Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - It's been three decades since Yellowknifer Pat Braden started entertaining audiences in the North, but this weekend he'll be performing a fresh new act.

Braden, mainly known for his skill as a musician, became interested in storytelling over the years with some encouragement from Ben Nind.

Pat Braden with his Chapman stick, which he will play during his performances in Hay River and Yellowknife this weekend. - Laura Power/NNSL photo

During the past year, he has been working on a new show called A Place to Call Home, which incorporates both of his talents.

"Some of them are stories that have been woven into the existing songs. Some of them are songs that I've basically written an introduction for," he said. "I just sort of made them all into one piece."

A Place to Call Home is his way of telling the story of his life, providing "different insights into growing up in a Northern mining town and the different characters."

His experiences, the people he knew and the character of the town are expressed through song and story. For example, he recalls the time he first saw a guitar played at the age of eight. That, along with growing up in a musical family, he said, is what inspired him to play.

Though Nind hasn't seen the whole show yet, he had high praise for Braden.

"I've seen the development of the show since the beginning, and Pat, number one, is renowned as a musician, but as good as he is a musician, he is also an incredible storyteller," he said.

Though the story is centred around Yellowknife, Nind said it will be a great show for people in Hay River as well, as much of it is common around other Northern towns.

"That is something that's very unique to the North, so those individuals, whether or not you're in Inuvik or Tsiigehtchic or Yellowknife or Hay River, you're going to be able to see those images and recognize those images," he said.

Within Yellowknife, Braden said because the story recalls many places that no longer exist, "the people who will actually tune into this would be the people who were around at that time."

There is no set audience, however, he said.

Braden travels to Hay River with his act this Friday, to perform that night at the NWT Centennial Library. The following night, he will play at Northern Arts and Cultural Centre at 8 p.m.