Jim Payne and Fergus O’Byrne are revitalizing the Newfoundland tradition in song.

The two have more than a few accolades to their name within the Newfoundland music community: O’Byrne famously came to the province from Ireland and became one of the founding members of Ryan’s Fancy in the ’70s, while Payne penned the now-classic “Wave over Wave.” Together, they’ve vastly widened the scope of traditional Newfoundland music, and made it more accessible and enticing.

Jim Payne and Fergus O’Byrne are two of the Newfoundland’s most respected performers. Together they combine instrumental prowess and humorous repartee, to cover a broad spectrum of Newfoundland folk culture, including songs, stories and dance tunes. Their repertoire includes rousing sea shanties and work songs, poignant ballads, comic ditties, folk tales and recitations, and toe-tapping jigs, reels and polkas on a variety of instruments.