Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX Vancouver Island's most advanced real estate business network since 1996. Marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, recreational, investment, and project development real estate, you'll find true real estate professionals at ianlindsay.ca.

Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter. Here comes Dave. Oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missin'. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So much laughs and insights everywhere. Peter and Dave, they're on the mics. Alright, join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.

Peter McCully: Welcome back to the Pulse Community Podcast. I'm Peter McCully, and we're looking ahead to some exciting events coming up on mid Vancouver Island as we move deeper into this new year.

Dave Graham: And I'm Dave Graham. Yes. February is upon us, which means Valentine's Day is just around the corner. The clock is ticking. Pressure's building—what to buy, how much to spend? Does the cost of something act as a measure of how much you love or like that person? There's a lot going on.

Peter McCully: Already thinking about Valentine's Day, are we, Dave?

Dave Graham: Who me? Valentine's Day? No, I'm cool just as long as I don't end up at a gas station on February 14th looking over the leftover bouquets—all sad and wilty sitting there beside the engaging display of beef jerky.

Peter McCully: Well, I'm not judging, but maybe this year you might wanna aim just a little bit higher.

Dave Graham: You may be onto something. I have learned that employing the phrase "it's the thought that counts" only goes so far. Hey, we have another event coming. BC Family Day is coming up. For our listeners from around the world, we, residents of British Columbia, need a day off once a year in order to spend time with family because we're also very busy hanging out with other people the rest of the time. Did I get that right?

Peter McCully: Well, something like that. If you're looking for something to do on Family Day, the Coombs Fairgrounds will be hosting some events and we'll tell you more about that later.

Dave Graham: Peter, question for you. Super Bowl. Do you snack? Do you prepare something special, or just toss chips or popcorn into a bowl?

Peter McCully: I've been known to snack, Dave. Why do you ask?

Dave Graham: I'm just keeping my eyes out for snacking options. You know, I might miss the game, but I wouldn't wanna miss a good recipe. Football games come and go, but snacks are forever.

Peter McCully: Well, I'm not sure that makes any sense, but I do get your point. We're excited to announce that the hosts of our F3 podcast, Erin and chef Jonathan Frazier, will be attending the game in San Francisco and they'll be sending us podcast reports on the big game.

Dave Graham: That's pretty cool. You know, come to think of it, I don't know that I've ever known anyone who's actually been to the Super Bowl, and of course it's entirely possible that Jonathan will come back with some new tailgate recipes. His recipes so far have been home runs.

Peter McCully: Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say his recipes have been touchdowns?

Dave Graham: Well, you know me in sports anyway. Let me tell you about one of this week's guests, Terra Spencer. She just won the Music Nova Scotia Entertainer of the Year Award, and she's going to be appearing at Knox United Church in Parksville.

Terra Spencer: The German audiences in particular were so music hungry. They were the most attentive listeners. Everyone in the room was packed together, standing shoulder to shoulder, and we could not play long enough for those people. And it completely changed my framework mentally about how music, even what I write, which is very wordy, very story driven, could connect with people anywhere in the world.

Dave Graham: What a journey from funeral director to award-winning songwriter. I'm looking forward to hearing more on that story. Also, this week, Cam Cruikshank, the Assistant Fire Chief with the Parksville Fire Department. He'll be joining us to discuss opportunities for those interested in volunteer firefighting.

Cam Cruikshank: One thing that we always hear from our members is that they don't realize how rewarding it is, especially when you work in your community as a volunteer firefighter. You get to know a lot of people, your friends and neighbours, and then a chance to give back. We do a lot of public education events, so we're out in the community doing different charity events, and so that's also very rewarding.

Peter McCully: Assistant Fire Chief Cam Cruikshank will be here. He'll be coming up shortly. Coming soon, pharmacist Aki Shah joins us to discuss seasonal affective disorder, mental health medications, and practical strategies for maintaining wellness during those darker months here on Vancouver Island.

Dave Graham: Adrian Raeside, who was well known for his sharp drawing pencil and sharp wit, will be here to talk about his latest book, The Canada Handbook.

Peter McCully: And the lineup has been announced for Sun Fest. We'll be chatting with Mike Hann about the biggest music event on the island on a future episode of the Pulse Community Podcast.

Dave Graham: And if you have someone in mind that you think we should be talking to, then please speak to us. You can reach us and leave a voice or a text message. Head to our website and click on the contact link. You'll find us at thepulsecommunity.ca.

Coombs Family Day: The 14th annual Coombs Family Day celebration is happening on Monday, February 16th, from one to 4:00 PM at the Coombs Fairgrounds. This year's featured animal is the goose. Come enjoy educational displays, games, crafts, live animals—yes, maybe even a goose—and so much more presented by the Arrowsmith Agricultural Association. This event is completely free. That's free admission, free cookie decorating, free face painting, and even free hot dogs and popcorn while supplies last. It's a fun, affordable way to spend Family Day with your family and celebrate our local community.

Fireside Books: There's exciting news for book lovers. Fireside Books in Parksville now has a second location in Port Alberni. The Bookwyrm used books are just $5 or less. The Bookwyrm on the corner of Redford and Anderson opens seven days a week from 10 to 5, building your personal library for less. Fireside Books at 464 Island Highway East in Parksville is a book dragon's dream come true. Browse their extensive collections seven days a week. Both locations make growing your personal library easier than ever. New and used books and so much more. Order online at firesidebooks.ca and pick up at either location. Details available online. Ask about returning books for a book credit. Fireside Books and the Bookwyrm—two locations, one amazing adventure in browsing.

Thrifty Foods: At Thrifty Foods, we love to help nonprofits, charities, and schools. Our Thrifty Foods Smile Card bulk program allows organizations to immediately save up to 6% on the purchase of Smile Cards in bulk, allowing you to keep more money in your organization's pockets. Ask for details at Thrifty Foods in Parksville.

Peter McCully: Thanks to Thrifty Foods in Parksville, we have a new contest here at the Pulse community. Go to our Facebook page or our website and look for the link to enter.

Dave Graham: Yes, we are giving away a $100 Smile Card from Thrifty Foods. And in order to qualify, you'll need to answer a skill testing question.

Peter McCully: It isn't really a skill testing question. We just want to know your favourite go-to budget meal.

Dave Graham: The contest closes January 28th, so hurry, get your entry in. Name any go-to budget meal you like. You can even name tuna casserole. There goes that mouth thing again. I gotta go brush my teeth. Take it Marilyn.

Marilyn: Cam Cruikshank is the Assistant Fire Chief with Parksville Fire Department and joins us to discuss opportunities for those interested in volunteer firefighting and what is involved in volunteering and training to build a team of firefighters.

Dave Graham: Cam, I want to say it's great to meet you. I want to thank you for taking time to see us, and I certainly want to thank you for your service.

Cam Cruikshank: Thank you. It's great to be able to do this and I'm looking forward to it.

Dave Graham: Glad to hear that. Let's start at the beginning. I suppose probably one of the first questions you get from people who have no familiarity with the ins and outs of what you do for a living. What's a typical, say, month like? Can we start there?

Cam Cruikshank: Yes, absolutely. Typical month as far as training and that kind of stuff, that's kind of my area of expertise in the department and kind of run the training program. We have a weekly Monday practice. It's from seven to nine thirty for our regular members. On the recruit side, we have a Tuesday night practice. Again, that's from seven to nine thirty. And then on the recruiting side, there's also a monthly training weekend that they have to do.

Dave Graham: Let's talk about the number of calls you have to respond to on a daily, weekly basis.

Cam Cruikshank: Actually, last year we had 765 calls, so it works out to about two calls a day, but in this industry you can't predict it, right? So we had two this afternoon. We had four yesterday, and then some days we'll go with none. It varies lots, but on average just over two calls a day.

Dave Graham: So for new volunteers, let's talk about the time commitment and what are we looking at?

Cam Cruikshank: So it is a fairly significant time commitment for new volunteers. Like I was saying, they have on a Tuesday practice from seven to nine thirty, and then the weekend training, which is a Saturday, Sunday, we ask for as close to a hundred percent attendance for those as possible. Yes, it's a big commitment, but it's very rewarding in the end.

Dave Graham: Do you have an intake now and then you start a whole bunch of people all once the training together?

Cam Cruikshank: Yes, exactly. We do a yearly recruitment drive, which we're right in the middle of right now. The deadline for application is February 27th. After that, we go through a selection process. There's interviews, we do a physical portion of it, and then we select recruits we kind of seem like a good fit, and then they go right into the recruiting program.

Dave Graham: So say I apply and you find me just an amazing candidate. You want me on. How soon before I actually get on site to fight a fire?

Cam Cruikshank: That is a very common question. Their first night we do an orientation of the hall, all the kind of paperwork, there's a lot to go along with it, but they get a pager, which is how we notify our members that a call is happening. So they get a pager their very first night, and if a call comes in, they can come right to the hall, but they don't get on the trucks until on average about six months. There's a lot of training on safety and that kind of stuff, how to use the equipment. We train 'em right down on how to get on a truck, how to go off a truck so you don't hurt yourself when you're wearing all the equipment and that kind of stuff. So usually about six months until they can actually start responding.

Dave Graham: And once someone completes their basic training, what kind of training follows that? I imagine it must be endless.

Cam Cruikshank: Oh, it definitely is. Yes, all the way through careers you never stop learning in the fire service. School is a lot of fun too, right? There's many different avenues you can go. Once basic training is complete, there's a number of other certifications they have to complete to get their, what we call our 1001. That's kind of like the basic standard training certificate, but we put 'em through live fire training, auto extrication course, hazardous materials course. And then after that, which usually takes about two years, depending on when courses are offered, there's other opportunities further on.

Dave Graham: Let's talk a little bit, if we can, about the nature of the calls. What's the most common?

Cam Cruikshank: We do a wide variety of calls. About 25% of our calls are medical. After that, we get into what we call burning complaints. So someone sees smoke in the area, someone's having a fire on the beach, that kind of thing. So we have a lot of minor calls, but then after that it gets into a bit of everything. Car accidents. We do road rescue. A commonplace we respond to is Top Ridge Park. When people are swimming down there, someone dives in, has an injury, those types of things. Your car fires and structure fires. So a wide variety.

Dave Graham: How many times does the alarm bell go in the firehouse here and it turns out to be a false alarm?

Cam Cruikshank: Actually, it does happen quite a bit, what we call an alarm call, whether it be a commercial building, which also includes like apartment buildings or a residential house. They're about 25% of our calls, and most of the time they are false, but we always have to respond as it is a fire. We actually had a residential alarm today, and there was a pot on the stove that the homeowner left, filled the house with smoke. It's one of those ones that, for us, is like a routine call. You never really know until you get there.

Dave Graham: What's the size of the force today?

Cam Cruikshank: Currently we have 42 on-call members and we have three chief officers and we have 49 lockers, so we're looking to fill those spots. We do have a great group at the moment. A lot of committed members.

Dave Graham: Let's talk about some of the rewards from this experience and from your years in this industry, as you call it. I'm curious to know if you've heard some sort of common themes and things that resonate with you as well.

Cam Cruikshank: One thing that we always hear from our members is that they don't realize how rewarding it is, especially when you work in your community as a volunteer firefighter. You get to know a lot of people, your friends and neighbours, and then a chance to give back. We do a lot of public education events, so we're out in the community doing different charity events, and so that's also very rewarding.

Dave Graham: You didn't get into this to be a hero. When you're on scene and everything's working well and you do a good job, that's gotta be a reward in itself. Pretty obvious, really.

Cam Cruikshank: Oh, absolutely. Yes, there's definitely a sense of pride in what we're doing. It's a lot of time that gets put into our training, and so being able to go on scene, make a difference in someone's worst day is pretty neat. And then I have a couple kids and they think I have the coolest job. I get to drive a firetruck, so that's also pretty neat.

Dave Graham: Am I safe to assume that you get fairly good support from the community and businesses who have employees who need to dash off to take care of this business?

Cam Cruikshank: The Parksville business community is pretty spectacular. We have a number of our members who are employed in the city and they are allowed to respond if there's emergency calls and stuff like that. And also we get a tray of cookies from different things here and there, which we try to eat the fruits and vegetables, but we're never say no to some cookies.

Dave Graham: I don't live in Parksville. Can I still volunteer here? Or am I restricted to geographic areas?

Cam Cruikshank: Yes, you're absolutely right. For our recruiting campaign, it is restricted to our, what we call our fire protection area, more or less from the Weigh Scales up to Home Builders in French Creek. But if somebody is outside of those areas, there are other surrounding departments which are already in departments, so places like Errington, Nanoose, Coombs, and if people are unsure, they can either go onto the RDN website or our website at parksvillefirerescue.ca or just call the fire hall and we can direct them in the right direction.

Dave Graham: Are there misconceptions about volunteer firefighters or firefighting in general that you might like to take the opportunity to clear up?

Cam Cruikshank: We can be our own worst enemy sometimes where the level of service we provide, we still have to provide the same level of service as like a Vancouver department, a Surrey department—they're strictly career. Most of our members are volunteer and then do this after or on top of their regular day job. But we still have to meet the same training standards. And so the amount of time and commitment that goes in from our members is pretty spectacular. So to be able to give that same level of service.

Dave Graham: In terms of basic qualities, I might personally be a little older than your average applicant, but what are the basic kind of outline of a person you're looking for in terms of what they have to offer?

Cam Cruikshank: Someone's looking to be committed to something and involved with a community. Integrity. The other neat thing about our department, we have a wide variety of kind of like occupations and different stages of life. We have people who are just out of high school, in the middle with families, and then we have a couple of retired people who didn't think they'd ever join the fire service, but saw recruiting things, stopped by, and now they've been here for three to five years ago.

Dave Graham: So you can accommodate to certain people with the different roles you have within this station.

Cam Cruikshank: And that's another great benefit for us is that we have people who are in the trades, so HVAC, carpentry, that kind of stuff, but also people who've been in business. And so we get a lot of experience from different industries and that just helps us out and makes us better as a group.

Dave Graham: I am sure we have a lot of people who are poised to take action. For those who might like to take that first step to explore possibly becoming a volunteer firefighter, what is the first step?

Cam Cruikshank: The first step would be to contact us two ways. You can do that one by calling the fire hall at 250-248-3242 or by checking out our website at parksvillefirerescue.ca.

Peter McCully: Thanks to Cam Cruikshank for being on the Pulse podcast. The Volunteer Firefighter program is a vital part of keeping our communities safe, and it's inspiring to hear about the rewarding experiences that come with serving your neighbours in this way.

Dave Graham: Absolutely, and there's so much more to the job than showing up when there's an emergency. All the training involved, the community events, and the team building. It's a big ask, but it comes with big rewards.

Peter McCully: For anyone interested in learning more about volunteer firefighting opportunities in District 69 and Parksville, you can find information in our show notes.

Dave Graham: Hey, we've added Vancouver Island webcam links to the pulsecommunity.ca website, so now you find links to all our growing community of podcasts and events and contests too. The Pulse community can be found on Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spotify, TikTok and YouTube and also on Facebook and Instagram.

Marilyn: Windsor Plywood and French Creek specializes in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products including flooring, doors and mouldings. Windsor Plywood, French Creek carries high quality, responsibly sourced products and are committed to providing outstanding value and personalized one-on-one service to all of our customers—homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood and French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Call 752-3122.

Ian Lindsay: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX Vancouver Island's most advanced real estate business network since 1996. Marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, recreational, investment, and project development real estate, you'll find true real estate professionals at ianlindsay.ca.

Peter McCully: The Pulse Community Podcast includes stories for kids featuring Captain Dave and the crew of the Meow Submarine, and Peter and Gracie, the Eskimo dog. Our stories now include colouring pages with each new episode.

Dave Graham: This week's episode features Peter and Gracie discovering the public library. Ah, that's a good one. I love libraries. They're kind of magical, all full of stories and adventures. Although I will admit last time I was in one, I may have fallen asleep in one of those comfy reading chairs. I woke up an hour later with a bookmark stuck to my face and the librarian giving me the look. You know, the look.

Peter McCully: Well, I can imagine. Also a part of the Pulse community, we have the F3 Podcast with Erin Haluschak Frazier and Chef Jonathan Frazier from the Comox Valley region. They cover all things football, plus fantasy football and food. Jonathan's a chef and he supplies a game-worthy recipe with each episode.

Dave Graham: Parksville counsellors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood offer you an insider's look at municipal politics with their podcast Non-Partisan Hacks.

Peter McCully: And our Radio Archeology classic radio series features original episodes of Dragnet featuring Sergeant Joe Friday and Gunsmoke with Marshall Matt Dillon.

Dave Graham: You'll find these podcasts and more at thepulsecommunity.ca. Now it's time for our next guest. Here's Marilyn.

Marilyn: From Funeral Director to award-winning songwriter, Nova Scotia's Terra Spencer has carved out a place in Canadian folk music. Her intimate storytelling and voice has earned collaborations with David Francey, Stephen Fearing, plus the 2025 Music Nova Scotia Entertainer of the Year Award.

Peter McCully: Thanks for joining us on the podcast today, Terra.

Terra Spencer: I'm delighted to. Thanks for having me.

Peter McCully: Tell me about growing up in Nova Scotia and where the music, the humour, and the storytelling came from, and how that influenced where you find yourself today as a singer-songwriter.

Terra Spencer: I have to say, that would be a difficult question to answer a few years ago when I'd barely left Nova Scotia. You get some perspective when you start travelling a bit, and once I made it outside of the province, it was easier to reflect on what was inside it. I grew up in a little rural village called Somerville, Hants County, population I think it's 364 currently. It was a really sweet life. We have the highest tides in the world there. So I grew up right on the riverbank with my family, all of my family. I think only one person had ever left at that point, a great-uncle. I was an only child, but I was related to everyone in the village. I had a huge family and still not a lot of outside influence at that point. We had TV and radio, but it was pre-internet. You were contained to what you could get your hands on at that point. And looking back, it was a great growing up.

Peter McCully: And what were you getting your hands on in those days in terms of music?

Terra Spencer: Oh gosh. It was probably a split. I'll confess something about myself. I was a teenager in the nineties, so at that point I had steered clear of a lot of what was popular at the time, and instead leaned more towards the record collection that my aunt had left behind in my grandparents' basement, which was hugely influential to me. So Elton John and Jackson Browne and the Carpenters, and I still love all of those things. And it was only a bit later that Canadian folk entered my life via CBC. So those two mashed together are still my main influences.

Peter McCully: I read somewhere that you were in your granddad's basement listening to Chet Atkins records.

Terra Spencer: Oh yes. I was a terribly cool teenager and spent a lot of time alone playing the piano, listening to Granddad's records. He was an avid player, still is—guitar player and fiddle player, but we had different musical tastes and the one point where they merged together was Chet Atkins, so I'd wait till Grampy was out of the house and then dig out his guitars and try and figure out how to play them.

Peter McCully: Randy Bachman was on the podcast last year about this time, and we were talking about Chet Atkins, such a fantastic guitar player, and a good sense of humour too. You've probably caught this because you're a Chet Atkins fan, but I don't know if you've watched him on YouTube play Yankee Doodle and Dixie at the same time, and he can do it on the high or the low strings and he can switch in mid-song. It's just mind blowing.

Terra Spencer: I don't think it's an accident that the festival where I cut my teeth, how I got involved with this whole operation was started because of JP Cormier, who is our East Coast guitar star, and he's got some of those tricks up his sleeve too. He's a hero to me. And just another great entertainer. Another great sense of humour, wicked sense of humour, which I treasure as much as musical skill.

Peter McCully: I've got a few JP Cormier stories for you. We'll talk about after the podcast, but yes, JP played with Bill Monroe as a youngster.

Terra Spencer: Yes. A storied career. He has a good nine lives packed in already. He's on nine and a half, right?

Peter McCully: The 2023 Commonwealth Song Contest had 20,000 entries and you won with your song Brick and Mortar. That song apparently was inspired by the demise of a landmark textile mill in Windsor. Can you talk about how those influences in your hometown influence your music as an ambassador for small-town Nova Scotia?

Terra Spencer: I sure can, because the thing about that song is it's a bookend with the first song that I ever put out properly into the world as a songwriter, which is a song called Cotton Mill that came out in 2018, and it was one of the first more serious songs, I guess, that I'd written. I'd been writing songs for a couple of years, but they were just songs for a laugh. Most of them were Christmas songs for the funeral home office party, and that song, the first song, Cotton Mill, was a little bit, yes, more serious. A little more sombre, a little more reflective. I put it out quietly as a campaign to try and save this poor old mill and hope that it would get a new life. Someone would scoop it up and dump a pile of cash and turn it into something new and beautiful, and put the song out with a hope in the power of folk music to open wallets. And waited a few years and it failed miserably. And the weather's tumultuous here in Nova Scotia on the water and the roof caved in. And that was the end of the place. So the day that the excavators were coming to tear down most of the building, I wrote this even sadder song called Brick and Mortar. Something about it just resonated with people in a way that I really didn't expect. Lo and behold, I tossed its name in the hat of this contest I'd never heard of, and it moved through the ranks and only afterwards when I learned how many songs had actually been in the running, that was notable to me.

Peter McCully: That was the Stanfields textile mill.

Terra Spencer: Yes, it had a couple of names over the years. Windsor Wear is what it was while I was growing up where we bought our long underwear and...

Peter McCully: Everybody in Canada had long underwear from Stanfields when I was growing up.

Terra Spencer: It's true. I have a brand new pair of prized long underwear still in their package that I keep for sentimental reasons.

Peter McCully: You mentioned the funeral home Christmas parties. I found many references on the internet to you being described as a funeral director turned songwriter. You have to tell us about that.

Terra Spencer: I like to make it clear. I don't know if I'll ever fully quit my day job. I do keep my licence so that turn isn't a full 180. It's about a 165 right now. Yes, that's the case. I didn't expect to be a funeral director either. Got recruited because I was hired on as the organist a long while back, but at that point, there were really only maybe three people on staff, and two of them were drivers. My boss was looking to add on and for Christmas, I would make him fake promotional material, t-shirts and pamphlets that were a bit cheeky. He decided then I'd be fit for working in the office and the job kind of blossomed rather quickly because it freed him up to go play golf. That was my calling as a funeral director and ended up being such a rich chapter. If you want to learn about human relationships and the gamut of emotions, that's one fast way to do it.

Peter McCully: Do you think that experience prepared you for the kind of intimate connection that you can create with audiences now?

Terra Spencer: I do think so. When people would come through the doors at the funeral home, they were in the throes of some of the hardest moments of their lives, and that automatically does make a connection come very quickly. I did so much listening in those days, so now it's strange to be on the flip side, the one making the noise all the time. But I think it did teach me about songwriting particularly. You learn someone's life story in a flash and then have to summarize it for an obituary and in as few words as possible when you're paying by the word. I think it taught me a bit about the economy of telling a story. And life experiences in general. You get to see a whole buffet of different walks of life and characters, and I love writing a character into a story.

Peter McCully: How did your experience working with grieving families influence songs like Something About Paris or The Other Side of Goodbye about dementia?

Terra Spencer: Something About Paris is inspired largely by a particular couple from here in Windsor. Was my Grade Seven teacher who meant the world to me and was such a vibrant, lively, active-spirited man who just was full of joy and life and you leave school, you graduate, and you don't always know what happens to your teachers afterward. And a few years later, we moved back to Windsor here where he and his wife lived, and I met his wife, a tennis instructor, and learned then that he had been living with dementia and was actually in a care home, and she was visiting him every day. I was shocked, utterly shocked, because not that much time had passed. He was still in his youthful time of life or should have been, and the story of her enduring love for him and the course it was passing through is where the heart of that song is.

Peter McCully: I asked Siri to look you up on the internet and provide me with some background information, and she tells me that you were recruited as a backup singer by Ryan Cook while you were scooping ice cream at a festival in 2014. There's a good story there, I'm sure.

Terra Spencer: I can't believe everything you read on the internet, so I appreciate your fact checking, but I can tell you that is true to the letter. I wasn't always performing and certainly I wasn't songwriting at that point. I had never done it and was recruited by my daughter. She had set up the ice cream stand at that festival where JP is the king. It was right by the stage, so you'd meet all the musicians after they played their set. They'd stop by for an ice cream cone as a reward and met this country fellow. I'll confess, I was not necessarily a fan of country music, but we just hit up this easy friendship and he was recruiting backup singers. And I lied my way into the job because it sounded fun. And that was just over 10 years ago now. And went on tour around the Maritimes with him, began writing songs, and opened his shows and it was just a really natural thing. It wasn't my lifelong dream. Nothing planned for sure, and we've been winging it ever since.

Peter McCully: And away we go.

Terra Spencer: Yes, away we go. Very unexpected, true.

Peter McCully: Congratulations on winning the 2025 Music Nova Scotia Folks Root recording of the year, also entertainer of the year. The album was Sunset and the album explores love from very early moments to the last light of goodbye as you intimated. What was the thought behind framing the entire album around that?

Terra Spencer: I love albums. I'm old school in that way. I know it's not the way anymore. Streaming just shuffles everything together and it's very random. But I love records and I love the fact that the songs would tell their own stories, but an album was a chance to tell a big arc of a story and take you on a bit of a journey. I'm very lucky that not all the songs I write are strictly autobiographical because I'm quite happily linked to a fellow I've been with for a long time. Twenty Years, a song on the record, is true to fact. That is indeed about us to the letter, but the heartache side of it, that arc, fortunately, I haven't had to wander through that too much myself. I am really interested in the process of letting go, but how people grieve, how they make their peace. So that feels like natural territory to write about, just because I have been so close to that experience so many times over. So that's the story of this. I wanted to cover the background and touch on the long term when it works out, and sometimes when it doesn't, how do we work our way through those losses and saying goodbye.

Peter McCully: You were here a couple of years ago on Vancouver Island with David Francey while he was touring. And you've also been on his album, The Breath Between, which I believe won a JUNO. You've collaborated with Matt Anderson, Ben Caplan, Stephen Fearing, and other Canadian folk luminaries. What have you learned from this family of folk?

Terra Spencer: That list always causes me to take a breath. I've been a fan of music a lot longer than I've ever attempted to do any of this, so those moments really are the ones that awe me a bit. Those people and the careers they've had and the music they make. What have I learned? Boy, that however big I can dream, even better things can happen. But it is also too, that when it boils down to it, I mean those names are still dazzling to me, but they're people and they're people who love the craft of songs. They're good people. Two, it's been a joy to learn that their music actually comes from that beautiful place of people who have great open hearts. I've been stunned by the generosity of all of them along the way. Each has their own particular slant on this craft of writing songs and how they present them in the world. Gosh, I will eat up any lessons. I'm a very happy apprentice.

Peter McCully: Sounds like you're still pinching yourself.

Terra Spencer: Oh, I'm not a great salesperson. A lot of funeral directors are, but I'm not. I don't have to love the fame or any of the things that their careers have done for them, but I love their songs and the stories behind them, so it comes from a really authentic place. Those connections.

Peter McCully: Tell us about the song East to West and your collaboration with Stephen Fearing who lives just down the road in Victoria.

Terra Spencer: When we talk about influences and CBC radio, Stephen Fearing is one of the people that CBC radio brought to me when I was probably 13 years old. He had a record called The Assassin's Apprentice. I had it on cassette and I wore it out literally because I was trying to learn what he was doing playing guitar and the cassette, the more you play them and rewind and fast forward, you stretch them out and they go out of tune. So I had to keep adjusting my guitar tuning to try and learn what he was playing. And I followed his career, gone to his shows all of these years, and now it's so bizarre that he's a person I know. So I started writing that song and before it was finished, I'd sent an email to Steven. I just knew that my dream gold star for that song was to sing it with him, even though he was on the other side of the country, east to west. It couldn't be a better fit. I love the record Sunset, and there are all kinds of collaborators that I love dearly. But that one goes back the farthest—my appreciation for what Steven does. So that is a real moment that awes me when I hear the record.

Peter McCully: Is it challenging to maintain an intimate connection sometimes, whether you're playing a small house concert or a major festival stage?

Terra Spencer: I love to think of a show as a conversation. There are shows that are a performance. I watch someone like Ben Caplan when I played with him and Ben is a performer sort of from the theatre world and it's dazzling to watch. I don't have that in my pocket. I wish I did. So my shows are like a conversation. I love hearing little events that happened. There are no two shows that are the same. The songs will change order. What I say about them changes sometimes to my horror. It is not very well thought through, but maybe it would change if I was playing to 10,000 people every night. I don't know if it would. I don't think so, because no matter what the number is, each one of those people is a person with their own dialogue in their heads. They're bringing as much to the show as I am. I hope that connection never changes, and sometimes it is a little spookier when you're in a very small room with a house concert and everyone's looking at each other's socks and...

Peter McCully: Is that what they're looking at?

Terra Spencer: That could be. Oh, I guess I've said something about myself. I love socks.

Peter McCully: Terra, you've performed in Europe as well as right across the country, and I was wondering how international audiences respond to those Maritime stories, the very small-town Nova Scotia references and stories. Does it translate right across the cultures?

Terra Spencer: I found that England was a very easy transition to make, especially the first time I was there. It was a tour of rural parts of England, all sheep pastures and parish halls, and that felt very familiar to me. The landscape was not at all different from what I had grown up in. So that was really relatable. But I know the first time I went to Germany was very worried about how everything would translate, even the language itself, whether that would be a barrier. But I was shocked, and I don't know if this would apply everywhere in the world, but the German audiences in particular were so music hungry. They were the most attentive listeners. And the first show I played was in Munich with Ryan Cook. And there was no microphone, there was no sound system. It was just standing in a room and everyone in the room was packed together, standing shoulder to shoulder, and we could not play long enough for those people. They were insatiable. And it completely changed my framework mentally about how music, even what I write, which is very wordy, very story driven, could connect with people anywhere in the world. It was a beautiful experience. I'll never forget it.

Peter McCully: Well, that's one of the things I like about your music is it is wordy and there is a lot of lyrics. I think back to when Elton John first came out and he would have 9, 10, 11, 12 choruses, and meanwhile, some of the other songs in the top 10 would have two, a repeat if necessary.

Terra Spencer: That's the school I love too. I appreciate the kind of anthems where there are three lines and everyone can sing along the first time you've heard those three lines, and I'm aspiring to write in a more simple fashion. David Francey's brilliant for that. He can pare it right down to the bare truths, but I'm not there yet.

Peter McCully: You'll be here on Vancouver Island for some concerts. Are you bringing new music with you?

Terra Spencer: I am bringing some new songs. I'll be test driving some new songs, so I'll play music from the last record, from Sunset. But I am actually headed in within three days to start working on a new album of songs, a big collection of songs. So I will probably, if I have the nerve, I will be testing out some of those songs and telling their stories too.

Peter McCully: Oh, I'll look forward to it. You are here for a concert in Parksville in March at Knox United, as well as shows and a writing workshop on Quadra Island at the Harriet Bay Inn. You've been there before?

Terra Spencer: I have been there before. I'm going back to see the ghosts that apparently exist that I missed the first time around. Yes, I love doing songwriting workshops. It's one of my favourite things to do, not just because I love songwriting, but I love hearing other people's stories and helping them find a way to tell them. So that will be a great weekend at the end.

Dave Graham: Thank you to Terra Spencer for joining us on The Pulse Podcast. What a remarkable journey from funeral director to award-winning songwriter. That takes some courage and commitment to follow your passion like that.

Peter McCully: The way she talked about connecting with audiences around the world really shows the universal power of storytelling through song. Her concert at Parksville Knox United will be something special.

Dave Graham: You can find ticket information and more details about Terra Spencer's performance in our show notes. I have a feeling this is gonna be a concert people are gonna be talking about for a while.

Peter McCully: While you're visiting our website, sign up for the weekly newsletter at thepulsecommunity.ca. It'll keep you up to date on the latest podcasts, guests and contests.

Dave Graham: Yes, contests. Enter to win a $100 Smile Card from Thrifty Foods. When you do, be sure to tell us your favourite go-to budget meal. Does chocolate fondue count? I mean, it isn't exactly known for being budget friendly, but well, I mean, it's chocolate.

Peter McCully: Well, Dave, it's a moot point really. You're not allowed to enter the contest.

Dave Graham: That's fair. No problem. I'm looking to cut down on sugar anyway. In fact, I have a plan.

Peter McCully: I'm sorry. Did you say you have a plan?

Dave Graham: Yes. Oh, it's a good one. Instead of whatever treat or dessert I was going to order, I will cut that order in half. Boom. Sugar-busting diet ready to go to work. For example, when we go out for coffee, once we're done here, I was gonna order four cookies to go with my coffee. Now I will order only two.

Peter McCully: What restraint, but that sounds like one heck of a plan.

Dave Graham: I know, eh? It's brilliant. I feel really good about having only two cookies instead of four. Way less guilt, but that doesn't solve my Valentine's Day gift troubles. What are people buying for their partners? Got any suggestions?

Peter McCully: I think we could leave that to our listeners to answer on the Speak to Us line.

Dave Graham: Good idea, folks. If you have a Valentine's Day gift idea for a guy who might, might leave things to the last minute, share your thoughts at thepulsecommunity.ca. Now let's go for that coffee. I think I have time for a dozen donuts too. Oh no. My new diet says I can only have six. Look at me go, full of resolve, and I still have room for baked goods.

Peter McCully: Well, thanks for joining us. We have more stories soon from Mid-Vancouver Island.

Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter, here comes Dave, oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missin'. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So to speak. Laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat. Peter and Dave, they're on the mics alright. Join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.