Hi Martin!

As we know, there are good and bad aspects to many things. The Bothy Band played very fast but, clearly, they were virtuosic to the point that there was never a question of their losing control. We've all suffered through less adept players who play fast and poorly. I would not say that that was The Bothy Band's fault. I think that the Bothies' heavily rhythmic acoustic sound probably saved us from electro-Celtoid rock with full drum sets and bass guitars. The Bothies combined great speed, fluidity and weight; they were a hard act to follow even for rockers.

I lead a session with Brian Conway 2 or 3 times a month. Brian is not a fast player but I do notice that he picks up his tempo quite easily when musicians of his caliber who play faster drop by our session.

All the best,
Dan Milner