Eddie Eastman brings Newfoundland’s musical past, present and future together in ‘Out of the Ashes’
From a trailblazing country music career to a new generation of homegrown talent, the Newfoundland-born singer is proving that the province’s musical fire is still burning bright.
There’s something special about Newfoundland music. It has a rhythm all its own, a deep connection to the people and the place, and a way of bringing generations together. Few artists understand that connection quite like Eddie Eastman, born and raised in the tiny town of Terra Nova.
A double Juno Award winner and one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s country music pioneers, Eastman has spent decades helping put the province on the musical map. Now, with his upcoming Out of the Ashes show, he’s doing something that feels particularly fitting, bringing some of Canadian country music’s most celebrated names together with a new generation of Newfoundland performers ready to make their own mark.
Eastman, who lives in Nashville with his daughter Sherida, is returning to his Newfoundland roots with a production that celebrates the province’s rich musical heritage while giving emerging talent an opportunity to shine. Joining him are Donna and Leroy Anderson, both members of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, along with 24-year-old Newfoundland singer Darcy Scott and a remarkable group of young musicians known as Make and Break.
It’s a combination of experience, fresh energy and homegrown talent – with Eastman right at the heart of it.
For Darcy Scott, the road to the stage is taking him well beyond this province. At just 24, the Newfoundland artist is currently in Nashville, recording songs and working on his music in the city where Eastman and his daughter Sherida call home.
It’s an exciting chapter for a young performer looking to turn his passion into a career. And when Out of the Ashes hits the stage, Scott will have the opportunity to open for some of the biggest names in Canadian country music.
For a young Newfoundland musician, that’s no small opportunity. With the Canadian Country Music Association Awards coming to this province next November, the spotlight is increasingly turning toward our musical talent. And Eastman is helping make sure the next chapter has a place onstage.
If Scott represents the next generation of country artists finding their way, another group is showing just how powerful music can be when young people come together. Meet Make and Break. The recently formed musical group brings together approximately 25 young musicians between the ages of 11 and 25, including high school students and students from Memorial University. The initiative was started by Ray Johnson and Peter, a teacher in Carbonear, with a shared love of music bringing the young performers together.
The group’s name takes its inspiration from the traditional make-and-break engine, a nod to Newfoundland’s history and the unmistakable rhythms that have always been part of life in the province. Among the musicians is Johnson’s grandson, Jasper Johnson, who plays both accordion and guitar.
And soon, these young performers will find themselves sharing the stage with Eastman and his band, performing Out of the Ashes.
The collaboration began with a search for a choir to join Eastman’s band on the song. That search led to a connection with Ray Johnson and an opportunity to showcase the musical community he and Peter have been building. What followed was a chance to bring generations together through the very thing Newfoundland has always done so well: music.
For Eastman, the production is about more than putting on a show. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the musical roots that helped shape his own career while opening doors for those following in his footsteps.
For audiences, it’s a chance to see Newfoundland’s musical story unfold in real time. And for Eastman, it brings the journey full circle – from a province that helped shape him to a stage where he can help shape the future.
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