Some musicians have pledged to stop travelling to the U.S. during the trade war, but that isn’t an option financially for Cassie and Maggie.
By Aron Bestwick
For the sisters it was a wake-up call on how President Donald Trump’s tariff war, accusations of Canada being a source of fentanyl and promises to make us the 51st state, is filtering down.
The Celtic folk duo, known as Cassie and Maggie, have been splitting their tours between Canada and the U.S. for 11 years.
They’ve logged hundreds of thousands of kilometres in rental cars, playing gigs and developing a community of fans south of the border who don’t just come for their music, but to soak in the Celtic traditions of northern Nova Scotia where the sisters were raised.
“Being Canadian has always been a great calling card,” Cassie said on Friday. “We talk about our family history, how the music was passed down generation to generation and (our American fans) have always been charmed by it.
“It’s a disturbing thought … that good will expired. And so quickly.”
It hadn’t seemed to at their shows across North and South Carolina, Florida and in Chicago.
Fans would come up between and after sets and ask them what Canadians thought of the threats and accusations getting lobbed by their president.
Everyone seemed supportive.
But then, those who come out to hear their Celtic folk come from a particular demographic in massive country riven along political lines.