TREVOR: There's five or six people that haul lobster pots here, and everybody got 100 pots each, so.

AMY: There are no rules when it comes to eating fish and chips.

ROBERT: I moved here six years ago.

My dream was to have a studio and gallery, and it came true with this space.

ANNE: What's so interesting about the Newberry Opera House is that it has functioned in its original capacity until the mid-'80s.

AUSTIN: In 1974, my granddad started the company with my grandmother, and then in 1982, we built what we're standing in right now, is the, the hardware and the lumber part.

FARMER: Like, it's a small county.

AMY: Yeah.

FARMER: Everybody knows everybody.

AMY: Yeah, for sure.

FARMER: You can't get away with anything.

ROBERT: The South has just an amazing history and culture that has developed in among- amongst all the communities.

WAYNE: Of course, puffins to me, I could draw one in my sleep.

AMY: Yes.

WAYNE: You know, and it's a big draw card here.

It's one of the icons of tourism.

AMY: Of course.

CON: Tourism industry has developed into a big business across this province.

We have oil, we have fish, and we have tourism.

That's the way it goes now.

ANNE: The fact is, we can use our facility and our art that we bring to the community to benefit our community, and that's what's so important to me.

AMY: Cheers, everybody!

ALL: Cheers.

Whoo!

NARRATOR: Major funding for “Towns in Tune” is provided by Picture NL, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Tax Credit.

Additional funding for Towns in Tune is brought to you by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, the proud partner of South Carolina ETV and South Carolina Public Radio.

With the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations, the ETV Endowment is committed to sharing stories that connect communities, like "Towns in Tune."

The Government of Canada Film or Video Production Federal Tax Credit.

Celebrate NL.

The Town of Bay Bulls.

The Newberry County Chamber of Commerce and NTV.

AMY: In Bay Bulls, the ocean is something everybody knows.

For some, lobster fishing isn't just a job; it's a way of life carried across generations.

Out here, hard work meets tradition every day on the tide.

MICHELLE: I'm Michelle Long.

I'm the CEO of the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina.

TREVOR: And we're off to the lobster grounds.

AMY: And we're off to the lobster grounds.

Loves it!

Oh, my God, Trevor, thank you so much for this.

What a treat.

TREVOR: Oh, you're welcome.

There's five or six people hauling lobster pots here, and everybody got 100 pots each, so... There is no quota on lobster, just a limit on the pots.

AMY: I was in the Miss Beauty pageant; was I was Miss Scolton.

TREVOR: Oh, yeah, I would've been there myself.

AMY: What's this blue down there?

Is that a pot?

TREVOR: That's a pot, yeah.

AMY: Yeah.

TREVOR: Now, look at this fella.

Someone caught him and had him in his pound.

He's already bands on him.

AMY: Oh, my God, so he got away.

TREVOR: He got away, that fella.

MICHELLE: I have been out and pulled in crab traps before, but never lobster, and certainly not here in Newfoundland.

AMY: They won't mind if I goes to happy hour smelling like fish, do they?

TREVOR: I wouldn't say.

AMY: How, how big do they have to be?

TREVOR: He got to be from his eye to the back of his body.

AMY: She's laying.

Put her in, let her lay.

TREVOR: Yeah, I got a, I got a female lobster.

AMY: Oh, my gosh.

And so then when... TREVOR: Now she's marked.

No one can catch her.

AMY: The lobsters likes the shallow water.

TREVOR: Well, they're in here in the warm bays... AMY: Ah.

TREVOR: ...where a bit of fresh water running in.

AMY: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

TREVOR: It warms up the water temperature.

AMY: Nothing like fish right out of the water.

TREVOR: Oh, fish is good, yeah.

This little harbor here now, there's 700 lobster pots.

AMY: I've been out on a boat where they pull lobster pots, but that was many, many, many moons ago.

TREVOR: Many moons ago, was it?

AMY: Yeah, yeah.

Is this the week's catch?

TREVOR: It's the last couple of days.

AMY: Yeah?

This is the surprise ending, right?

TREVOR: What?

There he is.

AMY: Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my gosh.

TREVOR: Look at that fella.

DECK HAND: He's five pounds, that fella.

AMY: Oh, Trevor, I gotta get a picture.

MICHELLE: He is massive.

I had a blast going out on the lobster boat.

That was certainly a treat.

AMY: In Newberry, the work looks different, but the values are the same.

At Carolina Pride Pastures, raising alpacas means patience, care, and family dedication.

ALICIA: We started the farm back actually in 2011, and in 2013, we brought home five pregnant females to the farm and started, and now we're at, oh, 12, 13 alpacas and a couple of llamas.

We've also got chickens and ducks and turkeys, and, um, some dogs out here.

Everything on the farm has a job.

So we've got a couple of folks that come out.

We've already had the shearing.

We've got our yarn that's back from the mill, and they want to see what's new.

What's the new crop that's come in?

They come here with a project in mind, so they're here buying four to six skeins of yarn.

They're looking at colors.

They're looking at structure.

They're feeling it.

They're wanting to know what they can do with it.

So they're not just thinking, "This is a scarf."

It is a project.

It is a piece of fiber art when they finish it.

We do have two or three very avid knitters and crocheters that come out and buy yarn from us.

We also have a local hand spinner that comes and gets our overflow, and she then takes what the mill considers waste and she hand spins it into that hand-spun yarn.

You can see the difference in the quality, and some folks like the hand-spun better than the mill-spun.

And so it's got more of the love and characteristics of that artisan in it, versus the mill running it as well.

JESS: My name is Jess McDonald.

I'm from, uh, St.

John's, Newfoundland, and we're here in beautiful South Carolina at a wonderful alpaca farm.

As a textile artist, I'm so excited to be here.

I think there's pretty rich history of making do and working with what we have, and, and being pretty resilient in our province.

And so people did shear their own sheep.

They did spin their own wool and, and card their own wool for spinning, and they made knit goods with that, and then worked with places like Nonia to sell that as a way of supporting themselves.

So it's not like we haven't done it.

We're importing a lot of things right now into our island, and as we know, that costs a lot of money.

And so there's a lot of history also being lost with that as well.

So I think that if the right amount of people come together and can bring those skill sets back and, and learn from those who have done it, I think that would be a really great thing for our province.

AMY: To understand the work of today, you have to know where it began.

BILL: In 1884, due to the stock market crash and the economy, my grandfather and great uncles went broke.

So my grandfather borrowed money from a farmer, paid off their creditors, moved across the street, and started under his name, and dabbled in the stock market, too.

I have records in 1911, that was a hardware store, this was a carriage repository, a car dealership, and down there was a bowling alley.

AUSTIN: In 1974, my granddad started the company with my grandmother, and they started by, uh, manufacturing and installing septic tanks.

And then in 1982, we built what we're standing in right now, is the, the hardware and the lumber part, and, um, it's just kind of gradually grown from there.

CON: July 2nd, 1992, the federal government of Canada shuts the fishery down because we overfished it, and that morning, my father had to go over and tell 600 people to go home.

We lost 40,000 people from Newfoundland, had to leave and go west into western Canada, working in the oil, the oil fields of, of Alberta, so a whole way of life had to be found.

Luckily, we had, we had the oil, the, the offshore oil here to, to fall back on, and then the fishermen converted to other things like snow crab, and of course, look behind me.

Tourism industry has developed into a big business across this province.

We have oil, we have fish, and we have tourism.

That's the way it goes now.

ANNE: What's so interesting about the Newberry Opera House is that it has functioned in its original capacity until the mid-'80s.

And so we had the jail, the police department, the fire department.

The bell tower was the bell signal for all fires.

It's a completely contained building that had a theater.

ROBERT: The South has just an amazing history and culture that has developed and among, amongst all the communities, and so there's just no shortage of inspiration.

ANNE: As many things were in America, in small towns, people were moving out of the suburbs into the cities.

'60s to the '80s was just a really tough time.

AMY: Yes, for sure.

ANNE: We had a community that did not want to see Newberry fail.

They came together, and they said, "You know what?

This is what we can do.

We can raise money.

We can refurbish the opera house and bring people to Newberry and show them all the magic that's here."

So that's what they did, and they started in '92, and they raised 5.7 million and, and opened in '98, and we just celebrated our 25th year.

ROBERT: Newberry has a good flow of people coming to our opera house.

AMY: Right.

ROBERT: So it's known as an arts destination for music and performing arts.

AMY: Uh-huh.

ROBERT: And so my efforts have been primarily focused on visual arts... AMY: Yes ROBERT: Uh, poetry, writing.

I have digital projectors, and I project that Newberry is an art town, and I've been doing that for four or five years now, just letting everyone know, "Hey, this is an arts destination for more than just performing arts.

It's all of the arts."

ANNE: The fact is, we can use our facility and our art that we bring to the community to benefit our community, and that's what's so important to me.

When my children were in middle school, it was a high-poverty middle school, and we were at an orchestra performance.

They were all in their outfits.

When the band started, they all tapped their foot, and you know what?

You cannot figure out who was what, who had a great home life, who didn't have a great home life, who had two parents, who had one parent, and that was my ah-ha moment.

That is why I do what I do, is because at that point I realized the arts is the greatest equalizer that you could possibly bring to a small community fighting issues that we necessarily don't have funding for.

ROBERT: They're very supportive of visual artists as well.

They just, they, they have an annual exhibition of local work... AMY: Yeah.

ROBERT: ...that hangs in the opera house.

So we try to put those connections together, if we can do things with the library, if we can do things, I mean, even we've exhibited work at City Hall, because that's where people go pay their utility bill, just... AMY: Sure.

ROBERT: Any place that your community has all of these assets and all the traffic is going places... AMY: Sure.

ROBERT: ...and so how do you introduce the arts and culture to kind of like, you know, provide another level of connection with the community?

AMY: Right.

ROBERT: And that's, that's what I try to do.

SARA: I feel like Newberry is very cultural, so you have all these different cultures that come in, and being able to work here in Figaro, or literally in just the downtown area, it's been able to open my eyes to the new cultures.

I love hearing stories of people who are coming in from out of town, who are just stopping by just to stretch their legs after a long drive.

ROBERT: The community itself is a really, really kind place.

It's a city of friendly folks.

ANNE: We have an outreach program called Newberry Arts for All.

That is our commitment to the residents of Newberry County, that all art is gonna be accessible.

If you want to come see something, you are able.

This is everybody's opera house.

It's not just people who love art.

It's everybody's opera house.

Everybody's welcome.

♪ ♪ AMY: Come on!

How about here?

Good?

MICHELLE: Here's good.

WAITER: And we got four ice waters here.

ASHLEY: I'm gonna get the one-piece fish and chips.

MICHELLE: I'm going to do what she did.

WAITER: One-piece fish and chips, and dressing, gravy on the side.

MICHELLE: Yes.

WAITER: For sure.

MICHELLE: This menu could very well be in a restaurant in Newberry.

WAITER: And I'll be down with the dressing, gravy.

AMY: Thank you, Darcy, excellent.

MICHELLE: All right.

Now, do we eat it with our hands or with forks?

AMY: You can eat whatever you... JASON: Whatever you want to.

AMY: There are no rules when it comes to eating fish and chips.

MICHELLE: No, no.

Oh, that's good.

Yeah, look at that.

ASHLEY: Mm-hmm, so good.

It can't get no better than the traditional fish and chips, it's, uh... JASON: It's traditional for sure in this area.

AMY: Yeah.

No water ruining the fish.

ASHLEY: No water.

JASON: That's right, very flaky.

AMY: Very flaky, very... JASON: Very full.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

AMY: Beautiful.

MICHELLE: Mmm.

AMY: So, Michelle, what do you think of our fish and chips?

Is it similar to yours in Newberry?

MICHELLE: I think it's very different.

If I'm gonna have seafood, which I understand, if you order fish and chips, it's cod, that's what you're talking about... AMY: Yeah, yeah MICHELLE: ...'Cause it's the specialty... AMY: Right.

MICHELLE: ...and you have to try it, and I'm so glad.

AMY: Yeah.

MICHELLE: It was perfect.

AMY: Thanks for taking me out.

I hope you know you're all paying for this.

(laughter).

MICHELLE: So, I had to try the fish and chips, and definitely on recommendation, I had to have the chips with the gravy and the dressing.

So that is highly recommended for anybody who comes to visit, um, you must try it.

Then I had ice cream here at Sapphire Scoops.

AMY: A vital destination along the Irish Loop, Sapphire Scoops.

SERVER: Okay, we have strawberry, superhero.

MICHELLE: Oh, that's me!

AMY: Oh, my goodness, Michelle.

JASON: Wow.

MICHELLE: Might need some napkins.

JASON: That looks good.

AMY: Thank you.

Gotta be quick.

MAN: Yeah, you do.

ASHLEY: That's that 30-degree weather.

AMY: Yeah, that's right.

Oh, my gosh.

ASHLEY: Oh.

AMY: Cheers, everybody!

ALL: Cheers.

AMY: See?

It's worth a trip to Bay Bulls just for this.

MAN: Well, you know it.

AMY: Every community has its sweet spots.

In Bay Bulls, families gather at Sapphire Scoops for a taste of summer, and in Newberry, Laila's Place serves up baked goods that feel like home.

TIA: We are a bakery cafe.

We're located at 1300 Main Street, the corner of College and Main.

Laila is our only girl.

She's the middle of her brothers.

She, at four, was diagnosed with scoliosis, and so she just really needed a confidence booster, and, you know, we're thankful for the opportunity to be able to do this for her and her siblings.

I've have always baked, um, like, for my girlfriends.

Grew up baking, my mom and I, for Christmas, and then my husband comes from a line of bakers as well.

So that, it's just kind of in our blood.

When COVID happened in 2020... AMY: Right.

TIA: ...we both lost our jobs.

AMY: Wow.

TIA: And we were like, "Well, what do we do?

You know, what do we do at this point?"

The Lord was like, "You know how to bake," and so we just started baking.

The previous owner, he gave us the opportunity to put our cookies in here.

AMY: Right.

TIA: And then in August, he literally walked out the front door, and we came in the back door, and we've been here ever since.

We truly are family-owned and family-operated.

AMY: Right.

TIA: Um, my husband Jason and I are here, my mom is here, and our three children are here: Xavier, Laila, and Benjamin.

This is our baby boy, Benjamin.

AMY: Are you the older of the brothers?

BENJAMIN: Uh, no, ma'am, I'm the youngest.

AMY: You're the youngest, and you're 11.

BENJAMIN: Yes, ma'am.

AMY: And what do you think about working all day?

BENJAMIN: Uh... (laughter).

TIA: My mother-in-law, she's really active, even though she's not here, uh, like, physically in Newberry.

AMY: Yeah.

TIA: She's in Abbeville.

She will trial recipes at home, and then she'll call me and say, "Hey, I tried this, I tried that."

AMY: Yeah.

TIA: Um, and then it's just things that my mom and I come up with.

AMY: Wow.

TIA: Yep.

AMY: Fantastic.

TIA: So it's really generations of recipes, and then some new things my mom and I try.

AMY: In Bay Bulls, creativity lives in the hands of local makers and artists, who turn the ordinary into something special.

This evening, we're at The Stone Ducky.

It's a great restaurant here in Bay Bulls, a very popular one.

The pizza smells excellent.

But this evening, we're not here for the pizza.

We're here to see an art exhibit by Wayne Maloney.

I've seen a couple of Wayne's murals around the town, so I'm excited to get in and see the work he's put on canvas for this pop-up event.

Come on, let's go have a look.

I saw some of your work around town.

WAYNE: Yes.

AMY: You got a couple of murals around.

WAYNE: Our large murals color the town.

AMY: I, I'm really intrigued by this.

WAYNE: This guy is a fisherman from Bay Bulls.

AMY: Yeah, what's his name?

WAYNE: Thomas Ryan and his family had this one painted.

AMY: Right.

WAYNE: Uh, I did it for one of his grandsons.

AMY: That's fabulous.

WAYNE: And that's a print of him now.

You won't see this at Walmart, watch this.

AMY: Yes, wow.

WAYNE: So now, as I flip it over, and we'll give you one piece to start with.

AMY: Oh, got a go up there first.

WAYNE: I'm gonna put this one up here.

And then maybe, put this one here, maybe.

AMY: Maybe.

WAYNE: Ah, yes.

AMY: Okay, and then this gotta go... WAYNE: Look at that.

AMY: ...there!

WAYNE: You built a puffin.

AMY: Woo!

WAYNE: Well done, well done.

AMY: That's fabulous.

WAYNE: Isn't that fun?

AMY: So, do you sell a lot of these?

WAYNE: I do.

Uh, The Stone Ducky owner owns this one now.

AMY: That's fantastic.

WAYNE: Of course, puffins to me, I could draw one in my sleep... AMY: Yes.

WAYNE: You know, and it's a big draw card here.

It's one of the icons of tourism.

AMY: Of course.

WAYNE: Right?

AMY: Oh, yeah.

WAYNE: The boats in Petty Harbor.

AMY: Yeah, yeah.

WAYNE: Now, look at this one.

You're in this town... AMY: I'm gonna have that picture... WAYNE: Yeah, look at this one, this is nighttime in Bay Bulls, with the moon over the mountain.

AMY: Oh, yeah.

WAYNE: Yeah.

AMY: Gorgeous.

Small towns don't just create with their hands; they also create by building an arts community.

At Newberry Art Center, they've done just that.

MARQUERITE: Newberry Art Center started in 2014.

The idea came about in the '90s.

A small group of artists started talking about the importance of arts in the community, and finally, in 2014, we were able to see it come to life.

It exploded.

We had so many people asking to be a part of classes that we had to expand.

We've expanded four times.

We offer classes ages five and up.

We offer pottery, painting, drawing, quilting, knitting, all types of art programs.

We have people that ask us to find teachers for certain things.

We've done sweet grass basket workshops.

We also do the South Carolina Clay Conference, which is a, uh, conference for potters and clay artists that draws in attendees from around the country.

So we are always offering a lot of different things.

Some of our artists sell in our artisan shop.

The artisan shop represents 50 artists.

Not only are we growing an appreciation of the arts here, we like to think about how each one of these people are, uh, meeting folks they wouldn't have met otherwise.

There's a whole community growing around the art center, and that makes for a healthier community all around.

AMY: In the heart of downtown Newberry, art finds its rhythm in the people who share it.

At Mattheson Studios, artist Robert Mattheson opens his doors to the community, turning his workspace into a gathering place for painters, songwriters, and makers.

ROBERT: We're just gonna see where this goes tonight.

If any musician in the audience wanna come play, just come on up.

It's such a fantastic experience, because you never know what you're gonna get.

AMY: Yeah.

ROBERT: And we just enjoy that for a couple of hours, and then projects come out of it, and ideas, so... ♪ PAUL: And good people are hard to find, ♪ ♪ Right around the corner at the end of the line, ♪ ♪ It's true.

♪ ♪ THE DUBBER: Ooh, ooh, ooh.

♪ ♪ Now, who got the weed?

♪ (laughter).

ROBERT: I think a lot of the inspiration for what I've done really involved the people, because as I started to meet different folks in town, you know, a fourth-generation hardware store, just everyone in the community was so open.

It makes it, like, really easy to be inspired.

DAVE: So yeah, my name is Dave Whitty.

I grew up, uh, just outside of St.

John's in Newfoundland.

ANDREW: Hi, my name is Andrew Rogers, folks.

Grew up in, uh, Newfoundland, lived there my whole life.

BRENDAN: But I'm Brendan Roberts.

I'm from here in Newberry originally.

♪ DAVE: The people that have come and gone.

♪ ROBERT: It's just an open invite, um, every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.

We set chairs out, and we all just gather and talk about what we're doing.

If people wanna critique, if they wanna come play music, just whatever they wanna do.

PERFORMER: When I was in the Coast Guard, we used to sail into Halifax, Nova Scotia, and we also sailed into St.

John's, Newfoundland.

ROBERT: Letting everyone know, hey, this is an arts destination for more than just performing arts.

It's all of the arts.

♪ DAVE: Not getting any younger, ♪ ♪ So we're told to seize the day.

♪ The people here are so kind, so generous.

Uh, thank you to Robert and Amy, obviously, for hosting tonight as well.

I mean, what a, uh, what a beautiful space.

(audience cheering and applause).

♪ ANDREW: It's just the sounds around here, ♪ ♪ you never really know what you're gonna hear.

♪ ♪ It ain't always nice, it ain't always pretty.

♪ ♪ No, it ain't Tina Turner, it ain't Tom Petty.

♪ ♪ It's downtown, oh.

♪ ♪ It's downtown, oh.

♪ (horn solo).

ROBERT: When I moved here six years ago, my dream was to have a studio and gallery, and it came true with this space that you see around me.

Um, at that time, a lot of the town was kind of closed, and there was a lot of empty shops, but we saw a lot of potential here.

There, they supported an art center here, and we have an opera house that produces over 100 shows a year, performing arts.

And so I thought, "You know, this might be the perfect place to be," and the people are amazing.

So we just went at renovating the space and making art.

AMY: In Newberry, even a hardware store can hold more than tools and timber.

At Willingham & Sons, Austin and his family began turning their business into something extraordinary.

For one night only, they would change their workplace to a concert space and host a live show inside their lumberyard.

AUSTIN: It's our 50th anniversary.

It's just a very special event for a special year for us, so we are excited to host.

A lot of work is gonna be involved in the next three days of getting, getting it ready.

A range from anywhere from people slightly younger than me to people of my parents' age that have contacted us over the last couple weeks, and, um, you know, just saying, "Are y'all really having a concert in your warehouse?"

And I said, "Yeah."

And so, like, “how?"

And I said, "I don't know, but we're figuring it out day by day."

So we've been contacted by a number of patrons of the business, of the local community, as far away as, um... I've had somebody that lives about an hour and a half away saying they're coming.

So, uh, we're really excited for the opportunity, um, and, uh, you know, us as family is, are just excited to see what happens with our warehouse as, as anybody else.

AMY: Just as plans were coming together, disaster struck.

Hurricane Helene forced the town into crisis, and it forced us to leave.

For Newberry, the storm brought devastation, and for us, the story was paused.

Look at all the debris that's fallen from this building behind me.

That happened last night.

Hurricane Helene was tracking up through Florida and seemed to be veering west.

However, she decided to veer east, and South Carolina was hit pretty hard.

There's a lot of destruction, a lot of downed trees.

We have power outages, and therefore, we've had to pause our production.

But... we'll be back.

Back in Bay Bulls, another transformation was underway.

A warehouse emptied of its machines was becoming a stage, and musicians from both Newfoundland and South Carolina were ready to bring two towns together through music.

JESSICA: My name is Jessica Sims.

I play the ukulele and sing in our duo, Prettier Than Matt.

JEFF: My name is Jeff Pitts.

I am, uh... Okay.

JESSICA: Guitar, you play guitar.

JEFF: Yeah, start that all over.

My name is Jeff Pitts.

I play guitar and sing sometimes in the band, and we are here in Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, and, uh, it's pretty awesome out here.

I'm digging.

JESSICA: Newfoundland, remember?

JEFF: That's how I said it.

JESSICA: Yeah.

JEFF: Right?

JESSICA: I'm trying to get it right.

JEFF: Yeah, you did a good job.

Yeah, shoot me when I'm down, bro.

Did it right, I thought.

JENNIFER: I'm Jennifer Trainor.

I play with Celtic Connection.

I play guitar, I do vocals, and we are in the lovely town of Bay Bulls in this really cool building, uh, Pennecon, the Pennecon Building, the Grand Banks Building.

We've done shows.

We've been doing it forever, but to take a, a, a normal event show and place it and drop it into something like this, we've never done.

Everyone's been really sweet, and we all share that same little flicker of love of entertaining.

So that's the concept of, you know, down in South Carolina, and now we're in Bay Bulls, Newfoundland.

It's just lovely, it's been great.

BRENDAN: My name is Brendan Roberts.

I'm a singer-songwriter from, uh, Newberry, South Carolina.

We are in Bay Bulls, uh, Newfoundland.

I love the idea.

The, um, when I first got brought the idea, I was like, "This is amazing, and there should be more, um, of it."

And, uh, this is my fourth country that I've played, different country that I've played, and, um, that it's just, it's very unique, and I love it.

VILAI: My name is Vilai Harrington, based out of Greenville, South Carolina.

I'm here to represent as the songwriter, uh, for South Carolina for, um, this Towns and Tunes.

I'm just glad to be here.

TIM: My name is Tim Baker.

I'm a singer, songwriter, musician, um, recording artist, and we're here in Bay Bulls in a giant warehouse.

I'm looking probably the most forward to the Celtic Connection sort of scuffle going on.

A warehouse sock hop, you know?

All right, I'm getting things started here.

I'm gonna start with this song that, um, I don't know, I just like to start with this song.

It feels a little bit like an invitation.

Anyway, I wrote this song about, uh, appropriate winter clothing and, uh, trying to be yourself, um, and what, what parts of you lose when you, when you try to fit in.

It's a song called, uh, "Songbirds."

Here we go.

♪ Like a fool, ♪ ♪ In a foolish coat, ♪ ♪ trying to be cool, ♪ ♪ but just being cold.

♪ ♪ I have seen ♪ ♪ the saddest thing, ♪ ♪ not you crying, but that you're hiding it from me.

♪ ♪ Oh, be free, ♪ ♪ Just be as you like, ♪ ♪ Yeah, and sing like a bird.

♪ ♪ And so in singing flight.

♪ ♪ Oh, be free, ♪ ♪ But connected to the sky, ♪ ♪ And sing like a bird.

♪ ♪ And so in singing flight.

♪ ♪ Singing la, di, di, dai, dai, dai, di, di, ♪ ♪ dai, dai, dai, di, di, dai.

♪ ♪ La, di, di, dai, dai, dai, di, di, dai, dai, dai.

♪ ♪ I saw you shrink ♪ ♪ Back into your sleeves.

♪ ♪ I saw you shrink until you disappeared from me.

♪ ♪ What do you hide from?

♪ ♪ And what hides from us?

♪ ♪ What kind of colors have we covered up and lost?

♪ ♪ Oh, be free, just be as you like, ♪ ♪ and sing like a bird to the oncoming light.

♪ (whistles).

♪ Oh, be free, but connected to the sky, ♪ ♪ And sing like a bird, ♪ ♪ and so in singing flight.

♪ ♪ Singing la, di, di, dai, dai, dai, di, di, dai, dai, ♪ ♪ dai, di, di, dai.

♪ ♪ La, di, di, dai, dai, dai, di, di, dai, dai.

♪ (audience cheering and applause).

Thank you very much.

VILAI: Hi, my name is Vilai Harrington.

This song is, is kinda tied to what's going on toni, tonight, which is just trying to bring two communities together, and building the relationships, and just building people together.

So tell your people that you love them, that you love them, whenever you get the chance.

It's called “See You or I Won't.” ♪ ♪ ♪ Just another day working towards Music Row.

♪ ♪ Living off pennies from show to show.

♪ ♪ Feeling overwhelmed, don't know how to keep track.

♪ ♪ Whatever I do, don't ever look back.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well, half of my friends can't make it up the hill.

♪ ♪ Yet they still wonder who is footing the bill.

♪ ♪ Be it cancer or booze or weed or ice.

♪ ♪ Whatever it is, you won't make it alive.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Seems pretty easy to cut all your ties.

♪ ♪ Till one ends up being a noose or a knife.

♪ ♪ Keep humming, keep bumming, keep thumbing through life.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other side.

♪ ♪ See you or won't, on the other, side.

♪ (audience cheering and applause).

Thank you, Kelly?

KELLY: I am gonna play some, uh, uh, angry material.

So I'm gonna be sharing, uh, various shades of anger with you tonight.

I hope you're all right with that.

Um, but that's the cool thing about music and the arts, is it's healthy to express our complicated, difficult emotions, um, through the arts instead of, uh, you know, other, other, uh, ways of hurting other people.

So I get to, uh, write this to make myself feel better, and, uh, here we go.

This is called “You Got It Wrong.” (snapping).

(snapping).

♪ You, you got it wrong.

♪ ♪ You got it wrong.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ You, you got it wrong.

♪ ♪ You got it wrong.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ No one has ever got it this wrong before.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Tired, tired, tired to the madness of not understanding ♪ ♪ how I could be so hard done.

♪ ♪ Was I a fool for so long?

♪ ♪ After, after the initial hit.

♪ ♪ After the sting of it, gotta live with it.

♪ ♪ And you, you got it wrong.

♪ ♪ You got it wrong.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ You, you got it wrong.

♪ ♪ You got it wrong.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ No one has ever got it this wrong before.

♪ ♪ No one has ever got it this wrong before.

♪ ♪ No one has ever got it this wrong before.

♪ ♪ No one has ever got it this wrong before.

♪ ♪ No one has ever got it this wrong before.

♪ (audience cheering and applause).

BRENDAN: It's great to be here.

Um, my name's Brendan Roberts, and, uh, I was in a bar, go figure, uh, in Nashville, uh, one evening, and I think it was a Wednesday and I got to witness a, uh, breakup between, uh, a girl and a guy, and I was listening to it, and she said, uh, "You have a better chance at growing flowers in complete darkness, then you do at actual love,” and I was, and it stuck with me.

So this song's called “Flowers in the Dark.” Hope y'all like it.

♪ ♪ ♪ I cleared these wanderings ♪ ♪ About three years ago.

♪ ♪ Outside of that old brick church of God, ♪ ♪ you made me swear that I'd go.

♪ ♪ You're the reason I put them down, ♪ ♪ and the reason that I picked them up again.

♪ ♪ Just like that, ♪ ♪ you were a cloud of dust and smoke in the wind.

♪ ♪ So I knocked that old clock off the wall.

♪ ♪ Couldn't take the way it sounded when it ticked.

♪ ♪ I'd rather not know where you are or how long that it's been ♪ ♪ Since you tore me to pieces.

♪ ♪ Using my own book, ♪ ♪ tearing my world apart just to punch him back, ♪ ♪ Taking his place.

♪ ♪ Stupid me and my stupid heart, ♪ ♪ To believe that I can grow flowers, ♪ ♪ That I can grow flowers in the dark.

♪ ♪ Guessing game's pretty bad around this town, ♪ ♪ So I just put it all on.

♪ ♪ And that ashtray is all filled with old vices spilling ♪ ♪ In the sink.

♪ ♪ So I knocked that old clock off the wall.

♪ ♪ Couldn't take the way it sounded when it ticked.

♪ ♪ I'd rather not know where you are or how long ♪ ♪ That it's been since you tore me to pieces.

♪ ♪ Using my own book, tearing my world apart.

♪ ♪ Stupid me and my stupid heart.

♪ ♪ That I can grow flowers, flowers in the dark.

♪ ♪ There ain't a chance that I'm going anywhere.

♪ ♪ Screw me if I think more than love is fair.

♪ ♪ So I knocked that old clock off the wall.

♪ ♪ Couldn't take the way it sounded when it ticked.

♪ ♪ I'd rather not know where you are or how long that ♪ ♪ It's been since you tore me to pieces.

♪ ♪ Using my own book, tearing this world apart.

♪ ♪ Stupid me and my stupid heart ♪ ♪ To believe that I can grow flowers, ♪ ♪ That I can grow flowers in the dark.

♪ ♪ ♪ Thank you.

(audience cheering and applause).

JESSICA: We are Prettier Than Matt.

All right.

This next song is called “Small Town Famous.” ♪ Been out to every show, from the hole in the walls ♪ ♪ To the main stage festivals.

♪ ♪ Bought the merch, ♪ ♪ CDs, shirts, koozies, and hats, and all the posters, ♪ ♪ The VIP backstage pass, ♪ ♪ But little did I know that you were so crass.

♪ ♪ I guess you must be jaded.

♪ ♪ Your fans and friends have all but faded.

♪ ♪ 'Cause you're just small town famous, ♪ ♪ A few strums and a pickup line, yeah.

♪ ♪ You're small town famous, ♪ ♪ Cheap talk over red, red wine, yeah.

♪ ♪ You're small town famous, a hug, a smile, ♪ ♪ And a friendly handshake, ♪ ♪ But you don't even know my name, ♪ ♪ 'cause you're small town famous.

♪ ♪ I drove across town to see you wail, ♪ ♪ Paid five at the door, but my friends all bailed.

♪ ♪ Stayed till the end, hung by the stage, ♪ ♪ While you chatted with a girl at least half your age.

♪ ♪ You made it to me in time for last call, ♪ ♪ Instead you ran to the bar for a little more alcohol.

♪ ♪ I guess I must be jealous, ♪ ♪ But I hate to be the one to tell ya... ♪ ♪ That you're just small-town famous.

♪ ♪ You're recognized in the parking lot.

♪ ♪ You're small town famous.

♪ ♪ One hit, and you think you're hot.

♪ ♪ Yeah, small town famous.

♪ ♪ Yeah, you think you've paid your dues, ♪ ♪ But your fans only feel abused.

♪ ♪ You're small town famous.

♪ (guitar solo) (guitar solo) ♪ Oh, it's not just about getting from A to B.

♪ ♪ Oh, it's the miles and miles in between.

♪ ♪ There's not much difference between you and me, ♪ ♪ but you might be too blind to see.

♪ ♪ You're small town famous.

♪ ♪ Yeah, you just might be Bay Bull's famous.

♪ (audience cheers).

♪ Yeah, well, small town famous, ♪ ♪ A few strums and a pickup line.

♪ ♪ Yeah, small town famous, ♪ ♪ Cheap talk over red, red wine.

♪ ♪ Yeah, small town famous, a hug, a smile, ♪ ♪ And a friendly handshake, ♪ ♪ But you don't even know my name.

♪ ♪ It's Jessica, don't you remember?

♪ ♪ Well, you don't even know my name, ♪ ♪ 'Cause you're small-town famous.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, you're small town famous.

♪ ♪ Yeah, you are.

♪ (audience cheering and applause).

Thank you!

JENNIFER: My God, just look at you.

Are you having a good time?

We're having a lovely time.

Boys, just look where we are.

We're in the Pennecon Building.

If Grandfather was only alive, how proud would he be?

BARRY: Yeah, we've made it.

We've finally made it.

JENNIFER: You've arrived.

BARRY: This next song we're gonna do is a tune called “Raise the Roof,” and it's a tune that I had the pleasure of writing with Mr.

Paul Mills.

So if you don't know who Paul Mills is, he's the guy that produced all Stan Rogers' stuff over the years.

He's known as Curly Boy Stubbs.

So it was, uh, pretty privileged back in '98 to write it with him.

So, uh, this is all about just having fun, drinking beer, so.

Tune called “Raise the Roof.” ♪ SCOTT: One, two, one, two, three!

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ There's fun in every kitchen from St.

John's ♪ ♪ To Corner Brook.

♪ ♪ There's fiddles, horns, and guitar; ♪ ♪ The place looks like it shook.

♪ ♪ Well, the walls are moving in and out, ♪ ♪ The roof goes up and down.

♪ ♪ And at night there's a party in my hometown.

♪ ♪ ALL: And we'll dance, and we'll sing, ♪ ♪ And we'll drink some beer.

♪ ♪ There won't be nothing like it till this time next year.

♪ ♪ Haul down the fiddle and pour another cup, ♪ ♪ And we'll play the Mason's Apron till the ♪ ♪ Sun comes up.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ BARRY: They're dancing in the hallway while Johnny ♪ ♪ Sings his tune.

♪ ♪ We'll show you how to party, boys, ♪ ♪ You'll hear us on the moon.

♪ ♪ Everyone is singing now; the chorus rises higher.

♪ ♪ We're gonna raise the roof, boys, ♪ ♪ Let's do it with desire.

♪ ♪ ALL: And we'll dance, ♪ ♪ And we'll sing, and we'll drink some beer.

♪ ♪ There won't be nothing like it till this time next year.

♪ ♪ Haul down the fiddle and pour another cup, ♪ ♪ And we'll play the Mason's Apron till the sun comes up.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ GLEN: There's a glow on the horizon, ♪ ♪ Morning's in the air.

♪ ♪ And the party's nearly over, people sleeping everywhere.

♪ ♪ A good time was had by all; it's been quite a cheer.

♪ ♪ Gonna raise the roof, boys, again this year!

♪ ♪ ALL: And we'll dance, ♪ ♪ And we'll sing, and we'll drink some beer.

♪ ♪ There won't be nothing like it till this time next year.

♪ ♪ Haul down the fiddle and pour another cup, ♪ ♪ And we'll play the Mason's Apron till the sun comes up.

♪ ♪ And we'll dance, ♪ ♪ And we'll sing, and we'll drink some beer.

♪ ♪ There won't be nothing like it till this time next year.

♪ ♪ Haul down the fiddle and pour another cup, ♪ ♪ And we'll play the Mason's Apron till the sun comes up.

♪ ♪ Yes, we'll play the Mason's Apron till the sun comes up.

♪ ♪ Two, three, four!

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ GLENN: Woo.

Tune at the end called “Mason's Apron.” Thank you.

BARRY: Only have one more tune left for you.

Big round of applause for everyone that put this together.

Welcome, our friends from the United States.

They're a fabulous, fabulous bands here tonight.

Thank you very much, we're the Celtic Connection.

Tune called “Sixteen For a While” for you.

(drum solo).

BARRY: Hey, hey, no, no.

Woo!

Here we go.

SHAWN: One, two, three, four.

♪ ♪ ♪ GLEN: I returned to my hometown yesterday, ♪ ♪ And my life before my eyes came flashing back.

♪ ♪ Everything was changed, ♪ ♪ And the faces looked so strange.

♪ ♪ Sometimes I wish that I was young again.

♪ ♪ ALL: And if I close my eyes, think I'm back to happy times, ♪ ♪ I can be 16 years old for a while.

♪ ♪ Honest friendships, high school dances, ♪ ♪ Innocence, short romances.

♪ ♪ Life was simple, but it sure was good somehow.

♪ ♪ GLEN: Then we drove to an old beach last night, ♪ ♪ A place from years ago, not long ago.

♪ ♪ Walking barefoot in the sand, I saw people holding hands, ♪ ♪ All learning love for their first time.

♪ ♪ ALL: And if I close my eyes, think I'm back to happy times, ♪ ♪ I can be 16 years old for a while.

♪ ♪ Honest friendships, high school dances, innocence, ♪ ♪ Short romances.

♪ ♪ And life was simple, but it sure was good somehow.

♪ ♪ ♪ GLEN: Okay, let's hear you sing one on your own.

Here we go!

And if I... ♪ AUDIENCE: Close my eyes, think I'm back to happy times, ♪ ♪ I can be 16 years old for a while.

♪ GLEN: Come on, louder than that!

Honest... ♪ AUDIENCE: Friendships, high school dances, ♪ ♪ Innocence, short romances.

♪ ♪ Life was simple, ♪ ♪ But it sure was good somehow.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ GLEN: Now I'm older, ♪ ♪ I guess a little wilder, ♪ ♪ Experience is etched in my name.

♪ ♪ But I can't help but feel that I traded a part ♪ ♪ Of who I am along the way.

♪ ♪ Yeah!

♪ ♪ ALL: And then I close my eyes, think I'm back to happy times, ♪ ♪ And I can be 16 years old for a while.

♪ ♪ Honest friendships, high school dances, ♪ ♪ Innocence, short romances.

♪ ♪ Life was simple, but it sure was good somehow.

♪ ♪ When I close my eyes, think I'm back to happy times, ♪ ♪ Sure feels good to be 16 for a while.

♪ ♪ Honest friendships, high school dances, innocence, ♪ ♪ Short romances.

♪ ♪ Life was simple, but it sure was good somehow.

♪ ♪ Life was simple, but it sure was good somehow.

♪ JENNIFER: Thank you so much!

Thank you, guys.

♪ ♪ Thank you.

BARRY: Thank you!

Thank you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: It was really cool.

I mean, to see a warehouse like this transformed completely, like near unrecognizable, is, has been pretty, pretty cool.

KEITH: Transformation, I have to say, it was a great job done.

Uh, we're in a warehouse here for a, a large industrial company here.

Uh, for the stage to be set up, uh, the seating, the bar, the crowd, it was fabulous.

I have to say, I really enjoyed to see that.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I loved the setup, thought it was amazing.

The bar, the tables, the music, the lights.

Thought it was great.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: So much fun.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Everyone in Newfoundland knows Celtic Connection, so I mean, they're, they're iconic.

They always put off a good show.

But, uh, I mean, some of the, the acts from Carolina are incredible, never heard of before.

I mean, Prettier Than Matt was incredible.

Her voice is so good!

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I really enjoyed the group from, uh, Newbury, from, uh, Myrtle Beach.

I was really impressed.

They were really good.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thought they were fantastic.

Nice to, like, broaden our horizons, see different artists, enjoy different genres that we're not kind of used to.

We're used to more Irish, like Celtic Connection.

We've been following them since we were 16 for a while.

So yeah, it's nice to hear different artists from different places.

KEITH: I have to say, this was a fa, fabulous display here tonight.

Uh, the entertainment, the artists on stage, phenomenal.

(music plays through credits).

NARRATOR: Major funding for “Towns in Tune” is provided by Picture NL, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Tax Credit.

Additional funding for "Towns in Tune" is brought to you by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, the proud partner of South Carolina ETV and South Carolina Public Radio.

With the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations, the ETV Endowment is committed to sharing stories that connect communities, like “Towns in Tune.” The Government of Canada Film or Video Production Federal Tax Credit.

Celebrate NL.

The Town of Bay Bulls.

The Newberry County Chamber of Commerce and NTV.

♪ ♪