While there remains a lot to be said for not fixing something if it’s not broken, there’s no harm in mixing things up a bit now and then in the pursuit of freshness.
Since debuting in 2000, In From The Cold, an annual benefit Christmas concert for Peterborough’s YES Shelter for Youth and Families, has been staged before sold-out audiences at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.
For the concert’s organizers, not messing with a tried-and-true formula is well entrenched, and rightly so. That said, tweaking this and adding that has its place.
So it is that In From The Cold, which will be staged for its 26th year on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6 at the downtown Peterborough venue, will not only feature an earlier evening performance and a matinee performance for the first time, but will also see the return of a guest performer for the first time in many years — in the form of roots singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Benj Rowland.
Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. Friday evening performance or the 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon matinee cost $29 for assigned seating ($34 for assigned cabaret table seating) and are available at tickets.markethall.org.
Again featuring an enchanting mix of traditional and contemporary Christmas and winter season-themed songs, In From The Cold proceeds will add to the more than $220,000 raised for YES since day one.
“Last year, I must have had a dozen people say to me ‘I love your show, I’d love to come, but I don’t drive anywhere at night,'” says co-organizer and longtime Peterborough musician John Hoffman of the impetus for adding a matinee show.
Another change this year is the Friday night concert start time of 7:30 p.m. instead of the usual 8 p.m.
“I noticed last year that some people left at half time,” Hoffman says. “It wasn’t that they weren’t enjoying the show. It was going too late for them.”
As for addition of a special guest to the lineup — something that hasn’t happened “for at least 10 years” — Hoffman says Rowland suits the feel and format of In From The Cold perfectly.
“Benj always does an interesting take on any song,” says Hoffman. “I remember hearing him do ‘You Are My Sunshine.’ He did it in a minor key and it was kind of moody. That song has always been done inappropriately. If you listen to the words, it’s a very sad song, but it’s sung as a sing-along. Benj captured the proper mood of the song.”
For another example of Rowland’s unique take on songs, Hoffman recalls his years performing with fellow Peterborough musician “Washboard Hank” Fisher.
“One of the songs we did was ‘The Marmora Pig.’ It’s about a pig that escapes from the slaughterhouse. It was always a kind of ha-ha joke song. I stumbled on a video of Benj doing it. It wasn’t funny — it was touching. There was some pathos in it and empathy for the pig. I was like ‘Wow, he took this song and made something completely different and interesting.’ That’s what Benj always does. He’s a real musical thinker.”
At In From The Cold, Rowland will play a set on his own, with one of the songs being Jackson Browne’s “The Rebel Jesus,” as well as later joining the ensemble for three songs.
Also taking to the stage will be In From The Cold regulars Carried Away, comprised of Hoffman with Susan Newman, Rob Fortin, Michael Ketemer, and Tanah Haney, who are known for their performances of Christmas songs you won’t hear anywhere else.
Among the songs they’ll perform are “In Praise of Christmas,” which dates back to Elizabethan England, “Candlemas Eve” from the Oxford Book of Carols, Bob Dylan’s “On A Night Like This,” and “Shine Over Lake And Strand,” a Swedish Christmas carol that dates back more than 100 years.
Also returning are the Claveer cousins, performing original music and a skit developed by Curtis Driedger, and the 28-member Convivio Chorus, performing a new take on the traditional British folk Christmas carol “The Holly And The Ivy,” as well as The Pogues’ “Fairytale Of New York” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” from My Fair Lady, which will be performed in a way that highlights the song’s theme about a marginalized person wishing for safe shelter.
“Part of the reason we got a guest is we found last year really hard,” says Hoffman, admitting “We were a little over-ambitious.”
“Last year, going into the last rehearsal of Fairytale Of New York, I had doubts as to whether we’d be able to pull it off. It came together, but it was stressful. This year, we’re having a much easier year. Less worry.”
The desire to take it a little easier is understandable, given that co-founders Hoffman, Newman, Fortin, and Driedger have been doing the concert every year for the past 26 years.
“This show’s not going to last forever — we’re at the age where it could end anytime,” Hoffman reflects. “We’re trying to make it easy on ourselves. If we continue the show next year, I already have somebody in mind to be a guest. But getting younger people involved is good. If there comes a time when we’re no longer doing the show, or we’re only a small part of the show, we’re not going to find a bunch of 60-year-olds to replace us.”
What is heartening, says Hoffman, is In From The Cold continues to draw new interest despite the crowded Peterborough cultural landscape.
“When we first did this, there was never another show either the night before, the night after, or the night of,” recalls Hoffman.
“This year, The Once are playing (at Market Hall) the night before us, the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra are playing Saturday night after our matinee, and The Barra MacNeils are playing at Showplace on Sunday.”
“That’s great — it’s what you want to see in an arts and music community. There’s a lot more competition, but I think we present something different. I think we get some people who wouldn’t go to ‘normal’ Christmas shows.”
VIDEO: “In From the Cold” – A Film By Rodney Fuentes (2017)
Another factor that plays a role In From The Cold’s enduring popularity is the fact that the performers are friends. That, says Hoffman, can’t be overstated in terms of the overall vibe of the concert.
“We don’t necessarily see each other that often,” says Hoffman, noting In From The Cold “is always like a reunion.”
“When Susan asks people if they want to be involved, it’s always ‘Yeah, bring it on. This is something we look forward to.’ It’s the same for the audience.”
Meanwhile, while some talk of supporting another organization has occurred over the years, Hoffman says In From The Cold and YES Shelter for Youth and Families go together like the proverbial peas and carrots.
“I don’t want to desert them,” says Hoffman, adding “We’ve grown up together. We’re like siblings in a way.”
“When we started, YES was not well known. It has lots of support from the community now, but it’s still dependent on this kind of fundraising to some extent. The amount of money we raise each year isn’t that much, but YES depends on it. We’re happy to support them, and we’re really happy with the way YES has grown (with) the depth and breadth of the programs offered.”
Beyond In From The Cold’s entertainment value, which is considerable in itself, Hoffman says there’s something else at play that has proven a huge attraction when it comes to a benefit concert.
“There’s always been this thing that Christmas brings out the best in people; that it can be transformative,” he says. “A lot of that is very idealistic, but people feel good about it. There’s this time of the year that, along with everything else, people think about being good people — about being nice to each other and doing nice things for people.”
“Like a lot of entertainment, it helps people forget their troubles. When you have challenges and having hard times, you need to feel good. We have a part to play in that.”
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a longtime media sponsor of In From The Cold.
