Fred Eaglesmith

At the Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield, Québec, Sept. 3, 1999

It’s Friday night at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec up in the Gatineau Hills north of Ottawa. As it darkens outside, an old restored steam engine train chugs by with cars full of tourists, its track squeezed between the road outside the inn and a broad expanse of the Gatineau River. Willie P. Bennett flits back and forth from the stage to the sound controls, wearing what looks like boxer shorts, trying out guitars and mandolin, as Ralph Schipper and Washboard Hank also test their instruments. Only Fred Eaglesmith is elsewhere. A few bars of song draw applause from the audience, many of whom are still chatting outdoors.

See pictures of Wakefield and the Black Sheep Inn

Fred Eaglesmith: Every bit of energy, but shunning political correctness.

The atmosphere is laid back at the Black Sheep Inn – or "Auberge Mouton Noir" as the signs outside proclaim to Quebec’s notorious language police, who have made several raids on nearby establishments with English signs recently. Wakefield is a small town, and with the river and low mountains, it feels like the country. The show begins whenever. I’m told 9:00 to 9:15, but it’s actually closer to 10 p.m. Finally Fred and gang step onto the stage (Willie has changed to jeans, which go better with his harmonica "gunbelt."), and they open with "Rodeo Boy."

I’ve seen Fred at three different folk festivals – Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa – and at Barrymore’s a former burlesque strip joint in downtown Ottawa. Although I’ve seen Willie do a solo show at Auberge Mouton Noir, this was my first time to see Fred in this more intimate setting.

It was a different kind of show – all acoustic, and with more joking around. The audience seemed older – Fred noted the presence of several 40-somethings (myself included) in the front rows. Some complained about lack of a dance floor. I guess the Blacksheep has no problems selling out Fred for two nights in a row, so they need all the seating space they can get.

Fred played almost every song from the new 50 Odd Dollars CD. With a more acoustic sound and his traditional four-member band, it was the old Fred again. He also played a good selection from his earlier CDs, though a few of the key ones from Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline were conspicuous by their absence: "Alcohol and Pills," "Water in the Fuel," among others. On the other hand, he played such oldies as "Harold Wilson," "Go Out and Plough," "Little Buffalo," and "White Ash & Black Ash," among others.

Willie P. Bennett: Providing musical depth.

His unrecorded humourous gems – "White Trash" and "Big Hair" – were received enthusiastically, though Fred seemed a little put off that unlike his American audiences, who go through all the hand gestures for "Big Hair," we Canadians sat on our hands. This prompted his editorial comment about how Canada’s two major airlines may merge, giving us no choice who to fly with, just as Ontarians have no choice but to buy their liquor from the government monopoly. I’m not sure the connection, but I think the idea was that Canadians are passive wimps. Fair enough, but I seem to remember the younger crowd at Barrymores going through all the "Big Hair" gestures. As for me, I like the song, but I got the gesture part out of my system 20 years ago with Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Bass player Ralph Schipper (right) and Hank.

Part of Hank's "washboard"

There was more joking around than I’ve seen in previous Fred shows, Washboard Hank being the number-one victim of Fred’s acerbic wit, and Willie a close second. When Willie suggested the mouth on an exotic woodcarving on the stage was a shoeshine, Fred corrected him that putting your foot in it actually brings seven years bad luck – seven more years of Willie playing in this band, he joked.

In an age of overboard political correctness chill, Fred loves being an iconoclast – what with praising mighty-big gas guzzlers, fast driving, guns, etc. There were a few audible gasps from feminists in the crowd when he joked that his Marlon Brando-style t-shirt (Stellaaaa!!!) was a "WB" or "wife beater" shirt. More famous people than Fred have had their careers ruined or been sent to purgatory for making flippant jokes about violence against women!

Washboard Hank: Even stage lights used for percussion.

There were only about three songs I’d never heard before: one about "Living out on the road," another "I’ll be leaving in the morning, don’t you try to change my mind," and another "He’s a good dog." I’m not sure if they’re very new or very old or what their real titles are.

I often try to imagine how tedious it must get playing so many of the same songs night after night in a gruelling life on the road – sometimes for audiences who don’t give back what they receive. Still, Fred seems to throw every bit of energy into each performance, as though it is his one and only.

Hank still hides at the back of the stage, which is a shame, because his performance is so visual – he not only uses his scrap metal and bell contraption for percussion, but he strikes at other objects around, including the stage lights. Seeing the band up close, I appreciate Willie even more. He gives the music its depth with his mandolin notes and harmonica riffs. Willie is indispensable, and I’m sorry he doesn’t get to do a few solo numbers during the Fred shows.

This was their first of two nights at the Blacksheep Inn.