***The Pigeon has flown! Huge thanks to the incredible staff, kind volunteers and everyone who came out to our premiere at the 2023 Vancouver Fringe – returning in 2024!!
**WINNER of the Vancouver Fringe Stir Social ImpactAward**
Included in the Georgia Straight Pick of The Fringe
***Currently working on recording an album of the Pigeon songs***
The Pigeon and The Dove: A History of Hatred & Love is a powerful new lo-fi folk opera (and potential podcast) about Pigeons! Well, really, it’s about housing insecurity and people experiencing homelessness. A mix of comedy, social justice, and dark yet danceable tunes.
Written & directed by Carolyn Victoria Mill.
Music created and performed with Reid Jamieson.
Much like the homeless and the housed, the pigeon and the dove are, in fact, the same damn bird. ‘They’ are ‘Us’. Through celebrating the lowly pigeon, we will explore how perception affects the support we offer those experiencing homelessness and how we may prevent this global crisis on a local level. Inspired by the works of Buffy Sainte-Marie and Dr. Gabor Mate, Vancouver singer-songwriting couple Reid Jamieson and Carolyn Victoria Mill (aka CVM) use a mix of music and comedy to explore the tipping point, where we go from housed to homeless, with a wider variety of causes than we might think. With cycles of lighthearted vignettes about the much-maligned pigeon, related insight from local housing advocates, and dark but danceable songs reflecting on just some of the many roads one can take to end up on the street. By singing these stories we may find them easier to hear. But really, it’s about pigeons. Prepare to be amazed by this fascinating bird of lost paradise as we take an eye-opening journey of perception, with a bird’s eye view of those living on the street.
The Pigeon & The Dove (premiere) takes flight at Vancouver Fringe Festival
Sep 8/9/10/13/15/16 60mins. Red Gate Revue Stage Granville Island Vancouver BC
REVIEWS
“The Pigeon & The Dove is a simple production, but an original voice and impactful messaging. What makes the show so effective is Mill and Jamieson’s informed, honest, and empathetic approach to their subject matter. Given Vancouver’s alarming unaffordability and discrepancy between the “haves” and the “have nots”, The Pigeon & The Dove is a tremendously important and much-needed piece of work.” •VK VANCOUVER STIR
“The show tapped into the rational impulses of its mostly well-to-do audiences to challenge our attitudes against the city’s most vulnerable residents. The multi-faceted show was part science talk that shed light on society’s unfair stigma against pigeons, part activism towards the cause of Vancouver’s housing and substance addiction crises and part autobiography of Carolyn Mill; interspersed with musical renditions by Reid Jamieson. His songs threw light on the tribulations of living in the margins of a heartless economy. The set design, lighting and props in the show were elegant but minimal – the message was the star. Reid looked dapper – dressed in all-white like a dove. Carolyn was a graceful embodiment of the common pigeon with a delicate pair of gray wings complementing the green and purple strands of ribbons in her hair. A compassionate ode to the invisibilized struggles of unhoused LGBTQ youth, Indigenous women, veterans and racialized people – young and old.” – The Vancouver Arts Review
Georgia Straight Pick of the Fringe
MEDIA KIT
click on image above for high rez
Want to contribute to this work of art? Become a Patron of Reido https://www.patreon.com/reidjamieson |
You can also make a one-time donation via paypal.me that will give you access to the vault and more if that works better for you. https://www.paypal.me/reidjamiesonmusic
or etransfer to reidjamiesonband (at) gmail (dot) com.
Partial proceeds of the live show will go to various local charities supporting kids aging out of foster care. Disproportionately represented on the streets, supporting their path to a positive future is a valuable opportunity to create real change. Join the mailing list to stay up to date on this project.
ABOUT Reid Jamieson
“Gorgeous, sun-struck acoustic soul”- Globe & Mail
“Prepare to be surprised” – Vancouver Province
Vancouver’s Reid Jamieson is a vocal powerhouse making music that matters and moves us. With an incredible voice, spirited guitar playing, and a magical way with melodies, Reid is that rare songbird whose originals are every bit as compelling as his interpretations. In years past, Reid was a regular on CBC’s Vinyl Café, has recorded with Cowboy Junkies, and performed with Mary Margaret O’Hara, members of Blue Rodeo, Be Good Tanyas and more. A classic introvert/extrovert combo, Reid shines alongside his saucy wife and long-time songwriting partner Carolyn Victoria Mill, their unique harmonies and swapping of lead vocals make for an eclectic, entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking variety show. Together they won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and wrote their way in to the Vancouver Folk Festival by winning 1st place in their Pickin’ a Folk Star contest. Tireless promoters of voting, equality, and love, they thrive on creating intimacy, causing tears and laughter in equal measures. Their latest all original album ‘Me Daza’ was recorded in Ireland with producer Kieran Kennedy (Maria Doyle Kennedy) which features the posthumous vocals of Fergus O’Farrell (Interference, Once). There is nothing traditional about the record – or this dynamic duo. Following up on tributes to Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, 50/60s era gold, and what could be mistaken for a simple holiday record, they are currently working on the first ever tribute to indigenous icon Buffy Sainte-Marie. You won’t want to miss what they do next…
ABOUT CVM
Carolyn Victoria Mill (aka CVM) is a late blooming lyricist, vocalist and producer who loves working with a theme. She writes and performs with husband Reid Jamieson (Vinyl Café regular), touring Canada, the west coast of the US, as well as the UK and Ireland where their last original record was recorded. Together they have won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and wrote their way into the Vancouver Folk Music Festival with a tune she penned that won them the Pickin’ a Folk Star contest. Passionate about voting and equality, she is a music industry advocate who enjoys finding ways to crystalize issues and create solutions to common problems. In a past life she was personal assistant to Molly Johnson O.C. for 15 years, a statistician for ACTRA (actors union), and a manager of technology journalists, amongst many other things including board member/BC rep for Folk Alliance Region West. A nerdy girl from way back she loves technology and even writes songs using spreadsheets! CVM has recently competed the Indigenous Canada 12 week course from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies to better understand what she can do to move reconciliation forward. Currently working on the first ever tribute album to Buffy Sainte-Marie set for a Feb 2024 release – pairs well as a double bill with Pigeon! CVM lives with her husband in a 1bdrm rental facing the laneway next door to Stanley Park in Vancouver BC Canada.