I’ve learned a lot since then. And though I’m not the fiddle player yet that I want to be, I do feel blessed every time I pick up that instrument. When it is in my hands, there is something magical that happens. Even on the bad days. I can’t imagine my life without music. And I am thankful for it every day.

Today I want to share with you this video of the Landfill Harmonic, a group from Paraguay, South America, who play instruments made out of recycled trash. They play for the sheer joy of feeding their soul. They play because they too have the same calling.

It’s a reminder of how powerful music is. It’s a reminder that we shouldn’t take anything for granted. It’s a reminder that music can truly change the world.

Enjoy!

Many years later, I was at Celtic Connections, a Celtic music festival in Scotland, where I not only got to see Martin play, I  also took a master class with him to find out just what makes him tick musically. It wasn’t until then that I fully realized just how talented this man was. There is nothing like seeing a musician perform live and listening to the them tell you what these tunes mean to them. The experience was one I’ll never forget.

Watching him play reminded me that it’s not about the notes, it’s about that feeling the notes bring out in us. He plays with such passion, it’s hard not to take your eyes off him and it’s even harder not to get lost in his music. It literally transforms you to a different time and place.

As I continue to develop my ear and my craft, I realized how blessed I am to have these magical moments with some of the worlds greatest musicians. And this weekend, is no different.

This weekend Martin Hayes will be sharing the stage with my favorite Irish guitarist and folk singer, John Doyle and one of the greatest Irish flute players, Kevin Crawford. They call themselves The Teetotalers and their show is going to rock.

As if enjoying their music wasn’t enough, each of them is giving a workshop prior to the concert. Visit The Summit School to sign up for the workshop.

The teetotallers on May 4:

Concert:  The Barre Opera House at 8pm.
Workshops: The Barre Opera House at 3pm. Register here.

Hope to see you there.

Yup, that’s me.

Dancing just plain feels good. Whether you are good at it or not, if you can just listen to the music and move your body to the beat, in my book, you can dance. Just ask any kid. Kids have no inhibitions when it comes to dancing.

When my sister and I were little,  we not only danced in many recitals, but we often put on our own dance recitals in the living room of our home. I remember once getting fully decked out in costumes and singing “The Bitch is back” by Elton John, complete with broom guitars and microphones made out of hair brushes. We weren’t allowed to swear but for some reason it was okay if it was in a song. So we sang our asses off and danced so loudly that our next door neighbor came over to check on us and see if we were ok. We were not only ok, we were having the best performance of our life. Ah, the good old days.

Although my childhood dancing days are long gone, dancing still feels good to me. And luckily in Vermont we have lots of opportunities. Just last weekend I went to a masquerade party where we danced to everything from 70′s music to house music. Other weekends I’ve attended one of many contra-dances Vermont has to offer.

Dancing is fun and easy and there are lots of different types of music events to move your body to. This coming weekend is no different.

On Saturday, April 27, join me for an Irish Ceili, part of the Traditional New England Dance Series at the Montpelier Grange Hall. If you don’t know how to dance, come early and we’ll teach you. Come listen to some Irish music, check out some of the best Irish dancers in Vermont and learn a step or two. Here are the details:

When: Saturday, April 27
Where: Montpelier Grange Hall, 6612 VT. Route 12, Montpelier
Time: 7:30 (to learn steps). Dance starts at 8pm
Cost: $8 Individual, $5 Student, $20 Family
For Info: ehuntschwartz@gmail.com

In the meantime, I leave with one of the greatest to shake your booty to…

This experience was a good reminder of why I play music. It’s really not about the notes or the number of tunes I know. It’s about how the music makes me feel when I play it. My fiddle is just a tool to express those feelings. Yet, I sometimes spend so much time trying to remember the notes and wondering whether or not they are going to sound good, that I forget to actually express them.

This is a picture me me playing recently at a benefit concert with my friend Harold.

I posted it to Facebook and one of my friends wrote:

“This is my favorite picture of you at play! Normally you look all serious and concentrating, this one makes you look like you are FEELING the music! Love it!“

Music is so great because it evokes emotions in both the person playing and the person listening. It’s a relationship that is hard to put into words. But the greatest people to watch and listen to are the people who clearly love what they are playing and have the courage to just play it from the heart.

This picture of me is one of very few where I am actually expressing what I’m feeling. But I am going to keep it around as a reminder to feel the music and forget about the notes. My fingers know where to go, I just got to trust them.

When: May 4, 2013
Time: 8:00pm
Place: The Barre Opera House, Barre, Vermont

Hope to see you there!

What is fun about this session is that many great musicians from near and far are always stopping by for some tunes. If you like traditional Irish music, this is the place to be every Saturday from 2-5pm.

Here are some photos from last weekend, thanks to Annabel!

From left to right: Flora’s Fiddle, Bryan Byrne, Michael Cooney, Benedict Koehler, Hillary Farrington, Sarah Blair

Two pipers piping…

Benedict & Hilary

It’s kind of like typing…only different.

And if that wasn’t enough here are some photos of various bands and musicians playing outside at Ri Ra on St. Patrick’s Day 2013:

Ruarri and Mike Serpa

Joe Cleary of Campanella Strings

Rob Ryan, Ruarri Serpa & Dominique Dodge

Katrina VanTyne, Owen Myers & John McKelvy of Green Corduroy

Photo by freedigitalphotos.net

As you can probably imagine, this week is like Christmas to an Irish musician. There are so many wonderful events going on to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I captured some of my favorites below.

For the full schedule check out the Burlington Irish Heritage Festivalevents page.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

Handsome Molly
Place: Ri RaThe Irish Pub, 123 Church Street, Burlington, VT
Time: 6:00-9:00 pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

The Musical Instruments of Ireland: An introduction to Celtic Instruments
Place: Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, College Street, Burlington
Time: 11-noon

Weekly Irish Session
Place: Bagitos, Montpelier, VT
Time: 2-5:00pm

Celtic Cats St. Patrick’s Da Ceili
Place: UVM Dance Studio, Inside Patrick Gym
Time: 3-5pm

The Seventh Annual Music Showcase
Place: The BCA Center, 135 Church Street, Burlington
Time: 7:00pm
With a session that begins just prior to the show hosted by yours truly and some other great musicians.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Festival Ceili
Place: Mater Christi School, 50 Mansfield Ave, Burlington
Time: 1-3:00pm

All Day Irish Music
Place: Tent outside Ri Ra the Irish Pub, Church Street, Burlington
Time: 11:00 am on

Solas
Place: the Flynn Center Main Street, Burlington
Time: 7:00pm

For more information on any of the events listed above check out the Burlington Irish Heritage Festival website or visit their Facebook page. I hope you have a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day weekend!

Photo Credit: Brown Dog Books

There is nothing more gratifying than someone who is touched by your music. I love looking out into the audience and seeing people smiling, singing along or tapping their feet.

Performing, though, takes hours and hours of practice, creating set lists, driving to gigs, and lugging equipment. It can sometimes be discouraging.

So why do we do it?

This past weekend my guitar player and I played a gig a local bookstore. The last song we played in our set was The Star of the County Down. 

At the end of the show, this gentleman who was sitting in the back row, pulled me aside to talk to me. He had tears in his eyes and spoke with an Irish accent. He told me the last time he heard that song was when his father sang it to him back in Ireland. He smiled at the memory and revealed that his father has since passed. He then shook my hand, thanked me for our music and slowly walked away.

It was at that moment that I was reminded why I perform.

Photo Credit: Summit School of Traditional Music

It’s mid-January and if you’re already starting to get cabin fever I got the perfect remedy for you. Get out and listen, participate and dance to a little music! And it just so happens that this weekend, the Summit School of Traditional Music & Culture is hosting their third Winter Folk Music Festival in Montpelier. Some great musicians will be in town giving concerts and workshops that are not to be missed.

When: January 18-20, 2013
Where: Downtown Montpelier, Vermont
Tickets: Advanced, discounted registration is available online at www.summit-school.org. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Headlining are Dirk Powell and Riley Baugus – two of the most prominent and respected names in Traditional music. Also participating is Swedish fiddler Anna Lindblad with Ryan Dricky; renowned banjo player, Ken Perlman and Jim Prendergast; Cajun accordion player and dancer, Corey Porche; Vermont’s own Pete Sutherland and Jeremiah McLane.

The Festival includes jams sessions and workshops for people of all ages and abilities, a Cajun dance party on Saturday and a special film screening hosted by folk historian Mark Greenberg on Sunday. For a full list of the weekend’s festivities check out the school’s events page.

Hope to see you out and about. Enjoy the music!