Following Tom Wilson and Lee Harvey Osmond found your intrepid reporter in the wilds of Dixon Road PEI at The Dunk

Lee Harvey Osmond at The Dunk (Tom Wilson, Ray Farrugia, Aaron Goldberg and Thompson Wilson) photo Stephen Pate

Last night’s party…um performance by Lee Harvey Osmond at The Dunk in Breadalbane was one of the best concerts in ages.

The band rocked out. Besides being an awesome singer, songwriter and musician,  Tom Wilson is an engaging comic on stage. The setting in Hal Mills country house was a perfect spot on a cold winter night.

Lee Harvey Osmond will rock up Hunter’s in the same style this Saturday and The Carlton in Halifax Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th.

It’s not my fault that I was following Tom Wilson of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings and the same Tom Wilson of Lee Harvey Osmond around New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

My assignment editor handed me the sheet on Monday and said “Pack your bags, boy!”  

What kind of a musician has more energy than one band? A Tom Wilson high energy kind of musician that’s what.

He toured three nights in New Brunswick with Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing. Then Wilson abandons them in a snowstorm in Fredericton for Breadalbane, PEI. Say it fast like “bread-all-bin”.

So I’m supposed to meet up with him for an interview since I already got bon mots from Fearing and Linden.

Melanie Reid who’s flown in from Ottawa since she organized the show is all over town Facebook’ing her comings and goings. I check in FB style Thursday –
Stephen Pâté
Are people going to need tickets ahead for Friday? Is there food?

Melanie Reid All the details are on the event page. BYOB and snacks and never advance tix at The Dunk, always at the door only;).

Stephen Pâté tkx
Where is Wilson? Friday, I call him on my cell phone and I’m like “Tom…Tom…Tom can you hear me it’s Stephen!!!” Nothing back.

Call him again and this big voice says “Stephen, I can’t hear you but look if you are calling about the interview I’ll be in Bread-l-bane soon so call me there.”

This is a bad start. He’s not listening to me but giving me orders.

The internet goes down at 2 PM Friday and I take a nap knowing it will be a long night. Actually take a nap everyday.

When I awake still no Tom Wilson so I work on the Katzass computer – uninstalling and re-installing the UAD-2 card which is frigged up. Everything is working when Sweet_E bursts through the door. Once she hears the internet is down, off she goes to fix it. An hour later we’re ordering supper at Churchill checking the time for the drive into the western night of PEI.

On Route Two everything is black and white snow in the fields. No wonder people drink at the bars in town. You can get lost out here. I knew if we passed the white church on the right we’d gone too far.

Found Inkerman Road and spotted a guy in a truck at the community centre. Turned out it was a girl in a truck who said it was 2 houses down on the right. Not quite exactly. At the turn in the road we turned around and came back.

The Dunk is unsigned so that only the regulars find the place. We nested next to another car and walked past snow shoes by the door. Cool.

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Hal  Mills opens his house up for music house parties on a regular basis and Melanie Reid put this one together when she heard Tom Wilson was appearing in Charlottetown and Halifax.

The crowd filled up to about 50 people, many of them regulars on the PEI music scene, Baba’s, Hunters, Churchill Arms or Farmer’s market.

Tom Wilson and his band Lee Harvey Osmond hit off the night with Queen Bee and kept up the intensity all night. At one point, the band of Ray Farrugia (drums), Aaron Goldberg (steel guitar and lead guitar) and Thompson Wilson (bass) broke out into a wild Six Days on the Road from Dave Dudley.

They burned their way through Lou Reed and Neil Young songs, along with many of their hit songs. John Rehder sat in on smokin’ keyboards halfway through the second set.

Ray Farrugia is one of the best drummer’s in Canada. He is also a friendly and interesting guy to chat up. Besides LHO he is also a session drummer and has worked in Nashville and for Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies. Michael and his sister Margo Timmins are both on the LHO CD A Quiet Evil.  Faruggia had kind and generous words to say about everyone including Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip.

Thompson Wilson is Tom’s son and also a member of the hot young group Harlan Pepper.  He seemed modestly flattered that we thought his work with Harlan Pepper was fresh and talented.

Most of the songs got extended jams going and the band hit the groove on every one.

The crowd loved it. They danced the pit and it was hard to get the video without being nudged. Not that I mind being nudged. I’m into contact sports.

There was a chance to chat up old friends and even patch up a few during the break.

Sadly it ended after more than two hours of intense rock music.

We headed off down the snow white roads, preferring the clay roads this time until forced to hit the pavement. There’s something magical about almost getting lost in the country on a frost winter night.

Now to get a nap preparing for tonight and my interview with Tom Wilson. This excellent adventure ain’t over until it’s over.