So a few weekends ago Cuz, Buzzard, Janis and I made the three hour drive to Bonnyville, Alberta to catch the Mike Plume / Jenny Orenstein show at the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.
This would be my 29th time seeing Mike Plume perform. The reason for traveling to Bonnyville for the show was that though he was scheduled to play here in Edmonton on October 21st I had tickets to another show that same night. I haven't missed a Plume show in Edmonton since 2009 and I really wanted to see him on this tour. With the show being on a Saturday, we made the choice of going. The drive to Bonnyville was uneventful other than Cuz fighting 90km/h wind gusts for the last half of the drive. Another reason for checking out this show was that it was a homecoming show for Mike as he grew up in Bonnyville after moving from New Brunswick in the mid 80's. Mike and Jenny have since lived in Edmonton, Nashville and now is based in Toronto.
The theatre is a beautiful venue that opened a year and half ago. I learned this from their awesome staff there. It was once a gymnasium for the Bonnyville Centralized High School. Seating over 300 people, and my guess is that it was about two thirds full for Mike's show.
I've got to know Mike over the years of attending his shows, so it was fun to surprise him by being at the show. As always Mike took the time to have a chat with us before and after the show. Thanks Mike, it's always awesome to talk with you.
Opening the show were a local act from Bonnyville called the Rivard Sisters, two sisters 12 and 14 years old playing country covers. Great voices and harmonies between them. Good on them for getting the chance to perform.
After a very short break it was time for Mike Plume and his lovely talented wife Jenny Orenstein lovingly known as "Jenny O from Ontario" to Mike. I've seen Jenny open for Mike a few times and sit in on a few tunes with Mike during his shows but have never seen the two of them play a whole set together as a duo. Well they didn't disappoint!
Mike opened the show with the song "My Old Friend". Having seen him more than a few times now, he opens with that one more often than not, and what a great way to start a show. The sound in the venue was excellent and both Mike and Jenny sounded great.
Some other songs performed were "Perfume and Gasoline" in which Jenny told a great story about how the title came about. Both Jenny and Mike told some great stories through out the show.
Also played was "Dance Ruby, Dance" a song that hasn't been released on an album only as a single on his bandcamp page, I believe you can find it on a streaming site as well. Mike told a great story about how this song came about. It's about their daughter Ruby Plume who is also a very talented musician singer/songwriter in her own right. Another song they did about Ruby was "Mama's Rolling Stone".
Jenny and Mike did two sets with both sets being and hour plus long, so over two hours of music, with both of them taking leads on vocals. Jenny did a few of her own songs "Melrose 5946" and "Ice Cream", there may have been a few more.
It was nice to also hear Mike do the song "Sugar Maple Charcoal" I've only heard him do that song a few times. Speaking of songs I haven't heard him do often, he pulled out "On The Night I Hit The Wall" from his The Song Harvester EP - Vol. 1. Mike told a hilarious story about staying at the Winnipeg Hotel after being newly weds which led into the song "Doing What Comes Naturally". I could go on and on about all the songs he played, that I can remember anyways. But I will mention a few more. The song "So Long Stompin' Tom" a song he wrote dedicated in memory of Stompin' Tom Connors. Mike wrote that song the day of Stompin' Tom's passing and even got invited to the funeral to perform the song. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of Stompin' Tom, and that song makes me tear up every time, especially the line "when you see my mom down in the front row, could you tell her I'm doing alright", every damn time I shed a tear.
Can't forget Mike playing his song "Western Wind" which was totally appropriate for the way the wind was blowing through central and northern Alberta that day. Mike had the crowd singing along to "Coming Home Again (Hey Hey What D'Ya Say)". And to close out the show was a hauntingly beautiful version of "This Is Our Home (8:30 Newfoundland)" Canadiana at it's absolute best. With what has been going on in Alberta with the whole separatist thing, this song really hit home on this night.
An amazing night of music and stories, of course there were a bunch of song I would have liked him to play, but then he could do a four show and there would still be songs I wanted to hear. He has just got SO many great songs.
A big thank you to Cuz for making this trip possible. Good times!!!
Mike Plume and Jenny Orenstein.
Hoodie I bought at the show.
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