Amazing clip, Dick, I 'connaught' believe he got a sound out of the fiddle with that thing. I have never seen a bow with so much.....bow to it. Although I do think that was horsehair on that thing, otherwise the tune would have been much shorter. And maybe we have found an alternative to the bodhran--who needs an instrument when you can just beat on the one next to you!
I was happy to find this clip. I had often wondered where the exclamation "FIDDLESTICKS!" came from.
She'd have to be awfully bonny for me to let her whale away on my fiddle with those things though. I'm assuming that's Mrs. Beers in the clip, Mr. probably has little say in the matter!
Wow, that's great, Ptarmigan.
If no one minds a little tangent here (wow, a tangent on thesession.org?), I'll mention that the Bob and Evelyn Beers created and hosted the Fox Hollow Festival, which ran for about 15 years(?) on their farm just to the east of the Albany, NY, area. Bob was killed in a car accident in 1972, but the festival continued until 1980.
Fox Hollow was a great place for folk music and dance of many different stripes, including Irish/Celtic and related genres. The Boys of the Lough played there very early on in their existence -- when Dick Gaughan was still a member, in fact -- and appeared regularly over the years. Other notables included Jean Carignan, Malcom Daglish & Grey Larson, John Roberts & Tony Barrand, Alistair Anderson, Cilla Fisher & Arties Tresize, and I believe Cathie Whitesides, to name a few.
Of course, that was just the British Isles/Canadian aspect. The festival featured plenty of American folk music performers who now have legendary status: Michael Cooney, Utah Phillips, David Bromberg, Jean Ritchie, even Bruce Cockburn and Leon Redbone.
Why Dick, I had no idea you were a string band aficionado! For what it's worth, the guiding force behind Fennig's, Bill Spence, created a "successor" to Fox Hollow, the Old Songs Festival [oldsongs.org], which is still going strong. As you'll see, they have a pretty damn good line-up this year: Andy Irvine, Liz Carroll & John Doyle, and Malinky, to name a few.
To bring this discussion back more into an on-topic mode: Old Songs has an interesting approach to sessions. They have one area that is designated for a particular session, led by a performer of the appropriate genre -- Irish, French-Canadian, old-timey -- or instrument or vocal tradition -- e.g. hammered dulcimer, rounds -- but _only_ for one hour apiece.
It's kind of funny sometimes to see the participants for the upcoming session gather around the designated area, waiting for the seats to free up when the session-in-progress is done, then move in, unpack and tune up briskly as soon as the next session is on.
Of course, there are other places at Old Songs where one can have sessions; some of these are likewise designated, others are more informal.
Back in the 70’s, we used to get footage on public TV from Fox Hollow and other festivals. Now there’s the proper use of a public resource.
Critten Hollow – Yeah, one of my favorites, too! I saw them in concert around twenty or so years ago. I remember talking with Bruce Molsky afterward. He liked them a lot and even said that Sam was one of the very few hammer dulcimer players he could stand to listen to. I believe that’s the highest praise I’ve ever heard for an HD player from a fiddler. He went on to say that he actually enjoyed her playing.
Great line up sts alright. Funny too that Malinky's Mark & Steve are actually over here right now & I had a wonderful tune with them last weekend!
Maybe they'll need an extra Roadie for their trip to the 'Old Songs Festival'?
Those guys are great singers too, of course.
Aye Bob, praise indeed & as you say very rare indeed.
Mind you, when you think about it, who better to handle a pair of sticks when attacking a Fiddle mid-tune, than a Hammered Dulcimer player!
>Funny too that Malinky's Mark & Steve are actually over here right now & I had a wonderful tune with them last weekend!
Maybe they'll need an extra Roadie for their trip to the 'Old Songs Festival'?
Dick, if you can swing that, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time! I'll be volunteering at the Performer Hospitality table, so I might be the one handing you your parking pass and food voucher.
No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
How's this for a Fiddle Bow?
The Beers Family - The Connaughtman's Rambles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEMc38VxKx8
I've heard of how Bodhran's were often made from a Gardeners old Sieve, but never of a bow being made from an old Saw!
Perhaps it's from this implement that the term "Sawing" the Fiddle came from!
..... & how about that other fine old tradition demonstrated here, of BASHING the Fiddle, then the fingerboard with sticks, while the Fiddler played?
Have you ever felt the urge to do this while a Fiddler played next to you?
Let's face it, if the Connaughtman was a Fiddler & this is how they treated his Fiddle, no wonder he rambled!
Do you know of any other old Fiddle or Fiddler Bashing Traditions we should all know about?
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by Ptarmigan
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
Amazing clip, Dick, I 'connaught' believe he got a sound out of the fiddle with that thing. I have never seen a bow with so much.....bow to it. Although I do think that was horsehair on that thing, otherwise the tune would have been much shorter. And maybe we have found an alternative to the bodhran--who needs an instrument when you can just beat on the one next to you!
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by AlBrown
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
I was happy to find this clip. I had often wondered where the exclamation "FIDDLESTICKS!" came from.
She'd have to be awfully bonny for me to let her whale away on my fiddle with those things though. I'm assuming that's Mrs. Beers in the clip, Mr. probably has little say in the matter!
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
That's a brilliant clip, love it. Here's another one, from the great John Jacob Niles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpaAeqBhwrM
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by strayaway
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
Wow, that's great, Ptarmigan.
If no one minds a little tangent here (wow, a tangent on thesession.org?), I'll mention that the Bob and Evelyn Beers created and hosted the Fox Hollow Festival, which ran for about 15 years(?) on their farm just to the east of the Albany, NY, area. Bob was killed in a car accident in 1972, but the festival continued until 1980.
Fox Hollow was a great place for folk music and dance of many different stripes, including Irish/Celtic and related genres. The Boys of the Lough played there very early on in their existence -- when Dick Gaughan was still a member, in fact -- and appeared regularly over the years. Other notables included Jean Carignan, Malcom Daglish & Grey Larson, John Roberts & Tony Barrand, Alistair Anderson, Cilla Fisher & Arties Tresize, and I believe Cathie Whitesides, to name a few.
Of course, that was just the British Isles/Canadian aspect. The festival featured plenty of American folk music performers who now have legendary status: Michael Cooney, Utah Phillips, David Bromberg, Jean Ritchie, even Bruce Cockburn and Leon Redbone.
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by sts
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
Au contraire sts, I thought your post was rather a propo.
Anyone interested in that festival, might also like to follow up these links:
Fox Hollow:
http://www.flannelshirt.com/Poetry/FoxHollow/FoxHollow.htm
The First Fox Hollow Festival in 1966:
http://churchtree.tripod.com/foxhollow.html
I see that two of my all time favourite String Bands ~ The Critton Hollow String Band ~ & ~ Fennig's All-Stars ~ were guests too:
http://www.pickingandsinging.org/GGG_past_perf.htm
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by Ptarmigan
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
If only the bow was a saw and the sticks hatchets.
# Posted on May 7th 2008 by feardearg
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
Why Dick, I had no idea you were a string band aficionado! For what it's worth, the guiding force behind Fennig's, Bill Spence, created a "successor" to Fox Hollow, the Old Songs Festival [oldsongs.org], which is still going strong. As you'll see, they have a pretty damn good line-up this year: Andy Irvine, Liz Carroll & John Doyle, and Malinky, to name a few.
To bring this discussion back more into an on-topic mode: Old Songs has an interesting approach to sessions. They have one area that is designated for a particular session, led by a performer of the appropriate genre -- Irish, French-Canadian, old-timey -- or instrument or vocal tradition -- e.g. hammered dulcimer, rounds -- but _only_ for one hour apiece.
It's kind of funny sometimes to see the participants for the upcoming session gather around the designated area, waiting for the seats to free up when the session-in-progress is done, then move in, unpack and tune up briskly as soon as the next session is on.
Of course, there are other places at Old Songs where one can have sessions; some of these are likewise designated, others are more informal.
# Posted on May 8th 2008 by sts
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
Back in the 70’s, we used to get footage on public TV from Fox Hollow and other festivals. Now there’s the proper use of a public resource.
Critten Hollow – Yeah, one of my favorites, too! I saw them in concert around twenty or so years ago. I remember talking with Bruce Molsky afterward. He liked them a lot and even said that Sam was one of the very few hammer dulcimer players he could stand to listen to. I believe that’s the highest praise I’ve ever heard for an HD player from a fiddler.
He went on to say that he actually enjoyed her playing.
# Posted on May 8th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
Great line up sts alright. Funny too that Malinky's Mark & Steve are actually over here right now & I had a wonderful tune with them last weekend!
Maybe they'll need an extra Roadie for their trip to the 'Old Songs Festival'?
Those guys are great singers too, of course.
Aye Bob, praise indeed & as you say very rare indeed.
Mind you, when you think about it, who better to handle a pair of sticks when attacking a Fiddle mid-tune, than a Hammered Dulcimer player!
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on May 8th 2008 by Ptarmigan
Re: No wonder the Connaughtman Rambled!
>Funny too that Malinky's Mark & Steve are actually over here right now & I had a wonderful tune with them last weekend!
Maybe they'll need an extra Roadie for their trip to the 'Old Songs Festival'?
Dick, if you can swing that, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time! I'll be volunteering at the Performer Hospitality table, so I might be the one handing you your parking pass and food voucher.
# Posted on May 8th 2008 by sts