My local folk club is The Davy Lamp
Folk Club
, held every Saturday (except for the summer break) at the Arts
Centre in Fatfield, Washington.
Each night kicks off with a session, of which this is a typical
example.
I play with a semi-professional group
called Backshift, along with
Terri and Eric Freeman and Ken Tonge. With a few other singers and
musicians we also comprise the residents at the Davy Lamp.
Between us we've made several CDs - this is the latest.
Several of us and our wives also play and dance with The
Washington Downtown Cloggies - the Appalachian Clog Dancing troupe
that has spun off the folk club.
Myself at the club, hoping that
if I can only get the guitar (a Martin M36)
in tune I will sound like a real singer. I
used to play mostly ragtime, like the Dallas
Rag (1,447 KB). This was recorded on my venerable (1966)
Martin D18.
If you're familiar with Dave Liebman's
arrangement you'll notice I've simplified a couple of bars! Since
developing functional dystonia
I can only use a plectrum - so when I'm playing on my own I stick with
songs like the Brownsferry Blues
(2,804
KB).
With Backshift I mostly play mandolin. I've
been fortunate enough over
the years to acquire a Sobell and a couple of Gibsons (1924 and 2004).
Amongst my other instruments are a really nice Weber Bridger Octave
Mandolin (which I'm playing in the session
above), a Hohner Musette IV accordian and a very old tenor banjo. Some
of these can be heard
on this home recording
(4MB) on a
friend's 8-track.
If you're interested in mandolin
lessons, please email me.
Peggy Seeger is a consummate performer and
true professional, but not
above getting a local guitarist up on stage to help her out.
One of my prouder moments!
