnie, with previous Socan songwriter of the year Alicia Toner.
The night included moving performances, interviews by Rainie of the artists between songs and as an added bonus, CBC recorded the show for a later broadcast on CBC Radio P.E.I and the East Coast Music Hour.
