ATLANTIC UNION MAKING NEW WAVES
(from The Measure, The Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, February 2004)

The St. John's band "Atlantic Union," familiar to Newfoundland audiences after eight years as an acoustic trio that plays traditional material in new ways, is going through some changes. In September Scott Schillereff, the group's banjo player, moved west to take up a new job in British Columbia. The same week, Dan Rubin, who had performed with the group during the summer, arrived to stay. So Atlantic Union will continue as a trio, still creatively exploring the leading edge of traditional music from North America and the British Isles.

Andrew Lang, who has lived in India, the United Kingdom and Australia is an accomplished musician with a keen sense of lyric and melody, guided by a deep appreciation for songs that lift the spirit. As a member of a number of Newfoundland groups, he has backed up musicians like Stan Pickett and Frank Maher, supporting the continuation of long-standing musical traditions as a member of the Auntie Crae Band. Andrew is also the driving force behind the “Nude Accordion Players Calendar” a highly successful fund-raiser for the local St. John’s Folk Arts Council. The calendar, released during the summer’s folk festival has been profiled in the National Post: copies have been mailed all over Canada.

Sally Goddard’s rich and striking vocals are among Atlantic Union’s outstanding features. Sally, who started playing traditional music in England, adds strong rhythmic support on guitar and bodhran. She is also becoming a songwriter of note, with her locally focused ballads about life along the shores of Newfoundland.

Dan Rubin brings with him more than twenty years of experience as a songwriter and performer. As a member of the well-known folk quartet Flying Mountain, he toured Western Canada during the late 1970s and produced two albums of homespun music, "Earth and Sky" and "Mountain's Dream." After recording two solo albums, Dan founded the world music trio New Earth, along with jazz flute and sax player Scott Sheerin and tabla player Niel Golden in 1992. New Earth released one CD in 1992 and was invited to Spain to perform at the Canada Pavilion at Expo 92. Now with Atlantic Union, Dan plays violin, mandolin, guitar and bouzouki.

Atlantic Union’s first album, recorded in the studios of world beat musician Jim Fidler, has become a local success since its release in 2000. Atlantic Union has continued to attract new fans with its combination of strong vocals and driving acoustic rhythms. Now the group's vision is expanding, moving outward toward new horizons.

"Each time we get together," says Goddard, "We seem to come up with three or four new songs we really like. We are very quickly developing new material. It’s very exciting."

As the group draws from traditional ballads and Canadian folk songs, they discover their own roots in traditional music.

"There are some strange synchronicities going on here," Rubin admits. "I was playing my three year old son to sleep the other night, singing an old blues song, thinking, I love this song, but I guess the others wouldn't like it. Sure enough two days later, Andrew puts a CD on the car stereo and says, hey, listen to this, and its the same song! So now we're working it into our song list."

Lang explains the group is looking at doing their own production for future releases. "We loved working with Jim on our last album. He took us in some interesting new directions. But now we want to see whether we can produce a fully acoustic sound. We may even record some tracks around a single microphone. We want to capture the true sound of our instruments and our voices, playing live."

Atlantic Union's plan for the future actually includes three new albums. Their second album, now in pre-production, will include previously unreleased material by Canadian songwriters, along with traditional ballads approached in fresh ways. The group is planning on live recording for this album, while continuing to add a range of instruments and new sounds that stretch the definitions of traditional music.

Following the completion of the group's second album, Atlantic Union will begin work on an ambitious venture: a double CD of music from the islands of the North Atlantic. This album tentatively called “Atlantica” will involve collaboration with international artists from other island communities; the plan is to combine local recording with overseas travel to collect and possibly record additional material.

Funding is being sought for this project from several sources, as well as a commitment to distribution from North American and European labels. Contact has been made with two well-established Canadian distributors, but the group is currently seeking a major international label, with the ability to take the album as far as it can go in the world market.

After "Atlantica" the trio will begin work on a Newfoundland concept album focused on the outports and small communities that dot the rugged coastline of Canada’s easternmost province. Songs will be composed to celebrate historical events and local realities, extending well-established traditions of ballad and story song into the future.

With a fresh start, and new energy, the members of Atlantic Union are expanding the possibilities for Newfoundland music. All three smile when asked where this will lead. "We don't really know," they admit. But waves do tend to keep moving, across oceans and into the future.

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