The Great Pancake Debate on the Biggar is Better Tour!
The great pancake debate began in Swift Current, and surely subverts the standard scandalous stories of debauchery that accompany most musicians on tour.
In Swift Current, I was welcomed into Gary and Kathy’s home for a house concert, and met their two vivacious daughters Eva and Emily. Eva, I think, is aged five (although she seems to possess an air of authority beyond her years, so I wonder if I am mistaken). Upon my arrival, she ushers me to my room, pointing out the toys I can play with if I choose, and mentions her new-found love of books: “My sister turned me onto reading.” Her sister Emily indeed possesses an insatiable appetite for literature. Was it a hundred or a thousand books she was counted to have read the previous year? Either number is impressive given her age, and so we engage in animated conversation about books and stories as she gives me a tour of her room, just before the concert. I am honored by their enthusiasm for their houseguest, hardly feeling worthy of all this praise and attention!
At breakfast the next morning, their chatter keeps me informed of various goings-on around the house as we enjoy a regular feast, the main attraction of which are pancakes, served at Emily’s request. Among the conversation, there are stolen glances, hints of a surprise that leave me quite perplexed. The girls are giddy with anticipation, when around the corner comes Gary with a plate of pancakes made especially for me in the shape of a musical note! Ah yes, such go the hardships of life on the road.
But this is only the beginning of the great pancake debate that will follow me across three provinces on tour back to Victoria. I am so amused and engaged by Eva and Emily that I tell the story of them and the note-shaped pancakes during a gig at the Ironwood, a funky bar on 9th Avenue in Calgary—one of my favorite rooms to play. The chefs overhear the story and after my set, I am presented with an impressive array: pancakes shaped like musical notes, complete with a treble clef on a staff of chocolate lines!
A few days later, I strike out for the BC mountains after five dates in Alberta. I’m playing at Lorenzo’s in Enderby, a 1919 schoolhouse transformed by Lorenzo into a funky restaurant and live music venue with wonderfully eclectic décor. Above the stage, the ceiling raises to a steeple-like peek with red velvet curtains draping all the way to the floor. (Check out the pictures on the photo page.) If you ever get the chance, you must go to Lorenzo’s—it’s a story more than a place and one you’ll want to tell people about once you’ve visited. Anyway, during my show, I’m again relating the story of Eva and Emily’s expressionistic pancake and the Ironwood’s inspiring duplication. No sooner do I finish the story than Lorenzo himself presents a platter that defies the previous culinary portraits: here a circular cheese-covered nacho with asparagus stem and green pepper tails perfectly resembles a musical note.
With only one week left on the road, I can only guess how the great pancake adventure may conclude. Eva and Emily should be proud to note that they are inspiring chefs across Western Canada to let the music play. . .
In Swift Current, I was welcomed into Gary and Kathy’s home for a house concert, and met their two vivacious daughters Eva and Emily. Eva, I think, is aged five (although she seems to possess an air of authority beyond her years, so I wonder if I am mistaken). Upon my arrival, she ushers me to my room, pointing out the toys I can play with if I choose, and mentions her new-found love of books: “My sister turned me onto reading.” Her sister Emily indeed possesses an insatiable appetite for literature. Was it a hundred or a thousand books she was counted to have read the previous year? Either number is impressive given her age, and so we engage in animated conversation about books and stories as she gives me a tour of her room, just before the concert. I am honored by their enthusiasm for their houseguest, hardly feeling worthy of all this praise and attention!
At breakfast the next morning, their chatter keeps me informed of various goings-on around the house as we enjoy a regular feast, the main attraction of which are pancakes, served at Emily’s request. Among the conversation, there are stolen glances, hints of a surprise that leave me quite perplexed. The girls are giddy with anticipation, when around the corner comes Gary with a plate of pancakes made especially for me in the shape of a musical note! Ah yes, such go the hardships of life on the road.
But this is only the beginning of the great pancake debate that will follow me across three provinces on tour back to Victoria. I am so amused and engaged by Eva and Emily that I tell the story of them and the note-shaped pancakes during a gig at the Ironwood, a funky bar on 9th Avenue in Calgary—one of my favorite rooms to play. The chefs overhear the story and after my set, I am presented with an impressive array: pancakes shaped like musical notes, complete with a treble clef on a staff of chocolate lines!
A few days later, I strike out for the BC mountains after five dates in Alberta. I’m playing at Lorenzo’s in Enderby, a 1919 schoolhouse transformed by Lorenzo into a funky restaurant and live music venue with wonderfully eclectic décor. Above the stage, the ceiling raises to a steeple-like peek with red velvet curtains draping all the way to the floor. (Check out the pictures on the photo page.) If you ever get the chance, you must go to Lorenzo’s—it’s a story more than a place and one you’ll want to tell people about once you’ve visited. Anyway, during my show, I’m again relating the story of Eva and Emily’s expressionistic pancake and the Ironwood’s inspiring duplication. No sooner do I finish the story than Lorenzo himself presents a platter that defies the previous culinary portraits: here a circular cheese-covered nacho with asparagus stem and green pepper tails perfectly resembles a musical note.
With only one week left on the road, I can only guess how the great pancake adventure may conclude. Eva and Emily should be proud to note that they are inspiring chefs across Western Canada to let the music play. . .