Motherly love

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/04/2018 (3002 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every holiday has a food or meal that is synonymous with it: Halloween is full of candy and chocolate, Thanksgiving has its turkey dinner and pie and Mother’s Day always goes hand-in-hand with a big (and sometimes boozy) brunch.

To add one more option to your list for May 13, the Winnipeg Free Press‘s Sunday Brunch Collective will be returning for a Mother’s Day event featuring the chamber-folk ensemble the Raine Hamilton Trio.

Hamilton released her sophomore record, Night Sky, last month, and the Free Press already got the scoop on the new songs in a previous story published just a few weeks ago, so rather than continuing to ask about the music, we asked about their moms instead.

Below, Hamilton and each of her bandmates provide some insight into how their mothers have helped or encouraged their musical and artistic endeavours:

Here’s what they said:

I have a very supportive mum. I was a very creative kid and I always had an instrument or craft material in my hands. I could famously do a lot with a roll of tape, and then there was the extreme yarn-doll phase of ’92. I think it was obvious from early on that I was a creative type, and my mum, Catherine Hamilton, always noticed and supported me. She would save cool containers from the recycling for me and my sister, or bring us home wood scraps, paints, and tools. “Wow, my kid is an artist!” was, and still is, one of her maternal catch phrases. She also taught me a million ways to be vulnerable and real with myself; she supported me to grow and heal and look inward, and that is a skill set I use in my songwriting all the time. I Love you mum! You are remarkable and I know it.

— Raine Hamilton, vocalist and guitarist

My parents didn’t intend to set me on a music career path, but they know that exposure to creative activities could be the key to unlocking my shyness and apprehension around new experiences.

Thinking back on it, I can see the skills built during dance classes, choir and youth orchestra taught me how to interact, co-operate, and empathize with others. My mom, Mary Anne Vanderham, drove me to weekly cello lessons, just part of her own juggling act with six children. She gave up her evenings to do custodial work and fundraising at the dance school to cover some of our class fees. She spoiled us with art and music, always encouraging us get involved. Mom remains so supportive, as many of her children have creative careers that don’t offer the same security as a “normal” job might. Thanks to her generosity and sacrifices, I’ve accessed valuable life lessons and gained life-long friends through music and cello playing. And although I’m still shy, I’ve learned to follow my instincts into exciting musical adventures. Thanks Mom!

 — Natanielle Felicitas, cellist

My mom Lucille is the most amazing person, and throughout my life has been so loving, supportive, and encouraging of all my musical and artistic endeavors. As the youngest of five boys, my earliest memories of playing music are with the family band. As a toddler I would sit on the floor and pound away on the tambourine wearing my favorite white Michael Jackson-inspired glove. We’d play (and still do at family parties) kolomejkas, hopaks and fiddle tunes, with my mom lighting it up on accordion, dad and brothers on guitar, clarinet, and fiddles.

My mom and dad were so supportive of our artistic development, enrolling us in private music lessons, youth orchestras, recitals and gigs, putting on the miles on our station wagon packed full of instruments and coolers full of sandwiches. Lucille is the executive director of Artbeat Studio, a local mental health charity, and I’ve seen how her kindness, compassion, and joie de vivre has extended not just to my immediate family, but out into our Winnipeg community, supporting and inspiring so many people struggling with mental health difficulties and societal stigma. I remain totally inspired by my mom and am so grateful for all the love!

— Quintin Bart, bassist

Tickets for the Mother’s Day edition of the Sunday Brunch Collective on May 13 are on sale now. 

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel