While it has been confirmed that the band has officially retired, former members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have continued performing in their own solo careers typically including music from Great Big Sea in their setlists.
The band played its first official concert on March 11, 1993, opening for The Irish Descendants at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. The founding band members included Alan Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Séan McCann (vocals, bodhrán, guitar, tin whistle), Darrell Power (vocals, bass, guitar, bones), and Bob Hallett (vocals, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina, bouzouki, whistles, bagpipes).
Power, McCann and Hallett had already been playing together in another band. In the winter of 1989, the band, a six-piece with guitar, bass, fiddle, accordion and mandolin played its first show at the Memorial University's winter carnival talent show under the name "Newfoundland Republican Army" or NRA, and won first prize. The band's only other appearance as NRA was later that winter at the university "Grad House". The band then dropped the fiddler, accordion player and the name.
The band found its new name as original bassist Jeff Scott rented an apartment on Rankin Street, St. John's, where the members first met and discussed the formation of the band. As a four-piece, the band first appeared as "Rankin Street" at a little pub in downtown St. John's called "The Rose and Thistle", playing for $100 and beer. They played through Sean McCann's stereo system, as renting a PA would have cost more than the night's earnings. Susan Hickey (guitar and vocals) left the band months later to attend school in Halifax and was replaced by Darrell Power. The band gained much popularity playing such local pubs as Bridget's and Greensleeves. In 1991 Jeff Scott was replaced by Jackie St. Croix on bass. The band released one recording on cassette titled "Rankin Street".
In 1997, the band reached the top ten of the Canadian RPM pop chart with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a cover of a song by the British folk group Oysterband. They performed at the 1999 Stardust Picnic festival at Historic Fort York, Toronto.
The band won the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated for several Juno Awards, including Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
Darrell Power retired from Great Big Sea in 2003 to spend more time with his family and friends. Supporting members of the band include Canadian freelance drummer Kris MacFarlane (2002) (drums, accordion, guitar, backing vocals) and Murray Foster (2003, formerly of the band Moxy Früvous) (bass, backing vocals).
In late 2005, the band released its long-awaited "traditional" album, The Hard and the Easy, on which they recorded their favourite Newfoundland party songs. The title of the album comes from a line of the song "Tickle Cove Pond", one of two songs on the album about a horse falling through ice.
On June 13, 2007, the band announced they would return to the studio with producer Hawksley Workman. On March 14, 2008, the band announced that the title of the new album would be Fortune's Favour, borrowing a phrase from one of the songs on the album, "England". The album was officially released on June 24, 2008 across all of North America.
On February 23, 2010, band member Séan McCann released his debut solo album Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes to pleasing critical success.
On July 13, 2010, Great Big Sea released their new album Safe Upon the Shore in North America. Alan's "From the Road" blog on the band's website, originally confirmed its production in an April posting, speaking also of the album's subsequent release in July. "Nothing But A Song" was the first single off the bands' ninth studio recording, with a subsequent tour kicking off at the end of the summer 2010.
Great Big Sea announced a 'greatest hits' album titled "XX" in October 2012, accompanied by a 20th anniversary tour with 32 dates in 28 cities across the US and Canada which kicked off on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles and finished in St. John's on April 23, 2013.
In 2013, McCann announced that he would be leaving the band at the end of the XX tour, much to the dismay of his bandmates. Struggling to maintain his new sobriety, he told his bandmates in January of 2013 that XX would be his last tour with the band, but the rest of the band and its management refused to announce this publicly. Finally, in November 2013 with XX almost over, McCann announced his departure himself in a tweet, feeling that the fans needed to know. While largely vilified by Great Big Sea fans with little said by the band or management to counter this view, McCann claims he was devastated by how Great Big Sea ended and wishes it could have gone differently.
Following McCann's departure, the remaining band members spent a year or so trying to find an amicable way that they could continue without him. Eventually coming to the realization that they didn’t want to go on like that, and happily retiring the band.
Nothing out of Nothing
Great Big Sea Lyrics
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Out on my own, to seek my fortune
But there is no work to occupy these young hands
So look out boy you're heading for the mainland
[Chorus]
What do you do? You can't make nothing out of nothing
Everybody needs a start
In my country back is heart.
Well, I was born on a St.John's street
Where all my hopes could meet with defeat
I hide my fear in higher education
Now I am so smart I could rule this content-nation
[Chorus]
Now I'm alone but I'm working everyday
I'm getting stoned and I'm blowing all my pay
Just to survive I'll do whatever I can
Now, I'm alive, but how can I be a real man?
[Chorus]
The song “Nothing out of Nothing” by Great Big Sea talks about the struggles of a young man who leaves his home by the ocean to find work and fortune in the mainland. He faces the harsh reality of not being able to find work and is forced to do whatever it takes to survive. The chorus repeats the message that one cannot make something out of nothing and everyone needs a start. It highlights the importance of having a foundation and support system.
In the second verse, the singer reveals that he comes from a place where hopes can easily be defeated, but he manages to hide his fear by pursuing higher education. However, this comes with its own set of problems as he becomes overconfident in his abilities and believes he can rule the continent.
The last verse shows the singer being alone, getting stoned and blowing his pay just to survive. He becomes conflicted with how he can be a "real man" under these circumstances. It's a poignant portrayal of the struggles to make ends meet and the compromises that one has to make in order to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Left my home and family by the ocean
I left my familiar surroundings and loved ones living by the sea.
Out on my own, to seek my fortune
I ventured out independently to find wealth and opportunities.
But there is no work to occupy these young hands
However, I couldn't find any job prospects that match my youthful capabilities.
So look out boy you're heading for the mainland
Therefore, I should be cautious and head to the mainland for better prospects.
What do you do? You can't make nothing out of nothing
What's the solution? You can't create something out of nothingness.
Everybody needs a start
Everyone needs a beginning point to achieve success.
In my country back is heart.
In my homeland, I rely on the support and loyalty of my community.
Well, I was born on a St. John's street
I was born on a street in St. John's town.
Where all my hopes could meet with defeat
This town was a place where my aspirations could easily come to failure.
I hide my fear in higher education
I concealed my fear by pursuing higher education.
Now I am so smart I could rule this content-nation
Now, I am so educated and intelligent that I could govern this prosperous land.
Now I'm alone but I'm working everyday
Currently, I work alone daily.
I'm getting stoned and I'm blowing all my pay
I'm abusing drugs and spending all my money.
Just to survive I'll do whatever I can
To live, I'll do whatever necessary.
Now, I'm alive, but how can I be a real man?
However, I'm alive, but I'm unsure if I embody true masculinity.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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