May Week Archive
Maria Dunn
A storyteller through song, Maria Dunn combines her Celtic heritage with the influences of North American folk and country music. Born in Scotland and raised in Ontario and Alberta, she writes songs inspired by historical and contemporary characters, capturing their struggles and triumphs in her lyrics. Maria received a 2002 Juno nomination (Roots/Traditional Solo) for her second independent recording For a Song.Her new project, We Were Good People (2004), explores the stories of working people in Western Canada--tales of resilience and hope through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and The Depression. Producer: Shannon Johnson with musical contributions by The McDades, Craig Korth, Byron Myhre, Michael Jerome Browne and others. Suggested tracks: "How Do You Do, 1935?," a banjo-driven Depression-era train song; "Can You Blame the Poor Miner?", a gentle accordion ode to miners in the Crow's Nest Pass during Prohibition; "We Were Good People," a poignant solo ballad describing a 1932 Hunger March; "Mrs. McClung's Address at Walker Theatre," a cheeky Celtic wordplay on women's suffrage; "Troublemaker," a rabble-rousing current day protest song.