On a lovely warm early summer evening at Base31 on the Canada Day long weekend, lots of people were exploring the futuristic and interactive environment of the Commissary or wandering the extensive, interesting collection of barracks on the grounds. For fans of folk and traditional music it was also an opportunity to gather at the Sergeants Mess Hall to hear the songs of Scottish-born Canadian songwriter David Francey.

Mr. Francey is a true working class hero. He moved with his family to Canada when he was twelve. In his youth he worked construction and as a carpenter, lumberjack and rail-yard hand — until he was encouraged by his wife Beth to share his poetry and songs with the public. 

David Francey had always written poetry and songs that he sang to himself as he worked. While he never imagined making a living from writing and performing music, his first album, Torn Screen Door (1999), was a hit in Canada. What followed was a career that has spanned thirteen albums, four JUNO Awards, three Canadian Folk Music Awards, as well as many international songwriting prizes. He has collaborated with numerous singer-songwriters, and his songs have been covered by many artists across several genres.

At the Sergeants Mess, Mr. Francey played a number of songs from last year’s excellent The Breath Between. The album, a watershed for this songwriter, came out of a period of personal strife. 

Several years ago, vocal concerns resulted in doctor’s orders to stop singing completely to allow the strained muscles in his throat to heal. Vocal rest and voice exercises worked, and now Mr. Francey is back, singing his songs and telling stories for very appreciative audiences. Certainly, the crowd at the Mess Hall was enthusiastic, to put it mildly.

Mr. Francey is a wonderful raconteur. His stories about the songs are as entertaining as the songs themselves — and sometimes longer, not to mention funnier. Many of the new songs are about love and loss. As he put it, we are all living in the breath between our first and last, so it’s very important to hold dear the people who went ahead of us, and to continue to love and make memories.

Many of the songs are tender, love songs written to and about Beth, his wife of many years. Many others were written for friends and others who have gone on ahead. 

“Just Before Christmas” is a moving song about the sinking of the scalloper, the Chief William Salis, in the Bay of Fundy in 2020. “This Morning” was written on April 8th 2020, the day John Prine passed away. 

During the second set, Mr. Francey played many of his popular songs, such as “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Broken Glass” (both 2003), with the whole audience joining in to sing along. 

Two absolutely incredible musicians joined in. Jess Wedden played the fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki and Chris Murphy handled the guitar and vocal harmonies. This trio of musicians is amazing together, with Ms. Wedden and Mr. Murphy expertly adding poignancy and depth to the songs. Hopefully Base31 will continue to book musicians of this calibre at this venue.