girl's night out with great big sea

My friend Karen (who also works at my company) and I have had a tradition over the summers of taking advantage of our company's "summer hours". Summer hours means you put in extra hours during the week and then (work permitting) you can leave as early as 1:00pm on the Friday. We would go into downtown Vancouver, wander, shop, stop at a watering hole for a thirst-quenching beverage and perhaps a bite to eat.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of summers, our Friday adventures have become very limited, due to work and life in general.

Yesterday, we had our first "Friday Outing" of the year...and it was a good one!

We started with a pedicure, followed by a fabulous Indian dinner. Next it was off to Malkin Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre inside Stanley Park. Great Big Sea was the headline band. They are a group out of Newfoundland (a province on the east coast of Canada, for my international friends). They play a lot of traditional Newfoundland folk songs, which are heavily influenced by the celtic history of the area. Their concerts are more like traditional newfie kitchen parties...lots of singing along and dancing...a really fun time. Their latest album, 'The Hard & The Easy' is all traditional newfie songs. Check them out and have a listen.

- cover art for The Hard & The Easy

The bonus of the evening was the opening act. His name is Jeremy Fisher, from Vancouver. He was on stage when we arrived and we instantly were drawn in by his wonderful stage presence. He was alone on stage with his guitar and harmonica. His voice sounds a lot like Paul Simon with a splash of Bob Dylan. Add the Arlo Guthrie-style chatting with the audience and great folky-type songs and we were hooked. After his set, we headed up to the merchandise table and each picked up one of his CDs (Back Porch Spirituals and Let It Shine). Jeremy was there and we got him to autograph our copies.

It was a wonderful night out with a terrific friend!