Swanannoa Gathering 2010

Wow! We just returned from a SUPER gig The Swanannoa Gathering held annually at Warren Wilson College near Asheville NC. Our daughter Hanna went with us and assisted in beginning level banjo class as well as playing for a flatfooting class. She made lots of new friends and started to get recognition for her fiery clawhammer banjo style. For just two years of learning and playing around her current homebase of Harrisonburg Va., Hanna is a dynamic force and has helped start up a couple of regular jams in the area. Of course, we love to play the old mountain tunes with ourselves on fiddle and guitar with her on banjo. We have already made it to you-tube. We hope to be active with her when we can but we just aren't next door so its tough.

Shay Garriock also had never been to Swanannoa Gathering before and had the duty of teaching two levels of old-time fiddle. He impressed many people with his style of fiddling rooted in Southwest Virginia. We had a great concert experience although only a 10 minute set before the 300 or so participants. It was good practice for our next super gig as a trio at the MBOTMA festival in Minnesota in a couple of more weeks. I will write about it when we get back so check back!

Swanannoa was a great getaway for us as we had been working so hard in our other professional lives of gardening and cabinet making.
We got to reconnect with and know better several old-time musicians of our generation many of whom we go back with to the 70's and 80's when we were Hanna's age (mid 20's). Jenny and I had a great duet singing class with 20 participants. We taught several songs including some that we have wanted to perform but never had quite worked up to that point.
I had a great level 3 banjo class with players who were quick and even in their playing ability. I was able to challenge them with some great tunes and tunings from the mountain traditions I so dearly love. Jenny was challenged as a teacher with an afternoon Level 1 guitar class with a wide range of abilities. I helped her out as she taught the students how to make simple transiton runs as one keeps time and changes chords in the course of backing up a song or tune. It was tough but we felt
like we made good progress. What one makes of these courses at a music camp is up to them. Recording devices are vital and developing a love for the music of old masters is essential.

The evenings were filled with concerts by all the instructors, square dances, and late night jamming. There was an open mike for anyone who wanted to perform a song in the honky-tonk style backed by a live honky tonk band.
All in all it was a great work party. We should be fully recovered soon.

Spring music Tonic

Our daughter Hanna has become a force in the OT scene around Harrisonburg, Va playing her banjo and hosting a regular potluck jam at her place. We managed to attend one around the end of March as we were on our way to Ontario for a visit with Jenny's family. We took Hanna (and her banjo) for a week to the annual Maple syrup gathering where we had a bit of a reunion with family and friends. We were able played some tunes for one of the celebrations are are now posted somewhere on you-tube playing an old tune from our local area called Merry Mountain Hoedown.

After returning from the visit in Ontario on April 6, we came back to a vibrant Spring season at our Floyd County home. Of course, there are lots of projects to keep us busy and we've been working through an extensive list of mostly garden-related preparations and early planting. Getting potatoes in on Good Friday was a positive thing according to the old-timers and we managed to really do it this year.

Musically, we have been a bit inactive as a duet. Mac, of course, has attended several jams including monthly one at the Appalshop in Whitesburg KY and the weekly one at the Stringbean Cafe in Galax VA. He has played regularly at the Floyd Country Store's Friday Nite Jamboree this winter with various configurations of friends at different times. As for the future Jenny and Mac along with fiddler Shay Garriock are gearing up for some decent summer gigs in near and faraway places. see the updated calendar.

This past weekend we along with fellow Floyd musician, Tina Liza Jones, hosted a special concert of our peers from the traditional music world. Eric and Suzy Thompson from Berkeley California came to Floyd to be our guest at the wonderful space in Zion Lutheran Church. They are longtime professionals in the west coast music world and drew a decent crowd of live music supporters who the thoroughly entertained with their repetoire of roots music. Mac. unfortunately, had to miss the show since his band, The Mountain Boomers, were scheduled to play for the monthly dance at the Floyd Country Store. Several concert goers including Eric and Suzy came to catch the final set of mountain dance tunes and old songs that are the mainstay of any good dance band. The enthusiastic crowd stayed to the bitter end. Musicians in the band include Shay Garriock with whom Mac twin fiddles, Trish Fore on clawhammer banjo, Chester Macmillian on guitar, and Sam Linkous on bass. The after party at our place went on til 2:30 AM.

On the weekend of May 1 , Mac and Shay are scheduled to conduct workshops in Old-time banjo and fiddle near New York City. Jenny will stay home to tend to plants and animals while they go have a blast and get some perspective on life in a northern city area. It should be a fun to see our music buddies who we've met at the local fiddler's conventions who live up that way.

Enough for now but there'll be more to come so please come back...