Maria's 2004 project, We Were Good People, explores the stories of working people in Western Canada -- tales of resilience and hope through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and The Depression. Producer: Shannon Johnson with musical contributions by The McDades, Craig Korth (banjo, guitar, dobro), Byron Myhre (mandolin), Michael Jerome Browne (gourd banjo) and others.
Suggested tracks: How Do You Do, 1935?, a banjo-driven Depression-era train song; Can You Blame the Poor Miner?, a gentle accordion ode to miners in the Crow's Nest Pass during Prohibition; We Were Good People, a poignant solo ballad describing a 1932 Hunger March; Mrs. McClung's Address at Walker Theatre, a cheeky Celtic wordplay on women's suffrage; Troublemaker, a rabble-rousing current day protest song.
