They performed at the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival about 8 years ago or so. Nice guys, fine musicians, fine music. Bruce Molsky brings home the point that the rhythms of Appalachian fiddling (as opposed to the tunes themselves) are from African American fiddling. There was a longtime performing contra dance band in the SF Bay Area called "Hillbillies From Mars." I wonder if bands using that term are going back to the tradition of the old-timey bands of the 1920's and 30's that gave themselves humorous and somewhat self-deprecating names such as "Wilmer Watts and His Aristocratic Pigs," (I think that was the name) and "The Henpecked Husbands" and the like. Is there evidence that "Hillbillies" was used by some Appalachians the way "Queer" has been adopted by some LBGT groups? Chanteyranger
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