I toured around eastern Canada with my parents when I was in my early teens. While we were staying in a tiny hotel somewhere in Nova Scotia, the Irish Descendants played in the pub downstairs. They covered a few Stan Rogers songs, like “Barrett's Privateers” and “The Mary Ellen Carter.” I bought their cassette tape and listened to it in the car over and over. We must have only brought a couple of tapes on that trip. Anyway, I could sing along to several Stan Rogers songs before I even knew he existed, and did so at the top of my lungs in a small car. My poor parents. A wholehearted thanks to the Canadian folk artists that keep performing those spirited songs.