Bridget & I spent Easter bashing about at the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and we had quite a weekend. Bridgey was invited to play with the National Celtic Fiddle Rally and I went along firstly as a punter and secondly to play sessions and catch up with lots of friends.
The weekend passed so quickly, but Bridge & I were lucky enough to play two chalkboard gigs. Can I just say that Bridge is a wonderful addition to this band? I was so proud of her. We are indebted to Davyyd McDonald and Mackenzie for backing us on guitar and bodhran. Davyyd did an admirable job considering both times our rehearsals went like this:
Bridget: ‘Mr Thompson’s, two reels, first in D major, second in F major, three times around each, I’ll call the changes’
Davyyd: ‘Yep’
Bridget: ‘Slow song, jig in G minor. Follow Sarah’
Davyyd: ‘Yep’
Bridget: ‘Acapella song, Sarah sings, then we sing with her’
Davyyd: ‘Yep’
Baidget: ‘Triple A set, all in A, starting with a jig then two reels, fast’
Davydd: ‘Yep’
And off he went! Poor Mackenzie, he was literally dragged up by Bridget in the second chalkboard gig to back the Gravel Walk tunes on bodhran. All I got to say to him was, ‘One, two, three, go!’ Spontaneous chalkboards are so much fun. Cheers lads, job well done.
Eddi Reader was headlining this festival. She is absolutely nutty and completely adorable. Her vocals on My Love is like a Red Red Rose was just spine-tingling. Actually, the entire performance sucked me in and left me breathless. Due to popular demand, she also played her most well-known song ‘Perfect’ – and was better live than the recording! Definitely one to see when she tours.
I had the most brilliant moment meeting Irish singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy. She’s the type of person who is cool without having to even try. What an amazing performer. From guitar to bodhran to fiddle; I’m not kidding, Eleanor plays everything and has such a dry sarcastic sense of humour – that’s my kind of woman! I bought her album Out There and asked her to sign it and she then asked if I was a musician? I replied yes, I’m in a band, but we’re not playing at the Nationals, I’m here to enjoy the music. So then she asked me if I had a CD (which I did – always carry one, you never know who you’ll bump into!), and I gave her a copy, which she ordered me to sign, and then swapped our Sunas CD for her latest album Love Must Be Tough. Instant fan here.
I have a crush on Pascal from Quebec folk group Genticorum – who wouldn’t when he speaks French and sings so beautifully? Oh, he also plays fiddle and uses his feet as percussion while singing. Disgustingly talented. Bridgey has stars in her eyes after spending a mammoth 7 hour session learning fiddle tunes from him – you go girl!
The rest of the time Bridgey & I were girl bonding, ie, drinking cider (terriblyterribly important!), watching performances, spending far too much money (as was in my case) or just hanging out at Mike & Beth’s Celtic stall (the coolest one, I might add), sometimes doing all four things at the same time. It was mental and we had a blast.
Nationals aside, home grown news here: We have some gigs coming up starting in mid April on the 12th at the Meadowbrook Hotel, but I’m waiting on a few more to trickle in before that, so check out the Gigs page over the next few weeks. Hope you all had an amazing Easter and stayed safe on the roads. We look forward to catching up with everyone at our next gig.
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