Who Does Dawson Belong To?

It belongs to the whole world.

Basia Bulat - photo by Michael Edwards

Dawson seems to rank at the top of the list when considering the uniqueness of  small towns on the planet in terms of flavour and location.

Arguments go back and forth about the attributes or shortcomings of our town.

One thing that can be defended remains the ability of a small community like Dawson to absorb all kinds of people with an incredible diversity of talents and abilities.

This is celebrated by most residents, despite the clannish resistance by some of the old guard whose dimming flame is slowly sputtering out, thankfully.

Guess one of the things that makes a town shine is reference made to it by others in the form of a song, written word or another art form.

Many tunes have been written about Dawson. Issa (Jane Siberry) is among those, she wrote The Very Large Hat after her performance here.

Most recently Basia Bulat has penned a song inspired by her time during the Dawson City Music Festival of 2008 which is included on her new album Heart of My Own, featuring the single Gold Rush.

Excerpted from her press release:

“Perhaps most surprising was the strong influence her short time in the Yukon had on this album. Basia spent five days and nights in Dawson City, where for the first time she experienced true silence. ‘I felt my mind was overwhelmed with ideas. It had been a long-time dream of mine to make it to the Yukon, so to finally accomplish that, and for it to be possible because of my music, was also a very overwhelming thing.’”

Artists and writers in residence leave Dawson kicking and screaming at the end of their residencies. The imprint left on their neuroplastic mind is so strong in some cases that they come back like homing pigeons a year later, just to hang out and enjoy Dawson’s creative vibe.

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