A celebrated Labrador artist shares his story of losing everything because of alcohol and drug addictions ?–  finding his way back to sobriety by creating art

Scott Pynn,  born and raised in Labrador City, began painting and drawing at a young age under the guidance of his grandfather, Henry Pynn, also an artist. In school, Pynn studied engineering and psychology, neither of which he felt were the right professions for him. 

  “I said, I have to learn how to do something within the arts if I want to be happy in my life,” Pynn tells The Herald. 

It wasn’t long after that realization that he quit his job in construction to become a professional artist.

Success soon followed. Pynn, a talented visual painter, has sold his work and prints all over the world. His other business, a tattoo shop – the first of its kind to open in Labrador City – was also thriving. The business owner was living what remembers as “a great life.”

It was 15-years-ago when that life began to spiral. His struggles with addiction began as a teenager when he started drinking, leading to an alcohol addiction, and then to an addiction to cocaine. 

Says Pynn, “Addiction doesn’t take control of your life overnight,. It’s not like you drink once, and you’re an alcoholic, or you try cocaine once, and you’re addicted to coke. It’s a slow process.”

For Pynn, it came to the point where he was drinking hard liquor and using cocaine every single day. 

“I felt like I couldn’t even live without it. It spiraled to where I had no will to do anything else but drink and use.”

He lost everything that was dear to him? – ?his family, his money, his business and his health. He knew if he didn’t seek treatment for his addictions that he would die. “I always thought I was just one more night away from that fate.”

Pynn checked himself into the Humber Wood Rehabilitation Centre, in Corner Brook, in November 2021. The three weeks he spent there for treatment reconnected him to something he had replaced by drugs: ?his art. 

Pynn painted every day, realizing it was something that had gotten away from him over the years. “I painted maybe five pictures over two or three years. So when I went to Humber Wood, I promised myself that I was going to get back to my artwork.”

Today, he credits his passion for creating art, which kept his mind occupied, helping him towards his early recovery. 

At the end of his three-week stay, Pynn had painted between 20 and 25 pieces. Upon his release, he started a Facebook group, Scott Pynn Canadian Artist, which, in just one month, gained 25,000 members.

Life as an Artist

Pynn, who’s nearly 200 days sober, says his days now are rather routine. He wakes up early in the morning to practice yoga or meditate, listens to music, and paints all day long. It’s a routine that’s working out extremely well for him. 

“My relationships with my family are much better. The most important thing for any recovering addict to remember is people can’t help you if you don’t tell them what’s going on with you.”

He believes this is why he continues to receive such an outpouring of support from others? – ?it’s because he laid all his cards on the table. “I said, look, this is who I am, this is what happened to me, take me or leave me. But the support for me has just been unbelievable.”

It’s that level of support that gets Pynn through each day when, on any morning, he’ll see 500 Facebook messages from people all over the country, letting the artist know they are pulling for him. 

It’s that support that not only touches him, but gives him the accountability to stay committed to the path he’s on. “I’m not about to disappoint the 25,000 people in my Facebook group and go use or drink. That’s not an option for me anymore.”

Of the hundreds of messages left on Pynn’s group wall each day, he remembers one in particular from a young girl that particularly moved him. 

“She said my group is the most positive and addictive thing she’s seen on social media and my paintings look like they were done by someone who has crossed over to the other side and brought back the visions. I thought that was beautiful.”

Pynn says that everything he lost to his addiction? – ?his business, family, daughter, girlfriend and his health, he now has back. “Every day gets better than the last. I found it very easy to stay away from the drugs and alcohol once I had the knowledge of how to do it.”

Art of Recovery Program

For Pynn, it was important to him that addicts who have been suffering in silence have a place to turn. He recently launched an NFT project of 1111 different pieces and will be using a substantial portion of the revenues raised for his “Art of Recovery Program”, which helps pay for people to attend treatment centers and provides recovering addicts and people struggling with mental illness access to free art supply’s.

Since sharing his story, others have reached out to him to tell him he’s been an inspiration. “They’ll say I’ve been watching you, and you inspired me to decide to get clean. I know my story has made a difference in some people’s lives, for sure. Now that I’m helping other people, I feel amazing. Every day is better than the last.”

Find Scott Pynn at www.facebook.com/scottpynncanadianartist/ and www.spynnergy.com

Proud dad Chris Snelgrove extended the invite to one and all.

“Good morning. My son Ryan was the recipient this year of the Hair Factory Fund to pay for his driver training. The fund was awarded to him in conjunction with the Newfoundland and Labrador Autism Society.

‘Pay it forward’

“On (July 23rd) Ryan has organized an afternoon/evening of entertainment here in our back yard to raise money to help the next driver(s) in training; ‘Pay it Forward’ for the want of better way to explain his thoughts,” he shared.  

There was food and beverages and 14 entertainers – including Ryan himself.

Ryan and his mom Susan were busy setting up for the event when The Herald stopped by their home-turned-concert-venue in Heart’s Delight-Islington. Ryan, who’s 19, spoke first. “Today we’re having a bunch of performers here in our back garden. As people come in, we’re going to have a donation box set up so that they can drop as much money that they want to donate in there for  a great cause.” 

Kids do great things

Because Ryan was a recipient of the Hair Factory fund to pay for his driver training, he wanted to give back. 

“I thought what they did was very nice so as a thank you, I decided that I would make some more money to give back to them so someone else can take advantage of the same training and opportunities that I had.”

Wayne Button and his bandmates from A Black and White Night: a Tribute to Roy Orbison, were there to perform. So was Rodney Slade and Ryan’s cousin, Ben Diamond. 

Susan, Ryan’s mom, shared that this was “a great day” and she was so proud of her son. “He felt that because he was given this great opportunity and given the money from (the Hair Factory Fund), he would like to pay it forward so if two people next year want to get their license, then they can through these donations. It’s all in the aid of autism and autism awareness to spread the word that these kids can do great things.”

For more information visit asnl.ca 

“After the most wonderful journey in our music career, we’d like to present Relations Between Nations,” JohnBoy Walsh shared, introducing his latest music video to the online world.

“I have to thank most of all, my dad, Junior Walsh, for writing so many beautiful, meaningful songs – this one included. Thanks for giving us music and teaching us how to be better people each day,” he said. There were more words of thanks.  

“My beautiful mom, Mary Walsh, thanks for always being our biggest fan and for your unwavering love,” he shared. 

Brad Clarke, the video producer who also works extensively with The Newfoundland Herald, also received words of praise.  

Word of kindness

“Brad captured our lyrics in a way only he could.” But most of all, Walsh hoped that the message of the song, Relations between Nations, would be spread. 

“We hope the song is enjoyed and the song spread to help share the word of kindness. Shake a hand and be friendly. The video, when you watch it, really hammers home that message.”   

The song itself was written back in 1984 by Walsh’s father, Junior. “He put it on an album,  Newfound Aid for Africa. He produced an album with other Newfoundland musicians who got together to perform a benefit concert and record an album for Africa relief.”

Proceeds from the concert and album sales profits went to the Kinsman African Medical Relief Camp in Ethiopia.

Performances were by Dave & Aubrey, George Rowsell, Junior Walsh (often called the Silver Fox), Loretta Cormier, Reg Watkins, Simani, The Wiseman Brothers  and more. 

Received & shared

Walsh figured – with the situation being what it is in the world these days – it was time to reintroduce the song. 

“Not much has changed in the world, so to hear that song again would hopefully help a few people realize we need to come together. There’s too much turmoil in the world. Sometimes a song can help spread the message more than any politician or any other form of communication.”

The Marystown based duo share they’ve been receiving much support since releasing the tune.  “The music scene here was always great. We have a lot of bands that come here to play festivals or in bars because there’s so many enthusiastic music fans on the south coast. We play everything between George Jones and Stan Rogers to Blue Rodeo and my father’s music is a really big influence.” 

His father is his “litmus test for every song,” he added proudly. JohnBoy and Racquel’s music can be  found on digital platforms everywhere. The video can be found on their Facebook page and on YouTube. The main hope, he adds, is that the message behind Relations Between Nations is received and shared. 

“To me, the music itself is fine. But when you get the video behind it, it really portrays what you’re trying to say a lot better.” There’s been so much positive feedback, he added. “I’d love you to toast Brad for the video creation as his vision was really inspiring and it makes the message behind the song so powerful.”  

Look for  Relations Between Nations on a number of online platforms, including Amazon Music, Spotify and Apple Music.

Globally, more than 700,000 people take their own life every year, and every day an average of more than 10 Canadians die by suicide. Each and every suicide is a tragedy. It affects families, friends, and communities as a whole. 

While the link between suicide and mental disorders is well established, suicides can also happen impulsively in moments of crisis due to anything from life’s stresses and financial instability, to chronic pain and illness. 

Suicide rates are also extremely high amongst vulnerable groups who experience discrimination; refugees and migrants, indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQ+ community.

It’s no question that technological advancements and the use of the Internet and social media plays a negative role on mental health and suicide rates. Particularly for teens who tend to be far more susceptible to online bullying, and social media standards and influences, but it doesn’t only affect youth. Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts aren’t age, race or gender specific. 

Social media may hold a ton of negative influence, but it also has its place in creating safe spaces. It can aid in bringing people together, raising awareness, and offering support. Just ask singer-songwriter Gary Smith of Conception Bay South, who recently released his newest single online — Just One More Day.

“Just One More Day is a song I wrote about a lady I used to see as I went for walks. She was no one that I really knew, just someone who made my day brighter with a smile and a wave,” Smith shared in a one-on-one interview with The Newfoundland Herald. 

“One day I walked by and she was no longer there, and I met a family member who told me she had taken her own life the night before.” 

Messages in Music

The song, written by both Smith and his son Curtis, formerly Town House, was recorded with Billy Sutton. The music video, shot by Center City Media, was uploaded to YouTube in February and not only received thousands of views, but also an abundance of support.

“Music is different from most other forms of media,” Smith explained. “If you can capture the attention of someone through online music, and if the music delivers a message, then you have succeeded in breaking through a barrier. Hopefully people can take something away from that message to help improve some aspect of their life, and maybe see that we all share similar thoughts and experiences.”

In 1981, Smith picked up the guitar and subsequently started playing in a few folk festivals on the island, leading to the formation of Polly’s Pride, a band consisting of Smith and a few of his friends. Mainly performing in bars and festivals along the east coast, when the pandemic first hit, Smith was forced to find new ways to interact and share his music. He started recording videos and posting them to Facebook where he received tons of praise for his tunes. In the following months, Smith began posting music online on a regular basis.

Since the release of Just One More Day, he has received an outpour of support from the community. Smith has been contacted by a group of first responders, multiple victims’ families, and four suicide attempt survivors who felt deeply moved by his lyrics and the safe space his songs have created. 

“Being contacted by survivors, first responders and victims’ families is definitely one of the most gratifying parts of creating the video. I have always felt I owe a huge debt to those people, but in many cases they are the ones who pay the price,” Smith shared. “I was told by fire department members that they required help to try to get out from under the relentless images that will not go away. For them to thank me for my efforts seems to me to be a gross injustice, for it is I who is perpetually thankful for them.”

Be kind first

Smith continues to write and record meaningful music in hopes his lyrical messages can be of some form of comfort or support for his listeners. 

“It sounds cliché, but we all just need to be kind first and foremost. My life has been greatly enriched by embracing the differences. Not only do we not know what kind of day people have had, we also don’t know what influences affect them in their upbringing. We don’t know the traumas they’ve endured, and we also don’t know how close they are to a negative outcome. So in all cases, give them the benefit of the doubt and treat them like they matter.” 

Check out the song and music video for Just One More Day via YouTube Gary Smith MUSIC. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental heath and/or thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the Newfoundland and Labrador Crisis Lines at 1-888-737-4668 (Toll-free) or 709-737-4668 (Local). 

On November 29, 2021, Bill C-4, a bill to amend the criminal code making it illegal to practice conversion therapy in Canada, was tabled. 

NL’s own Gemma Hickey was invited to Ottawa by the Minister of Justice to witness this pivotal moment in the House of Commons.  

We sit down with Hickey to talk Pride and the advances made towards ending prejudice for those in the LGBTQQIP2SAA community.

 How did it make you feel when you realized real change would be forthcoming?

I never thought I’d live to see this day. My life could’ve ended as a statistic. I attempted suicide as a teenager because I saw a conversion therapist and spent the start of my senior year of high school in hospital recovering. I spoke at the press conference following the tabling of the bill alongside Ministers David Lametti, Marci Ien, Randy Boissonnault, Pascale St-Onge, and Rob Oliphant MP and dedicated my speech to all the members of my community whose lives ended tragically by suicide. 

Following the presser, I met with fellow Newfoundlander and Labradorian Minister Seamus O’Regan to celebrate. 

What exactly is conversion therapy? Can you explain to those who don’t know? 

It’s a pseudo-medical practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity to heterosexual or cisgender. Misleading marketing campaigns have promoted this view for years enabling countless vulnerable youth to be placed in harm’s way. 

Efforts to restrict and ban the practice have recently gained momentum due to the hard work of survivors like myself, who have shared our stories in the hopes that others will be spared. Together we formed a network and created the political will that converted a country. On December 2, 2021, through a rare occurrence of bi-partisan cooperation, conversion therapy became illegal in Canada. A bittersweet victory because of all the causalities my community endured.

It’s Pride season across the country. How far have we come? Are we getting to where we need to be? 

The activist in me was born the day I left that hospital. No one believed me that conversion therapy existed back then. I devoted the next three decades of my life to advocacy co-leading movements that fostered societal recognition, such as same-sex marriage, gender neutral identification, the removal of the gay blood ban, and so on. 

Locally, I became General Director of LBGT-MUN, co-chair of NGALE and chair of Pride until becoming more involved on the national scene as the Presidents of Egale Canada, PFLAG Canada and a founding member of Canadians for Equal Marriage. I’ve witnessed, and been a part of massive societal change, and although we’ve made great strides, we’re not there yet. 

We need accessible healthcare for transgender individuals, improved mental health supports for the LGBTQQIP2SAA community and representation within our education system. Also, if businesses and organizations are celebrating Pride and not updating their forms or computer systems to include gender-neutral options and the honorific Mx., they’re not practicing inclusivity. After I won my fight for gender-neutral identification I wrote airplanes, universities, insurance companies, etc. That fight continues to this day.

In July of 2015 you walked almost 1,000 kilometers across Newfoundland to raise funds and awareness for survivors of religious institutional abuse. The anniversary of your Hope Walk is coming up. Does the journey continue?

The journey never ends. I knew in 2013 when I founded the Pathways Foundation that we had only scratched the surface when it came to this issue. It’s been almost seven years since I ended my walk at the Mount Cashel Memorial in St. John’s. Since that time countless bodies of children have been discovered across the country at the former sites of residential schools and more allegations have surfaced against clergy all over the world. I formed a network with other Canadian survivors called ACTS Canada (Advocates for Clergy Trauma Survivors). 

We’ve been to Rome twice to lobby church officials to release church records, to the United Nations in Geneva to lobby against child torture and launched a national campaign to lobby the church to release the names of the credibly accused. Except for the UN, all other attempts remain futile, forcing survivors to litigate or remain in the shadows.

What is ‘On The Fringe’? can you expand this to fit two lines?

In my day job as Executive Director of Artforce (formerly For The Love Of Learning) I offer support to youth, many of whom are marginalized within society. They struggle with homelessness, addiction, mental health, etc. As an arts-based charity we offer creative projects in film, writing, photography, music, theatre, art, etc. We pair young people up with well-known artists from the community through workshops and mentorship programs and promote their work at festivals, exhibits, on stage or in a publication. On The Fringe is our latest production in partnership with Walsh Productions. It debuted on CBC Here & Now recently and highlights the challenges that sex workers faced during the pandemic. Some of our clients are sex workers and as a result couldn’t apply for government support during Covid-19. 

Do you have any bucket list items left to conquer? 

Always. I’ve got several projects ongoing now. I’m working on my second book and my first feature length documentary film. But I wouldn’t rule out politics or another long walk in my future. 

Every situation, good or bad, is an opportunity. My losses in life have turned me into a winner. 

While many see you as a leader and an advocate for all, do you see yourself as inspirational? 

I don’t really think about how others see me. I only think about how I see myself. When I look in the mirror now, I’m finally happy with the image staring back. I learned how to become the hero of my own story. I may not have faith in the institution of the church anymore, but I have faith in the people around me who inspire me every day. 

“Has life changed?,” opens our sitdown with Kellie Loder, the resident pride of Newfoundland and Labrador. “Change” could be the understatement of the century. Loder, who’s graduated from superstar-in-waiting to full-blown national treasure, chews the question for a moment.

“It’s pretty wild to go anywhere now and be recognized. It’s different. It’s strange. It’s lovely. It’s wonderful. But yeah, I feel like I’m made for it,” Loder shared honestly, before adding, even more candidly, “A part of me worries that it’s going to be like a flash in the pan, but I don’t feel like it is.”

For those firmly housed in a bubble, Loder made international waves for their runner-up performance in the sophomore season of Canada’s Got Talent. Wowing the all-star judges with one knockout showcase after another, Loder firmly cemented what many on this island and beyond already knew: Kellie Loder’s Got Talent.

“When I walked out for the first time, I was confident enough in my abilities that I almost knew that I would leave an impression because it’s either I leave an impression or all these people that have heard me sing before are lying to me. I felt confident. Went out and did the thing and, you know, blew some minds,” Loder laughs, echoing remarks from their debut performance.

‘I was hoarse’

Loder rocketed through the ranks of the series, earning a slot in the grand finale, though not one that came without struggle.

“What really was interesting about the finale and working so hard to get to that point where there were just eight acts left, I woke up the morning before the finale and I was hoarse,” Loder shared.

“My voice was only at like, 30 or 40 per cent. I have videos of me talking that day, and it’s just not good. Like it sounds like there’s a frog in there and it’s like, honest to God, really? We did the rehearsal the day before and after the rehearsal I cried because I felt like my voice let me down. And I had worked so hard to get to this point.”

Nursed back to health by a close friend and a medical team that rolled out what they referred to as “super-star treatment,” Loder entered the finale at roughly 70 per cent of their singing prowess, still managing to clock in at a more-than-impressive second place finish.

Loder admits the night of the finale was an emotional rollercoaster for all hands, with demand for the result so high that the series website crashed, with Newfoundland rallying en-masse behind their home-grown contender.

“Oh, there were a lot of emotions going on, I remember. All the acts were backstage in the ballroom watching the show when they weren’t on the stage themselves and I couldn’t even get through. Like I was on my phone trying to get through the website to see what people were talking about,” Loder recalled. 

“I just sort of sat there and I was like whatever happens, happens. We’ll call it destiny. We’ll call it fate. I was frustrated that people couldn’t get through of course. I was like everybody else.”

Despite a narrow loss to series winner Jeanick Fournier, Loder had arrived, firmly establishing themselves as a can’t miss musical heavyweight.

Rave reviews

In the immediate aftermath of their CGT run, Loder returned home to St. John’s for their first ever headline appearance at Holy Heart Theatre, one that earned rave reviews from the adoring Newfoundland faithful. 

“I really didn’t know how well we did, honestly, till I started seeing the feedback and talking to people” Loder admits. “And they said it was the best time they ever saw me. So I was like, okay then we’ll take it!”

Post-CGT and Loder is now firmly situated for success, acquiring a team that includes an established manager and booking agent, the fruits of years of tireless labours plying their trade and sharpening skills finally realized.

“Having a team now is just a game changer, really,” Loder said. “It’s like being a boxer and nobody believes in you enough to stand next to you, to grease your face up. And it just feels good to have people in your corner now. It just makes you feel stronger and makes you feel more fearless, no pun intended (laughs). You’ve been working hard your whole life at this and you’ve gotten really good at it. And now people want to help the dream come true.”

Sharing Stages

With their profile skyrocketing, and a slew of impact performances on deck – including the Ottawa Blues Fest, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, George Street Festival, and opening for Juno winner Chantal Kreviazuk in Niagara Falls, with an exclusive reveal of a cross-NL headline tour this September – Loder’s potential is limitless, as is the admiration from their home-province.

“I’m right there for it,” Loder shares with a smile. “I’m pleasantly surprised, like the way people talk about me and the way people lift me up in conversation, I’m just like, really? Me? It’s still very much like wow, that’s who you’re talking about, and who you’re talking about is me. I don’t know. I feel like I knew that this would happen eventually at this level, for sure. But I just didn’t know when it would or how it would. When you leave your house and somebody stops in the middle of the street in their car and gets out to give you a hug, there’s something to be said for that.

“You’re like a trailblazer in the eyes of a lot of people, right? They look up to you,” Loder adds reflectively. “I went to this school yesterday. I went to Rennie’s River Elementary and went to three different classrooms and sang songs for them, chatted to them and they thought I was like Freddie Mercury or something. They thought I was like Adele and they were lining up for autographs. Just like their little faces, man. I just can’t even handle it. They look at you and they say wow, that’s somebody who’s following their dreams. Such an experience, I could cry just thinking about it.”

Loder, who expressed that this island will “always be home,” is quick to respond to their thoughts on inspiring a new generation of dreamers.

A firm and fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Loder has seen the messages of those inspired by their fearless and candidly authentic run to super-stardom.

‘All I ever wanted’

“It’s so affirming, because that’s all I ever wanted. I love being a performer, yes. But at the end of the day, the reason I’m doing it is mostly for people to feel all the things, you know?,” Loder shared with passion. 

“Even through the songwriting, I want people to come to my show and have an experience and let their emotions come up and let them out and hopefully be inspired to also be true to who they are and live their best life, for lack of a better term. Walk in their truth, because when you walk in your truth there’s so much that happens that it just feels more aligned. It’s like going to the chiropractor for your heart. You go to the chiropractor, you get cracked and everything’s aligned again. When you walk in your truth, your heart gets aligned with your mind. And life just feels better. Colours look brighter. Food tastes better. Way to go. This is what living is.”

For more on Kellie Loder, including music and tour dates, visit kellieloder.com and all official social medias

“Mom was 97 when she died, and she always loved everyone – it didn’t matter their sexuality or  their colour or religion. Love was love as far as mom was concerned,” she said. 

The one thing her mother always treasured without question was her son – the late comedic great, Tommy Sexton of CODCO fame. 

“Mom set up The Tommy Sexton Centre in Tommy’s memory and that’s a huge thing, it’s a big accomplishment for anyone. And Mom’s acceptance and respect for every human changed attitudes towards homosexuals and she was all about being kind to our fellow men and women, no matter what their sexual preference or creed or colour or whatever,” she said proudly.

Remembering her brother, who died of AIDS at the age of 36 in 1993, Mary shared that, from a very young age, her mother referred to Tommy as “sensitive,” though she thinks now that her mother most likely always knew her son was gay. 

“Tommy was never ashamed. He used to say, ‘I’m not a practicing homosexual. I’ve practiced enough. I’m a full blown homosexual.’ And, you know, he was proud of the fact that he was who he was,” she said.

While Tommy’s comedic legacy is something to forever cherish, something else to never forget is how time-tested and true a mother’s love for her child should be, no matter what path their child travels. “My mom accepted Tommy as a talented, funny, beautiful human being and she always said she loved him for who he is and she never, ever wavered.” 

Kellie Loder is such a person deserving of all the praise, accolades and legacy-building moments they deserve. 

Loder, who by now you’d know kicked serious ass in the second season of Canada’s Got Talent, is the total package of talent and humility, a down-to-earth, let’s have a tea and chat before I tear the house-down with this song sort, who unapologetically rocked the nation to its core this past spring.

And no, while Loder did not take home the title, we Newfoundlanders – who damn near broke the Internet in an attempt to make it so – have more than embraced the gifted artist and entertainer as our next flag-bearer. 

Here’s why that’s important.

Loder is authentic. In an industry that breeds parody, shifting ideologies and mask-wearing (and no, not the COVID-kind), they are as true to self as one can be.

Proudly wearing their provincial pride and this-is-me take it or leave it attitude on their sleeve, Loder has a chance – a real honest-to-goodness chance – at becoming much more than a successful singer-songwriter. Few can transcend that paper-thin line between artist and all-out inspiration, and Loder is knocking on that door.

By allowing the next wave of dreamers who dare to – as Loder so profoundly puts it – walk in their truth, Loder shoulders the real-world responsibility of becoming an ideal, one that says that reality of place, circumstance or identity cannot and will not hold you down from dream-catching.

When asked in our in-depth and emotional cover-story sitdown what exactly it means to the rising talent to become a role-model, Loder was quick with an emotionally cutting response: “It’s so affirming, because that’s all I ever wanted … I want people to come to my show and have an experience and let their emotions come up and let them out. And hopefully be inspired to also be true to who they are and live their best life.”

Loder, indeed, is living their best life, with all the truth, authenticity and enviable passion that separates the goods from the true greats. 

I don’t exactly know what the future holds for Kellie Loder. But be it money, fame or worldwide travel badges, they have earned it, and not the easy way. Because sometimes good things happen to good people.

Dillon Collins, The Herald’s Staff Writer, can be reached by emailing dcollins@nfldherald.com

Who are we? What is our purpose? What do we do when that purpose is gone?

Those were looming questions Catherine Allan and Andrew James O’Brien – aka award-winning duo Fortunate Ones – wrestled in recent years wrought with massive shifts and changes both personally and professionally.

For O’Brien, that change began in 2019, where a procedure on his hand led to him unable to play guitar in any meaningful way for the short-term.

“At the time it just felt like a physical inconvenience, I think, in a lot of ways. We were headed toward and already feeling kind of professional burnout in some ways. We had toured so relentlessly for many years without any real stopping. It just felt like that’s what you do,” O’Brien shared in a stidown with The Herald. 

“So at the time when I had my finger operated on, I wasn’t really thinking about it in the grander sense of life. It was more of an inconvenience. But I started working at The Inn by Mallard Cottage, and it was this job that I took just to do something in the downtime. And I really kind of got into it.

“Once my hand healed I was playing guitar for fun, which is something that I hadn’t done for years. I felt burnt on the instrument. I felt like I had hit a ceiling in my playing. I didn’t feel creative. And then all of a sudden, with this slowdown, it started to creep back in naturally, this kind of creativity and the need to explore or kind of mentally debrief after years of constantly grinding. And then COVID happened, and it was like the ultimate universal reaffirmation that the slowdown was necessary.”

Time to breathe

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic may have served as a grim and uncertain cloud for many in the music industry, but for Allan and O’Brien, it was a respite from tireless years of performance-based burnout.

With O’Brien becoming sober in February 2020, and the duo still re-charging from their tireless schedule for the past five years, the global shutdown became almost therapeutic for a pair in need of time to breathe.

“I had actually gotten sober in February 2020. Didn’t know what COVID was at the time. And so coincidentally, it was basically like the universe was telling me I needed to recalibrate. So the pandemic was this ultimate kind of audit of life. And then when I got down to it, we were able to focus on important life changes and just rest and self-care, getting back to each other. And that was the catalyst for all this kind of creative, almost like a personal, creative renaissance,” O’Brien shared candidly.

“We sort of retreated,” adds Allan. “And we could see a lot of our peers really panicking, which is really unfortunate, racing to see what are we going to do during this time and doing the online shows and whatever they could to keep their ship going, whereas we completely retreated because we had no idea. We thought okay, we need to really reset here and maybe the best use of our time for now is to keep writing, keep making and relax into that.”

Relaxation and mediation would come in the form of a house sitting gig in rural Newfoundland, where the in-and-out-of-music couple would take to a salt box house in English Harbour.

“Honest to God, I thought so many times when I was out there, like this is saving me,” Allan admits. “Just the quiet, looking at the ocean, trying not to get swept up in the panic of the moment, which was really hard for all of us. And we all had our freak out moments. But rural Newfoundland really gave back to us over these last couple of years.”

The pandemic downtime proved fertile creative ground, with O’Brien and Allan communicating with their producer Joshua Van Tassel remotely, setting to work on their third studio album That Was You and Me. 

With production for the album originally scheduled for the spring of 2020, the duo worked remotely with Van Tassel, working on demos in their home before heading to Toronto to record in October of 2020.

Therapeutic distraction

“One thing about having that extra time, because the majority of the songs were written pre-pandemic, we really got to like live inside them when we actually demoed them ourselves and bounce ideas back and forth with Josh,” explained Allan. “We really got to live them and it was such a good distraction and sort of therapeutic to really get inside those songs.”

The promising upstarts that burst on a national stage with their debut album The Bliss in 2015 and the seasoned and battle-tested professionals before us in 2022 – distanced by time and life lessons – couldn’t be more different artists and indeed people.

Desires, dreams and realities change. For O’Brien, realizing there’s indeed life after music, was a strong catalyst in his own road to personal growth and healing.

“Ever since I was 18, I in some way wanted to be an artist or a performer. At first it was an actor for a brief time and very quickly became, no matter what it takes I’m going to be a musician. I’m going to be a songwriter. I’ll do absolutely everything it takes,” he shared. 

‘An honest way’

“And then when you realize you put all this work in and then all of what you’ve built gets taken away so abruptly and kind of profoundly, coupled with the pandemic and me kind of happily working at this inn in Quidi Vidi, writing and playing for fun again for the first time in years, I realized that I wasn’t interested in dying on the hill of music as my sole career or sole identity or sole pursuit. 

“And I think once I actually reckoned with that and kind of came to a place of peace with that, it opened me wide up creatively. I felt the pressure was gone. I felt like it didn’t matter to me how what I was creating was received. It just felt good to be doing it in an honest way again. And I realized that I can play guitar and sing and write songs for fun and do other things for money if I have to and if I want to.”

A beautiful new album, new management team and publishing deal, and the future shines bright for two of our province’s finest musicians, and warmly welcoming humans.

For now though the final word goes to Allan, who channels the good words from the bands’ deeply personal, emotive and all-together from the heart record.

“I’m going to quote a lyric from that new record. ‘All the moments you had, both the good and the bad are just a part of your story.’ It feels like we’re on steady ground for the first time in a couple of years and everything was worth it leading up to now.”

For more information on Fortunate Ones and That Was You And Me visit fortunateones.ca

Without missing a step, Jeremy Bennett returns to inspiring others with his positivity and high-energy words.

By Jason Sheppard

For the first time in two years, on June 8th, NL author and motivational speaker Jeremy Bennett stood in front of an audience of 100 listeners and delivered a solid 90-minute presentation. Watching him, you’d have thought he’d been doing this every week since the winter of 2020.

“It was great to be up here speaking tonight,” Bennett told The Herald minutes after his event held at the Comfort Inn had ended. While the audience was milling about, discussing what they had taken in, Bennett summed up the experience as “fantastic.”

Indeed, Bennett’s first live event since the first COVID-19 lockdown two years ago was filled with excitement, and it was a night the speaker had been looking forward to for a long time.

“This was a wonderful crowd,” he said. “They were all willing to learn, and I could see they were here for the right reasons.”

Bennett, the author of three best-selling books (Calm Your Mind, The Power of The Mind: How I Beat OCD, and The Solution) dedicated the bulk of his presentation to the TLM (“Top Line Mind”) Method of Thinking which he says, “can help create the correct mindset to help you achieve your goals.”

The positive thinker/speaker spoke about topics such as how positive vs. negative thinking affects our decisions, learning to calm anxiety, creating effective ways to attain goals, and how the subconscious mind affects us. And reminding ourselves of what it is we want in life.

And during those 90-minutes, Bennett had every member in that audience hanging onto his every word, who lauded his message after it was over.

“I thought it was a fantastic and enlightening event,” said Nathan Peters of AON Insurance, one of the local businesses on hand to hear Bennett speak. “He (Bennett) spoke about things you don’t think of every day. The things he spoke about we can implement in life going forward.”

One crucial topic audience members felt Bennett talked was about paying attention to our mindset.

“Jeremy gave a resounding message on how important our mindsets are to succeed or failing and meeting our goals,” says Velma Budgell of Royal LePage Vision Realty.

“Positivity and seeing the right things are so important, but our mind has to be in sync with everything that we’re seeing. If our mindset is negative or in the wrong place, then that’s what we’re going to see. If we’re in a good mindset, and we see an opportunity.

“It’s life! Life is tough and how we handle life depends upon our mindset lots of times.”