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February 15, 2007

Gallant is getting plenty of accolades
Sally Cole - Transcontinental Media

Lennie Gallant is riding the wave of success.

Last week he received a Juno nomination for his CD, When We Get There.

“It’s great to have it recognized this way. This collection of songs is my strongest yet as a body of work. We worked hard to make sure the album had a real flow to it,’’ said Gallant, who received the nod for roots and traditional album of the year (solo).

This week he’s gearing up for the 2007 East Coast Music awards in Halifax, where he is a contender for Entertainer of the Year.

“It’s great to be nominated in that category because I take a lot of pride in my shows,’’ said Gallant, on P.E.I. last week to visit his family.

“My idea of doing a show is to take people on a journey through the concert,’’ he said in the interview.

Whether he’s asking the audience to back him up on the chorus of Peter’s Dream, to recreate the entire horn section in The Band’s Still Playing, Gallant likes audience participation.

“We want to touch people on different levels. We work hard at that,’’ said Gallant, who will perform at the Schooner Room, Casino Nova Scotia on Friday, Feb. 16, from 4-6 p.m. (The ECMA show will be broadcast live across the region on CBC’s Mainstreet.)

These accomplishments have topped off an already exciting year for the P.E.I. singer-songwriter.

“Aside from playing at some of the great festivals like Edmonton, Mariposa and Rendezvous Rustico, the other two things that really stand out would be going to Afghanistan to play for the troops. That was an amazing experience; enlightening and pretty intense,’’ said Gallant, who was also part of a delegation of Canadian musicians who flew to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to perform at a benefit for musicians.

“The coolest part was having Kevin Bright from Norah Jones’ band as my guitarist. The backup band consisted of Canadian players, a hot New Orleans rhythm section,’’ says Gallant, who also received two nominations for the Canadian Folk Music awards.

“It was nice to be recognized there,’’ said Gallant, whose songwriting career has also received a boost.

His composition Mademoiselle, Voulez Vous Danser, was featured in Canvas, a new film starring U.S. actress Marcia Gay Harden.

“It was very cool to listen to Jimmy Buffet’s version of it,’’ said Gallant, who caught the premiere while touring in the U.S.

At home last week to visit his parents, he’s reminding Prince Edward Islanders to cast their votes for Entertainer or the Year, if they haven’t already done so.

“It’s a category that I’m very honoured to be included in," said Gallant, who now lives in Halifax.