Great Big Sea to rock great big crowd at the Byham Theater

When faced with the choice between paying off college loans or becoming a folk-rock sensation,… When faced with the choice between paying off college loans or becoming a folk-rock sensation, Great Big Sea’s Bob Hallettt had a difficult decision to make. He did both. ‘One time when in the dead of winter the tour bus rolled into a ditch, running outside without pants and trying to dig it out with a shoe. Damn it, why didn’t I go for a graduate degree?’ said the fiddle, accordion and tin whistle player and founding member of the Canadian group. Fused with stellar vocals, ancient hymns and a dedication to rock, Great Big Sea blends traditional folk music with pop. From its garage band beginnings 14 years ago in Newfoundland to the band’s commercial spread across Canada, Hallettt, Sean McCann and Alan Doyle have never forgotten their university roots. Great Big Sea is the brainchild of singer/guitarist Doyle, percussionist McCann, who jams out on the bodhran, a traditional Irish drum, and Hallett. In their college days, the members of Great Big Sea could be found jamming out in garages, trying to make as much money as possible and practicing until their fingers felt like they’d fall off. ‘It was our part-time job,’ said Hallettt. ‘We jammed at bars three or four times a week, scoring 300 to 400 bucks. It put us through school, even if we had to sleep through early morning classes. ‘You know some guys just sit around and drink,’ he added. ‘But after the excitement of being drunk every night wears off, you have to do something during the day.’ He’s done more than just something. Hallett, now 40, took a journalism job right out of college, then dabbled in the business management side of the music industry, wrote textbooks for young adults and music business instructional pieces for the Canadian government. And for years, he toured with Great Big Sea for more than 300 days out of the year. ‘ ‘I’m not going to live 1,000 years,’ he said. ‘So I want to use my time in the best way that I can, whether as a painter, a writer or a professional bullshitter.’ For the past 14 years, Great Big Sea has put together more than bullshit. The band has produced 10 albums and won East Coast Music’s most prestigious awards: Entertainer of the Year and Group of the Year. Great Big Sea’s 2002 release, Sea of No Cares, debuted as the best-selling album in Canada. Hallett’s publicity led the band to sell more than 15,000 records without a label. The success prompted the attention of Warner Music Canada. Success hasn’t swayed the band from its roots, though. Great Big Sea still focuses its music on Newfoundland’s history. ‘We make the music of our country interesting, fun and exiting,’ said Hallettt. ‘So when the audience lets its guard down, we can tell them stories of our people and our history. ‘We approached folk music with a punk-rock ethos, drinking with the crowd, yelling at the crowd. The whole affair is about entertaining the audience,’ he said.