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Folk musicians Jim Payne and Fergus O’Byrne play Courtenay

Concert March 7 at the Sid Williams Theatre
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A strong wind in the sails has got east coast musicians Jim Payne and Fergus O’Byrne headed from one rock to another with a set of concerts in the Vancouver Island area this March.

A pair of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most eminent folk performers, Payne and O’Byrne are prepared to put on three evenings of merrymaking and folk music, taking place on Gabriola Island March 6, Courtenay on March 7 and Parksville on March 8.

Known for their infectious passion, Payne and O’Byrne bring the tradition, history and culture of everyday east coast people, where song is woven into the fabric of living.

“I find here in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador that the music and stories are still a part of everyday life,” said O’Byrne.

A transplant from Dublin, Ireland, O’Byrne said he grew up studying piano and singing in local church choirs before the great folk revolution in the 1960s caught his interest.

“I was attracted to the stories the songs told and how eloquently these songs represented the history of the ‘common person,’” he said.

Payne, on the other hand, grew up in a pair of small communities in Notre Dame Bay called Pilley’s Island and Robert’s Arm, where he was immersed in traditional music from the start, said O’Byrne.

“All of his immediate family and relatives were singers, storytellers and musicians.”

The pair first performed on stage together at a folk festival they were helping to organize, when another group couldn’t go on. Though a last-minute decision, their performance created sparks, and it’s been an alliance they’ve continued for decades.

Though their performances can cover a variety of moods, their passion and the music they play attracts fellow artists to join them on stage, gets audiences singing along and even drives concertgoers out of their seats to dance in the aisles.

“We aim to give the audience the best night out they’ve had all year,” said O’Byrne.

Payne and O’Byrne will be in Courtenay at the Sid Williams Theatre (442 Cliffe Ave.) on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $34.50. To buy tickets, call the Sid Williams Theatre at 250-338-2430, by email via tickets@sidwilliamstheatre.com, or go to www.sidwilliamstheatre.com/events/

The performance is presented by the Schooner Cove Singers.