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With Daithi Sproule in Longview, Washington


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November 2007

A busy month! Daithi came out for some very enjoyable concerts here in the Northwest, starting out at one of my favorite music clubs anywhere, Traditions in Olympia, Washington. I was happy to reconnect with some old friends in Portland when Daithi and I played Sam and Aine's lovely house concert series in Tualatin, and I gave a fiddle workshop in Portland. (read a nice review of the workshop by Nancy Jarrell here)

The following weekend found me in South Carolina and Georgia, where I thoroughly enjoyed working with Davey Mathias, a great guitarist from that area who plays in the group "Corner House" with his partner, fiddler Andi Hearn.

And the Saturday after Thanksgiving is (almost) always when I give a workshop and concert at Jenny Thompson's place in Indianapolis. This is a wonderful bunch of fiddle fanatics who know how to have a good time. Thanks to Kate Smith and family too!

 
October 2007
A while back I was invited to play for a festival called Fiddlers! in Roxbury, NY. I didn't know anything about this festival, but I saw that one of my favorite fiddlers was on the bill, Brad Leftwich, so I agreed to go. I was lucky to get another great musician, Danny Noveck, to accompany me on guitar, and we ended up having a wonderful time. It's a small event, truly a local phenomenon, put on by a great bunch of people who really made us feel welcome and appreciated. I enjoyed renewing my acquaintance with Brad and his wife Linda Higginbotham, and hearing them play at the festival. Some other musical friends showed up at the festival, including Abby Newton and Eamonn O'Leary. On Sunday night after the festival closed down, Danny and I drove 30 miles through the Catskills fog to visit til 4am with friends in East Durham for the Banjo Burke festival. Click here for photos.
 
September 2007
Fingal performed at the Chicago Celtic Festival, in downtown Chicago's Grant Park. There are so many great musicians in Chicago, and a strong tradition of Irish music making. I especially enjoyed seeing Tom McMahon, originally from Woodford, Co. Galway, and my old friend Pat O'Connor, also we heard some great music from Brendan McKinney and Pat Broaders, Gan Bua, and more. John Williams and Aine Meenaghan joined us for a nice session at the hotel. Click here for photos.

 
August 2007
A very enjoyable week at the Goderich Celtic College in the lovely town of Goderich, Ontario. Besides the classes, the sessions at the Park House, Wicked Willy's, etc. were a high point. Click here for photos.
 
July 2007
I taught fiddle classes and performed at the Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, NY. What a great week of music and good times! I was delighted to meet many old friends from Ireland who I hadn't seen in years, and to make new musical friends from all over the U.S., Canada and Ireland. Highlights for me were the two appearances by Fingal, the incredible ceili band I played with (photo above), and some memorable late night sessions. And Louisa's espresso tent! Click here for photos.

 

Before heading out to East Durham, I spent a couple of days in western Massachusetts, taking my fiddle in for a once-over by the great luthier who made it, Andrew Gaybaryan. Andrew works in the Stamell Strings violin shop in Amherst, Mass., and is a genuine wizard when it comes to violin making and setup. He knows how to get the sound, one of a rare few who have that gift. Daithi and I then played a concert at the home of Susan Ott and Terry Burch in Petersham, Mass. This was in conjunction with the Lá Gaeilge (Irish language day) presented by Ár dTeanga Féin school of Irish Language. Many old friends from Massachusetts were there, and we had a great evening.

 

June 2007

In early June, Sharon Goldwasser from Tucson, Arizona, came to Whidbey Island to study fiddle with me for a week. Sharon's trip was made possible by a grant from the Arizona State Arts Commission. Besides being an excellent fiddler, Sharon knows a lot about birds and birdsong, and taught me to recognize some of the birds here on the island. Sharon plays with the band "Round the House", based in Tucson.

The other big event in June was the recording of FINGAL's new live album, at a concert here on Whidbey Island. We had a big audience who seemed to have a great time, and I think we captured the spirit of the evening in the recording. We hope to have it available sometime in the next few months.

April 2007

Fingal performed at the North American Convention of Ceoltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Atlanta, called "Ireland in Dixie". The Atlantans turned on the southern charm and did a wonderful job of organizing everything, so all we had to do was have a good time and play music, a job we know how to do.

 

March 2007

In March I was awarded an Artist Support Grant by Seattle's Jack Straw Foundation, the first grant I've ever received for my music. The grant is for a block of studio time at JSP's fabulous studio in Seattle, where I recorded my most recent CD, Katy Bar the Door. I'm planning to use the grant, starting this fall, to record an album that's primarily focused on my guitar work, including some original compositions.