Merlefest 2001
Part 1 My Own Journey Home
Before I ever sat in a traditional Irish session in my teens I was press ganged by my older cousin Paul Rodden , who was learning to play 5-string banjo, into playing my shaky 3 or 4 chords along with his initial pickings of standard bluegrass tunes. The first traditional style song I learned to sing was Cripple Creek. In our first night out in Rodden's Pub in Buncrana, Co Donegal in the far reaches of the North west Coast of Ireland, our repertoire included Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Old Joe Clark, Sally Goodin, Devil's Dream and of course Blackberry Blossom.
Paul's ability on the banjo grew fast and our thirst for this music was insatiable. We scoured the local record shops for this wonderful music of a far off land and found Flatt and Scruggs, Country Gazette, Country Cookin' and various other popular players of this genre. Paul and I went on to form The Pyros which was a mixture of styles and songs from pure bluegrass to Irish traditional. The blending of these styles and the talent of the other players in the band including Altan's Ciaran Tourish and 4 Men and a Dog's Kevin Doherty caught

Kevin Burke of the Crossing

the imagination of most of the North West of the country and we went on to play to packed venues on and off for many, many years. Now some 20 or so years on, Paul is one of the most accomplished 5-string banjo players anywhere, mixing Bluegrass and Irish music with ease in his own band Mister Midnight in Brittany, France. Somewhere during those heady days I was given a tape of Doc and Merle Watson in a bid to show me how guitar should be played. I was totally amazed at this incredible style and the free flowing and easy way it was all made to sound. I have been a huge fan of Doc Watson's work ever since.

Sadly my own guitar playing isn't far beyond those early pickin days, but I have gained over the years an appreciation of the life that Doc Watson and his collaborations have given to this music of the mountains.

All these years later, now that I am also writing about the traditional music I grew up with, I thought I would add news and reviews of other styles of traditional music. I searched for a festival that would give new readers a comprehensive insight into the music of the Appalachians, bluegrass, and all things Americana. And there it was, Merlefest. Finding it was like the end of a journey for me and had in the lineup almost everyone I listened to as a teen, as well as some of the finest new young talent. It takes place in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, every year and is a celebration of the life of Merle Watson, Doc Watson's son, who sadly died in an accident in 1985.

Such is the respect for this family in the music community that every year more and more acts appear. The biggest stars sit down and play with the newest bands and pickers over 4 days in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. This year the lineup includes Dolly Parton, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Time O'Brien and The Crossing and Nickel Creek as well as Doc himself. Irish and Celtic music fans will have plenty to enjoy as well as many of our own gather to join in this wonderful event.

The event takes place from 26th to 29th of April and in making one of my own dreams come true, I will be there for online.ie talking to and playing with some of the finest musicians in the world. We will have reviews of the concerts, pictures and interviews of the stars and the many workshops and competitions. So join us and share "my dream come true" at Merlefest 2001. Over the coming weeks we will be looking at the origins of the Festival, past events and taking you through the profiles of some of the acts who will be playing.
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