On Thursday morning, Dave Penny formally ended a steered hundred-day isolation interval that adopted his prognosis and stem cell remedy for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
On Thursday night time, Penny returned to a stage at a downtown St. John’s bar, regaling a small crowd with songs and tales with a particular Newfoundland aptitude.
The musician has mounted a comeback, greater than a yr after a most cancers prognosis derailed his profession as a particular Newfoundland storyteller.
“All weapons blazing,” he mentioned earlier than the present on Thursday. “Can’t wait.”
Penny is among the few public performers of recitations, a Newfoundland custom — stretching again so far as anybody can keep in mind — that blends tune and poetry and storytelling.
“It’s not a industrial factor,” he mentioned. “It’s one thing that you’d do at events. … It’s not a moneymaker, I can attest to that.”
It’s a mixture of Irish, English and European affect that arrived with European settlement. Many years of isolation in small, cut-off communities gave it a particular native aptitude.
Recitations are humorous — typically a witty and satirical tackle fictional or historic occasion — however nearly by no means merciless.
“It’s typically a couple of misfortune,” Penny mentioned. “It wouldn’t be a tribute to a flower or one thing like that. It may be an individual who likes the flower a lot, they purchase a home filled with them and is allergic.”
There are just a few well-known recitation-tellers within the province, and Penny is rapidly rising the ranks. He’s written about a few of the province’s most exceptional native tales: A large snowstorm that sparked a state of emergency, or a large lottery that drew 1000’s of individuals to the Goulds neighbourhood of St. John’s.
“He’s kind-hearted, he’s intelligent and witty and snappy and quick,” mentioned Daunt Lee, Penny’s self-described side-man. “It’s at all times with a kindness that goes together with it.”
Penny’s most cancers prognosis got here out of the blue: A number of suppressed signs that he didn’t acknowledge, a COVID-19 prognosis, then a flurry of assessments, remedies and check-ins.
Two weeks had handed since his final pre-cancer live performance, on Aug. 30. 2023, and a visit to the ICU. Penny acquired a stem cell transplant, which was adopted by 100 day steered isolation interval.
“It was rotten,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless it’s over now: “I’m getting my hair again. I can exit in public. Life is sweet,” he mentioned.
Recitation isn’t the most well-liked medium — however Penny says it’s not a dying artwork. He thinks there’s a comeback within the works, with storytelling festivals, recordings and extra workshops than ever earlier than.
“Possibly it’s on the upswing,” he mentioned. “A few folks, you recognize, they requested me the place to seek out recitations.”
Some recitations are completed with none musical backing in any respect, however Penny tends to include guitar, mandolin or accordion into his performances.
Lee and Penny have been taking part in collectively since 2018 – and the years since haven’t been probably the most secure. The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent social-distancing measures, made live shows awfully exhausting to prepare. And that was exacerbated by Penny’s sickness.
However now the coast is evident. And Lee has a wishlist: some excursions of the province, some people competition live shows and even a tour in Australia.
“Success for me could be if Dave’s identify grew to become a family identify in Newfoundland,” Lee mentioned. “I actually, actually, with my entire coronary heart, imagine that that’s nearly legal if it would not occur.”
