Robin and Linda Williams

The fall season of the Calgary Folk Club has been like a wedding: “Something old, something new.” Robin and Linda Williams are part of the something old with 36 years of marriage and musical partnership under their belts. Does that make them troopers (soldiering on) or troupers (the show must go on)? When asked the secret of such longevity, Linda answered, “Compromise, compromise.” When asked where her vibrato had gone, she said, “I couldn’t stand listening to it, so I got rid of it.” Note to Robin: Don’t push the compromise.

On Friday night, it was not hard to see why the Calgary Folk Club asked this group back for their eighth appearance (the first being way back in 1981). The familiar duo and their band sang, plucked, kibitzed, and dazzled their way through an evening of beautifully crafted original songs. The lyrics of these songs often spoke directly to how longtime fans of this group may have been feeling: Old spouses, friends, and styles of music (whether they are fashionable or not) are always still worth a love song or two.

Certainly, the showmanship of the duo was worthy of the love the fans were giving them. Linda deftly showcased her frailing style of banjo playing (see Pete Seeger’s “How to Play the 5 String Banjo”) and charmed the audience with such lines as “Everyone, this is my current husband, Robin Williams.” Robin, not to be outdone, provided the effortless melodies, harmonies, guitar playing, and unassuming charm that fans have come to expect over the years. The combination of these two talents was, as you might expect, golden.

Of course, the back-up musicians (“The Fine Band”) were an integral part of the show and provided a slightly hybrid feel to the music. Jim Watson, the image of stolid intensity (or St. Paul with a bass) held to his bluegrass sensibilities while Dr. Chris Brashear, playing hooky from his vet practice, with his fiddle, violin and fine voice, seemed to be drinking from the fountain of old time music. Both Jim and Chris had opportunities to showcase songs of their own which stood in interesting contrast to the originals by Robin and Linda.

Murder, homelessness, alcoholism, hallowed old instruments, and last night’s fight were all topics for the stage on Friday night. Similarly, the band flirted with bluegrass, country, gospel, and yes, even folk, to show that even “something old” can be entirely, surprisingly, and entertainingly new. We can only hope that Robin and Linda will one day be back for appearance number nine.