Posted by If St. John’s, Newfoundland is famous for anything, it’s George Street. Sure, St. John’s is one of the oldest cities in North America (it first appeared on maps over 500 years ago), sure it’s where Marconi set off a global phenomenon after sending his first trans-Atlantic radio signal from high atop St. John’s highest and most prominent peak, Signal Hill (with such an appropriate name it’s no wonder Marconi chose the spot), sure St. John’s gets the first sunrise in North America, not to mention all the icebergs, whales, and even the scattered puffin or two…
But Canada-wide, everyone seems to know George Street.
If you put on a Dildo Brewery t-shirt* and sit on a barstool long enough you’ll eventually be told that George Street has the most bars-per-square-foot in the country, maybe in all of North America. Or the whole world even, depending on how late it’s getting. If this happens I wouldn’t blame you if you were to lean back on that barstool of yours so you could get a better look at the tiny, world-renowned boulevard. You might glance down one block towards the wonderful statue of Ron Hynes just beyond Yellowbelly, where George Street begins, and then up another little block to the Jungle Jims, which is arguably the end of George Street (if not one restaurant too far) and decide quite rightly that the whole of George Street can’t be more then six, maybe seven hundred feet from one end to the other. Is this really all of it? you may be wondering.
I mean yes, George Street is full of bars and licensed restaurants – in fact there are nothing but bars and licensed restaurants on George Street – but it’s just a tiny little strip of staggering drunks, really. And to think that the notoriety of George Street towers above the wealth of amazing achievements, discoveries, and historic connections of a city that was named by none other than John Cabot, in honour of the day he first sailed into the harbour: June 24, 1494; Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.
Which, true or not, is a pretty good story. Like much of what you’ll hear from that barstool of yours.
All of this is my way of saying: George Street ain’t all that. However, smack-dab in the middle of the 200m strip that is forever oozing an acoustic George Street hit parade of Irish pub standards mingled with Great Big Sea and Tom Petty songs sits a small bar called the Black Sheep that regularly features great local bands playing their very own original music.
It’s often not a very busy place.
Like on July 8th, 2023 for example, when Big Space – arguably the most talented trio of musicians currently playing together in St. Johns, if not the entire province** – was hosting their debut album release party for a mere $10 cover charge. Granted, I would get to see the band play for free in Bannerman Park just a week later, but regardless $10 for good live music is unquestionably a worthwhile investment.
Fortunately the room isn’t very big. There’s a stage that takes up a good quarter of the floor space and a bar at the back, with maybe four or five stand-around-‘em tables in between. I was one of just a dozen people standing around those tables when the band began with their standard set-opening improvisation.
Which was astounding, as was the entirety of the show.
To the uninitiated (which is almost everyone), Big Space is about as far away from a Brown Eyed Girl acoustic duo as one can get. An instrumental trio led by a deft and clever guitar player that is rife with creativity and backed by an astoundingly tight and active bass/drum rhythm section, these guys decided to sacrifice a solid weekly under-the-table musical income of three-chord reliability in favour of a lifetime of intense devotion to their craft, and it shows. Every song is a sonic wonder-of-the-world, each one a surprising twist of expectations lying in a bed of pure groove. I can’t even…
But is it Big Space that everyone thinks of when they think of Newfoundland? No!
My friend Jason arrived shortly after the set began. Jason plays in the band I’m in and he’s a pretty monstrous bass player himself. This was his first time hearing Big Space and he was just as impressed as I thought he’d be. My gawd it was such a great pile of music. They made a good record too.
At setbreak I asked the band to sign a copy***. Luckily I’d purposely brought my own Sharpie™. Not only did they not have any on hand, I’m not sure anyone in the band had ever autographed a record before. They all signed it on the back in tiny font, all of them being careful to mar the cover as little as possible.
I’d say: “If you’re ever in Newfoundland go see Big Space,” but they hardly ever seem to gig. But if you are in Newfoundland and you end up on George Street (and you will end up on George Street) at least pop your head into the Black Sheep. It a bit hard to find, tucked away on the water side, but if you’re not into American Pie or Home For a Rest the search might just be worth the effort.
Oh, and for crying out loud: whether you come to Newfoundland or not check out Big Space’s album In Relation To. It’s great.
*Wearing a Dildo Brewery in Newfoundland t-shirt means that you are a tourist.
**Country? Continent? The whole world even?!?!? How late is it?
***M’lady was away in Ontario working and was very disappointed to be missing this show, so the following week I gave her the record as a birthday gift.
Todd Man Out 