Singer-storyteller Dave Penny figures we could all use a laugh right now
Have a First Listen to Chip Wagon Ahead
2020 has given singer and storyteller Dave Penny a lot to write about.
In a year that has given the province first a record-breaking snowstorm and then a pandemic, Penny's new album, Chip Wagon Ahead, is a collection of whimsical songs about the trials and tribulations of modern Newfoundland and Labrador life.
The title song is about an actual road sign that Penny wondered about for years.
"There's a Chip Wagon Ahead sign on the road, but I never did find the chip wagon," Penny told CBC's Weekend AM.
"As I'm wont to do, I put together a song about what might have happened there."
Non-traditional trad musician
Penny said he doesn't have what he would consider the typical background of a Newfoundland and Labrador folk singer.
He had a suburban upbringing, and enjoyed all sorts of music, including his parents' collection of traditional folk music.
"I grew up in Mount Pearl, what do you do?" said Penny.
"I always gravitated towards comedy songs, but in the meantime, I always wanted to be a songwriter, so it just morphed into what I'm doing now."
A bit of fun
Penny is also a member of the From Stage to Stage storytelling collective, and he has performed with the group and on his own across Canada to great acclaim.
With touring on hold at the moment, he hopes Chip Wagon Ahead can help his fans let off some steam in what has been a trying year.
"I hope people have a bit of fun with it."
Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us, wam@cbc.ca, and tell us about it.
You can hear First Listen on Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.
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