The more strings attached the better when you're talking about Celtic Fiddle Festival.Holy crap, it's March. That means that yet again, it's almost St.
Patrick's Day. And that also means that it's quite apt to talk about
Irish-influenced music. But before all you snot-nosed Flogging Molly
and Dropkick Murphy punks get your suspenders in a twist of
anticipation, let's make clear that the following is entirely about
traditional Celtic folk music, which can still be cool.
And it's
especially cool if the folk music is provided by the Celtic Fiddle
Festival - which to the less fiddle-familiar individuals out there is
not actually a festival, it's a band comprised of some of the world's
finest four-string bowers. The group isn't entirely Irish, as one might
expect, but actually features a player from Quebec as well as one from
a Celtic region of France. To add to the geographical and
nomenclature-related confusion we've likely created thus far, Kevin
Burke, the fiddle pioneer known as one of the best living players still
touring, actually lives in Portland. So, in short, Celtic Fiddle
Festival plays Irish-inspired music, without really residing in or near
Ireland.
