Address:
272 Water Street,
St. John's, Newfoundland
Canada
A1C 1B7
Auntie Crae's House Band
Cornelius Francis Maher grew up in The Battery where he lived in the torn-down blue house that was painted green. As a child, armed only with a harmonica and a small dory, Frank parted many a U.S. serviceman from his coin in St. John's harbour. In time he graduated to a more lethal weapon - the accordion - and the rest is history. Frank has played with just about every traditional musician in Newfoundland and many bands including The Quidi Vidi Minstrels, Figgy Duff and The Plankerdown Band. He is the 2003 recipient of the St. John's Folk Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award.
Stan Pickett is a fine upstanding man from a community resettled in the 1960s - Fair Island in Bonavista Bay. Despite his handicap (he also plays the accordion), he had a successful career as a high school teacher in St. John's and never ran afoul of the law. Stan learned much of his large repertoire playing at square dances with his father and has composed several GREAT tunes himself. Like Frank, Stan has played with many Newfoundland musicians in sessions, folk clubs and festivals and has been featured on CBC radio and Vision TV. Andrew Lang has a murky past for a dentist, but it is hard not to like this amiable fellow. He grew up somewhere in England then spent five years in Australia dodging kangaroos with bad teeth before appearing on the local folk scene several years ago. He plays a beast called the 'mandola' which is sort of a mandolin on steroids. It sounds quite nice especially when accompanied by the voices of Atlantic Union, a trad-bluegrass band comprised of Andrew, Sally Goddard and Dan Rubin. Sally and Dan often join the Auntie Crae Band for a few songs and tunes on Tuesdays.
Rick West was raised in Montreal and ended up as a bug scientist in St. John's in 1984. Ten years later he bought his first bodhran and got addicted to session music. This sickness was so bad that when his lab left for Corner Brook in 1998 he stayed put to hang out with the likes of Frank and others immersed in the local trad scene. Rick is also a member of Mahers Bahers and has recorded with Snotty Var, Eamonn Dillon, Erin Cassidy and Atlantic Union. Other interests include webmastering the St. John's Folk Art Council's web site.
Photo credits: Frank and Stan (R. West), Andrew (Dawne Brown), Rick (Clay Coombs).
Cornelius Francis Maher grew up in The Battery where he lived in the torn-down blue house that was painted green. As a child, armed only with a harmonica and a small dory, Frank parted many a U.S. serviceman from his coin in St. John's harbour. In time he graduated to a more lethal weapon - the accordion - and the rest is history. Frank has played with just about every traditional musician in Newfoundland and many bands including The Quidi Vidi Minstrels, Figgy Duff and The Plankerdown Band. He is the 2003 recipient of the St. John's Folk Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award.
Stan Pickett is a fine upstanding man from a community resettled in the 1960s - Fair Island in Bonavista Bay. Despite his handicap (he also plays the accordion), he had a successful career as a high school teacher in St. John's and never ran afoul of the law. Stan learned much of his large repertoire playing at square dances with his father and has composed several GREAT tunes himself. Like Frank, Stan has played with many Newfoundland musicians in sessions, folk clubs and festivals and has been featured on CBC radio and Vision TV.
Andrew Lang has a murky past for a dentist, but it is hard not to like this amiable fellow. He grew up somewhere in England then spent five years in Australia dodging kangaroos with bad teeth before appearing on the local folk scene several years ago. He plays a beast called the 'mandola' which is sort of a mandolin on steroids. It sounds quite nice especially when accompanied by the voices of Atlantic Union, a trad-bluegrass band comprised of Andrew, Sally Goddard and Dan Rubin. Sally and Dan often join the Auntie Crae Band for a few songs and tunes on Tuesdays. 
Rick West was raised in Montreal and ended up as a bug scientist in St. John's in 1984. Ten years later he bought his first bodhran and got addicted to session music. This sickness was so bad that when his lab left for Corner Brook in 1998 he stayed put to hang out with the likes of Frank and others immersed in the local trad scene. Rick is also a member of Mahers Bahers and has recorded with Snotty Var, Eamonn Dillon, Erin Cassidy and Atlantic Union. Other interests include webmastering the St. John's Folk Art Council's web site.