A rambling trip through a colourful and melodic St. John's childhood, combined with a how-not-to-do-it-yourself guide to the music business and a thoughtful and sometimes poignant look at the way a legendary Canadian band creates music-all of these threads and many others are pulled together by writer and musician Bob Hallett. Writing Out the Notes began as a series of essays Hallett wrote to explain his love of music, but it turned into a humorous biography and a kind of extended solo on music and how his love for it transformed his life. Although he is best known for his role in Great Big Sea, Hallett has long had a parallel career as a writer. And while some writers seek inspiration from travel, history, or romance, for Hallett, the place where he grew up provided all the inspiration he never needed.