Playing at a session can be intimidating. It’s scary to start a tune or to hop in on one when you’re a newcomer. Know that you’re not alone and there is something you can do to ease your uncertainty. Aside from learning the tunes, it helps to know what kind of session it is and what is expected of … More Playing in an Irish session – Jericho Cafe Style
Today would have been my mother’s 71st birthday. She passed 4 years ago and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. Though she never played any instruments, I remember my childhood being filled with music. She’d listen to broadway shows, the Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, the Moody Blues and she absolutely … More Ode to my mom
I am happy to announce that the session scene is growing in Vermont. There are two new sessions to check out in the Middlebury area beginning this month: January 28 – 51 Main in Middlebury from 8-10pm hosted by Matt Floyd. It will continue on the first Wednesday of each month while college is in … More New Irish sessions in Vermont
It may be cold and dark out there but you can warm up with some hot music coming up in the next week. Here’s the low down: Saturday, January 10 – Irish session at Bagitos session 2-5pm – long-running, unaccompanied and hugely successful with some of Vermont’s best traditional Irish musicians. Sunday, January 11 – Knotwork concert … More Upcoming Irish music events
It’s been a great year. Thanks for your readership and your continued support of traditional Irish music and local bands. Check out all that happened in 2014 on this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,700 times in 2014. If it were a … More 2014 in review
I’m not sure if it’s because I started playing fiddle late in life or just that my brain can only fit so much information in it at any given time, but damn it takes me a long time to learn a tune. I find some tunes harder to learn than others, like Spike Island Lasses for example … More What makes certain tunes so hard to learn?
A few months ago I adopted Bloo, a rescue dog from a local shelter. And since we’ve been together I have to admit I have spent more time playing with him than I have been practicing my fiddle (look at that face, can you blame me?). Today though, I finally got back to it and … More What I learned from my dog about music
When one door closes, another one always opens. If you were an avid session-goer to the On the Rise Bakery session that recently ceased because of new ownership, fear not. The session lives on…It’s just in another location. This Thursday, November 20 from 7-9pm, marks the start of a new session at the Jericho Cafe and Tavern (the former … More When one door closes…
This week don’t miss two of Ireland’s finest musicians Jackie Daly on accordion and Matt Cranitch on fiddle. Here’s info on them both: “For many years, Jackie Daly (accordion) and Matt Cranitch (fiddle) have been the foremost interpreters of the rich Sliabh Luachra tradition of instrumental music, which is an area that borders on the … More A concert not to be missed
The following is written by Brian Kessler, Flute player and session host: “Every session has a lifecycle.” These words of wisdom were bestowed upon us by Benedict Koehler and Hilari Farrington in the autumn of 2008 during an Irish session repertoire class at the Summit School of Traditional Music & Culture in Montpelier, VT. At … More Every Irish session has a lifecycle
Session Obsession 