Get ready for a high energy Sunday night when Alan Doyle performs at the Mattawa Voyageur Days.
"First time in Mattawa and I'm looking forward to it," he tells BayToday with his usual high-octane enthusiasm.
He won't disappoint. Doyle sets a very high standard for his performances.
"I'm not happy unless people leave having the greatest night of their lives. If they leave with wobbly knees I'm happy," he told us Friday afternoon.
"It's all about the crowd for me. I grew up in a place where music was participatory. The greatest kitchen party in the world, that's what I go for every night."
Doyle says the style of music will be a little different from his former band Great Big Sea, which is presently "on hiatus" after founding member Sean McCann left the band three years ago. He says the band hasn't officially broken up it's just they haven't any plans to tour.
He's now touring with the Beautiful Gypsies, musicians he describes as "versatile".
"There's more variety that what Great Big Sea did. They play a bunch of Great Big Sea songs, a bunch of more rock and roll songs that are on my solo albums but it's very varied. It's quite fun."
Some of the songs will come from his first solo album, Boy On A Bridge...the title based on a bridge in his hometown of Petty Harbour Newfoundland.
"That bridge is where I dreamed most of my big dreams. It defined what I was like as a young guy,...boy on a bridge just waiting to go somewhere else."
His favourite song off that album is called Where I Belong, the same title as his book, and refers to one of the many "someone leaving" parties which are common in St. John's with some many people leaving Newfoundland for other parts of the world.
"It spoke to me because it's about Newfoundland and the constant pull away and pull back" (See video below)
Doyle has grown since those early days. He's now a musician, actor and author, but his biggest satisfaction comes from being a Dad, something he admits he struggles to provide balance with.
"It's tough. It's easily the hardest thing in my life finding balance in my schedule. It's a great blessing in a way because it means I have more things to do, that I really love doing, than I have time. So how I manage it is I don't pretend that balance will happen on its own. I make a schedule and I include family time and daddy time and I stick to it.
"I can't just leave it alone and expect that family time will happen by itself, it won't."
This weekend Doyle and his band will follow Devin Cuddy to finish off Voyageur Days Sunday evening. They've played together many times.
"He's fantastic. Old school jazzy vocals. His band is incredible, just an amazing act."
Is there a chance we might see them together on stage Sunday?
"I'd love that," replies Doyle.
Voyageur Days run this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets are $50 and are available online.
