Fiddlin'

Friday June 22 2012

from around the country 

they rosin up that bow and step into the spotlight

champions, virtuosos, sensations, prodigies

fantastical fiddlers, masterful musicians

fast and furious fingers fly

waltzing down the neck

reeling across the strings

toes up hoe down

polka, mazurka, bluegrass

just spectacular!


If you've never been to the Weiser, Idaho's National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest, you're missing something phenomenal.

The way the fingers fly across the frets and strings - that just ain't right. It's beyond incredible. Dang it's good!

(this gal was my pick of the Young Adults - I think she finished 3rd)


(or link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjbM4mG_omw&feature=plcp


last year's Grand National Champion Katrina Nicolayeff warming up

Harmony

Wednesday December 9 2009

A special breeze floated through Owyhee this week.

A man, his wife, his fiddle, his mandolin.

The kind of people you pick out instantly at the airport. The kind of folks with which you feel an instant affinity, the kind that feel like immediate family from the first hug.

The kind of people the dogs and horses and cat crowd around.


Quiet and amiable. Warm hearts. Tranquil minds.

The kind of people that appreciate a place like this. The kind that just belong here.


He played for their supper. (Really, he just played because he could.) We listened.


My own live folkalley.com in the house. All day. The music poured from his soul. How does he store all this in his head?

They came and stayed a few days, then left an impression behind.

The music and the friendship remain in their wake.