For the past few Christmases I have had Dave Gunning and J.P Cormier’s Christmas shows on my radar and this year I was really excited to finally be able to see them as part of Symphony Nova Scotia’s Maritime Fusion Series, where the Symphony performs in concert with local musicians to create an always gorgeous blend of musical genres. A Gunning and Cormier Christmas ran for two nights at the Rebecca Cohn, but they have four shows coming up later in December at The Carleton and others around the province, in New Brunswick, and in Souris, Prince Edward Island that are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.
Dave Gunning hails from Pictou, Nova Scotia and has built his career writing folk songs that reflect the varied local stories specifically from this part of the world, in a kindhearted style reminiscent of Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie. J.P Cormier is a bluegrass and folk singer songwriter and a virtuosic guitar player. Together, Gunning and Cormier are best friends, almost like brothers, physically quite different from one another, with Gunning taking a few shots at his own expense emphasizing how within the duo he certainly reads as the wonder-filled eyed kid brother. The banter between the two of them showcases their deep respect and admiration for one another, a sweet intimacy and safety, and that provides them with ample room to tease each other.
Both Gunning and Cormier have individual Christmas albums. Gunning’s is called Christmas (2007) and Cormier’s is, fittingly, called Noel: A J.P. Cormier Christmas (2008). The two have released two non-Christmas records together as well: Two (2017) and Leather and Dust (2023). Gunning has a new album coming out next year called Field Notes, which was recorded outside at Resting Bell Studio in Point Lonsdale, Australia and is produced by Mark Lang and Nick Huggins.
The orchestra was conducted by Martin MacDonald, and they played two gorgeously festive Christmas pieces- one called “The Christmas Overture,” and I believe the second was “Holiday Flight” from the Home Alone soundtrack. That one was especially fascinating to watch because it requires so much physicality from the musicians, not to mention from MacDonald, to capture the tension and the ferocity of a family of fourteen trying desperately to make it to their flight through the O’Hare Airport. This piece is also extremely nostalgic for me because Home Alone came out when I was six, so it is peak childhood for me.
A Gunning and Cormier Christmas began with the first song from Gunning’s record “Christmas Blanket” by Jamie Robinson and Dave Carmichael, which has an excellent lush introduction which was ideal for the symphony to join in on. The song creates a cozy, nostalgic ambiance depicting a family gathered together centred around the grandfather telling stories, while they are wrapped in the blanket made the grandmother. In the chorus Gunning’s unique homey voice rings out, “And it’s praise to the light/as the stars shine so bright/and we sing glory glory hallelujah/ hear the angels above/like a blanket of love/bringing warmth and good cheer/it’s my favourite time of the year.” Gorgeous.
Cormier then sang a rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I’m Gonna Try To Be That Way,” a song essentially about being the best, most moral and kind version of ourselves, a message that feels even more important this time of year, especially in our culture where the holidays can be so insular, busy, and stressful one can lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday. Cormier is also an excellent storyteller, often weaving kind of a mystery for the audience to guess which song he is going to sing next. He has a gorgeous rendition of “In The Bleak Midwinter,” and it was incredible watching him play the guitar during the instrumental sections of the show. I don’t have a lot of experience watching musicians playing the guitar when they’re not accompanying someone who is singing, so I found it utterly mesmerizing to have the guitar take centre stage like that.
I also really loved the story about how their new album, Leather & Dust came to be- it was very much a cart before the horse sort of record, but showcases that when you have as much talent and experience as these two coming up with a brand new record, filled with original songs, with a pulsating deadline underneath you is an entirely feasible scenario.
Gunning also sang “Daddy’s Beer,” a very humorous Christmas song he wrote with Jamie Robinson, told from the perspective of a child who awakes on Christmas Morning to find his dad feeling horrible and “growling like a bear.” His mother, seeking an explanation for her husband, blames Santa Claus, saying that instead of the milk and cookies Santa drank all dad’s beer, which has left dad “inconsolable.” I have heard this song dozens of times on the record, but for some reason this performance was the first time that I connected the three gifts Little Dave and his siblings receive as all being uproariously loud for his dad’s obvious headache. The song captures a very specific Gen X sensibility where poor Little Dave is left confused wondering how Santa could drink all that beer and still continue making the rest of his Christmas Eve stops.
After the intermission the audience took a much more active role in singing along with Gunning and Cormier to quite beautiful effect. Singing “Joy to the World,” “Silver Bells,” “The Little Drummer Boy” and, of course, Gunning’s beautiful anthemic “These Hands” all together reminded me of being in church, or harkened back to the beloved Christmas sing along we used to have on the last day before winter break when I was in elementary school. I’m sure it feels amazing to be on the stage with the symphony behind you and the whole Cohn audience singing along, especially on a song that you wrote, but it also seems very generous, to invite the audience to be involved so viscerally in the performance, and to broaden the spotlight from being on two people to shining on the whole room.
In fact, as much as I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of the concert and was honoured to help celebrate Dave Gunning’s birthday, the most surprising moment of the evening for me came right at the end, during the encore, when Gunning and Cormier led the whole theatre in singing “Silent Night” a cappella. There are fewer and fewer opportunities in growing cities like Halifax to really feel like a community, but I left the Rebecca Cohn on Saturday Night really feeling like I had been a small part of something really special.
You can ring in your holiday with Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier at the following upcoming shows (without the Symphony):
December 4th: Pictou, Nova Scotia. deCoste Performing Arts Centre.
December 5th & 6th: Souris, Prince Edward Island. The Fiddling Fisherman Lookout.
December 11th: Truro, Nova Scotia. Marigold Cultural Centre.
December 13: St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick. Huntsman Marine Science Centre | Fundy Discovery Aquarium.
December 14th: Fredericton, New Brunswick. Charlotte Street Arts Centre.
December 17 & 18: Sydney, Nova Scotia. Highland Arts Theatre.
December 19-22nd: Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Carleton.
For more information or to book tickets to any of these shows please visit this website.
