Details History

fidkid

Not a kid except at heart and in musical proficiency.

Self-taught on guitar, 5-string banjo and mandolin. So-so results. I started taking Irish fiddle lessons three years ago.

I grew up in the hills above the Ohio River in the US, in what they’re calling now “pre-Appalachia”. Early memories of my Dad playing songs like John Hardy, Jesse James, Boll Weevil, Cross-Eyed Sue on a Sears Silvertone acoustic guitar. I’ve still got that guitar, though the neck is warped -- no truss rod -- but the high action makes it perfect for bottleneck slide.

Played rocknroll and punk when I was in my teens, moved to rockabilly, then honkytonk, then bluegrass, then oldtimey. Maybe a bit like a salmon swimming upstream to the Source.

About ten years ago I started playing pub ballads from the Pogues, Dubliners & Clancy Brothers catalogs, sitting in a kitchen with a guitarist, a box player and a bottle of bourbon. Yo, shout out to Burke & Toomey. Played mandolin, dulcimer and a bit of banjo. Learned a few tunes from those guys, too -- Tripping Up the Stairs, Connaughtman's Rambles, that kind of thing. Eventually somebody gave me a fiddle and I took my first tries at that.

I’ve been taking fiddle lessons – the first formal musical instruction in my life - and playing with a little group of really talented (and patient!) people for a bit over 3 years, totally in love with it.

My name's Joe. I live in Michigan, the mitten-shaped peninsula waving at you from the Great Lakes of North America.

In the interests of full disclosure, and placing my comments within the context of my level of expertise, a short snippet of my playing can be heard here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2NkHnTij1Q

For more info about me:
http://joefago.com

Tunes in fidkid's tunebook: 0

Details History

Number of tunes submitted: 20

Newest Tunes submitted:

Katie's Lilt jig May 21st 2008
The Ducks And The Oats jig January 25th 2008
Andy McGann's jig November 25th 2007
The Green Forest jig September 20th 2007
Good Ship Planet jig June 3rd 2007

Number of tunes requested: 0

Number of recordings submitted: 0

Number of links submitted: 1

Newest Links submitted:

Olympia Dulcimer Company July 29th 2004

Number of sessions submitted: 0

Number of events submitted: 0

Number of discussions submitted: 15

Newest Discussions submitted:

midi playback of abc notation help needed October 15th 2007
Music shops around the world August 25th 2007
Humidify the bow, too? March 4th 2007
Ryder Cup, Ireland September 24th 2006
nostalgia ain't what it used to be July 26th 2006

Number of comments submitted: 867

Newest comments submitted:

Discussions Re: so is anybody in South Central Pennsylvania? August 9th 2008
Discussions Re: abc mnemonic device August 4th 2008
Discussions Re: abc mnemonic device August 3rd 2008
Discussions Re: abc mnemonic device August 3rd 2008
Discussions Re: Check this out... August 2nd 2008

Not a member yet? Sign up!

forgotten your password?

Frequently Asked Questions

Enter your email address to have your password sent to you.