Once Upon a Wine Vault

On the road to Fort Amherst, along the 'other side of the harbour', far below those massive white Irving Oil orbs that I always see from Water Street, there are caves. I counted at least eight of them along the route, unassumingly nestled within the Southside Hills, all sealed up and padlocked and keeping their secrets to themselves. A cave such as the one pictured above would no doubt have quite the flavourful collection of yarns to spin if it could: as the story goes, these caves served as storage for port wine cargo from ships that had been steered off course by pirates back in the 1600's!!

And as romantic and adventurous as it sounds to imagine getting past those derelict, haunting entrances, each one with its own personality, I'm not sure that I would ever have the nerve to venture in, if given the opportunity! But it doesn't matter because one cannot access the halls of these caves. 

But you can get inside The Newman Wine Vaults, located across the harbour on historic, eclectic Water Street. Reportedly among the oldest buildings still standing in St John's, the vault's curved ceilings also looked down upon large batches of port wine. Port was regularly shipped over from Portugal specifically for storage back in the 1800's, and was carried through these doors regularly for years. Now the building is protected and cherished as a Provincial Historic Site, retaining its historic interior but enclosed in a more modern, but stylistically aligned exterior. And it continues to store Newman's Port wine except now it is not stored merely awaiting a return shipment to Europe; it is stored as it awaits individual local purchase, often for immediate consumption!

I was fortunate enough to savour some of this sweet crimson wine for my very own palate when I joined the audience of an intimate and spell-binding evening with The Once. I originally wasn't familiar with the group, but knowing the friends who had invited me to go, it promised to be at the very least, an intriguing evening! But it was kilometres ahead of my expectations. This local folk trio is some of the most unassuming, genuine talent I've ever encountered.. in concert or not.

Andrew, Geraldine, and Phil assembled at the front of the room and instantly commanded the attention of the delightfully modest audience with their authentic instruments, melodic mastery, and vividly haunting lyrics, some original, some traditional. They even weaved a few Leonard Cohen tunes with exquisitely crafted arrangements paying fine homage to songs that have seen more than a few covers over the years.

I remember sitting in that rustic environment, the heels of my boots working their way into the crushed stone flooring as my feet unwittingly tapped away to the beat of the bodhrán, and thinking that a Newfoundland musical experience couldn't get much better than this. Every facet of our environment - the exclusively candlelit lighting, the acoustic and frequent a capella song treatments, the raw brick and stone walls - was wonderfully woven together creating a magic that was only surpassed by the razor sharp harmonies of the performers. Geraldine's lead voice was unbelievably pure, with a delivery that ranged from soft and delicate to fierce and insistent, effectively evoking the range of emotions that is inherently characteristic of Newfoundland music.

But I think the coolest part of the show occured during the performance of one of their own songs, Sail Away to the Sea. Shortly after Geraldine began conveying the lyrics, I began to hear echoes of her words flowing around me. The majority of the audience had obviously heard the song once or twice before and were very much enjoying hearing it performed in their presence. Now I know that it's not unique to be sitting in an audience and hear everyone singing along with the musicians. But it was the band's reaction that blew me away..  these guys were sincerely and utterly enthralled by the treatment...  almost surprised by it! It was, as one of my friends commented, almost as if they were just now realising that they've made it. I wouldn't doubt that everyone else in that dimly lit room knew it too. Artistry as honest as this, and as deeply rooted in Newfoundland as the wine caves in the Southside Hills is real and relevant and deserves to be shared and revered and performed again and again. But you don't have to take my word for it... check them out, and if you have the opportunity to see them live, anywhere, don't hesitate to venture in.

http://www.myspace.com/nowtheonce