Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?

Subject: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Jellybeam
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 01:51 PM

Oooops its Ian Stephenson, not Jellybeam!

I have a friend who is a FANTASTIC scottish/irish style fiddler from York.
He is going to BOSTON on a business trip, and would like to find some good sessions while he is there.

Can anyone tell me the places he could go to to find some?? or even better send him an e-mail with your contact details so he can speak to those "in the know"!

His name is ROGER (sounds like the opening to a movie trailer doesn't it!)
his e-mail address is [e-mail]

Its great to be back and checkin' the cat!

Ian S.

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Ian Stephenson
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 01:57 PM

Just so you know it isn't my mum impersonating me!

i.

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: MMario
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 01:59 PM

Ian - there should be some people checking in here shortly

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: GUEST,UB Dan
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 02:49 PM

From what I understand, there aren't any Irish Pubs in Boston : )

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: GUEST,Rog
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 05:54 PM

hi all,
i'm the "roger" in question, just been pointed here by ian. (BTW, this is the first time i've encountered Mudcat; what a nice little surprise!)

just in case it helps, i'm going to this big computer conference thingy (Usenix) which is at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel, whereever that is; i'll be there from monday to saturday next week (i.e. 25th to 30th June) and it would be great to be able to escape from techy hell and play some nice music...

i don't know anything of boston at all (well, i've been through the airport 20 odd years ago!)

ta for any pointers,
 rog.

PS. ian exaggerates: i'm an indifferent fiddle player, but enthusiastic!

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: MMario
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 07:19 PM

I don't know where all our Boston people are - but one of them should be along soon to point you in the right direction.

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 11:29 PM

Start off with getting the Thrusday edition of the Boston Globe & pull out the Calendar section they do a great job listing folk happeninggs, including sessions. Monday in the Brighton area of Boston is a session at the Green Briar Pub on Washington St near St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the musicians range from fair to the some of the finest. The Burren in Somerville will only court the top shelf musicians (stuck up IMHO). The Druid is very nice in Cambridge (call for times), our singing session at Paddy Burkes on wed evenings (see recent posting). I hope that starts you off, I'm a bit rusty in the session area as of late. I'll check back here. Barry

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Peg
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 01:56 AM

Thursdays at Matt Murphy's pub in Brookline; Shay Walker leads it; he is also one of the founders of our singers' club at Paddy Burke's...it is on the Green Line C train; get off at Coolidge Corner and head down Harvard Street towards Brookline Village (ask soemone where it is)

Tuesdays at Kitty O'Shea's downtown is meant to be good; fine players like Kathleen Coneely on whistle, George Keith on fiddle and Shanon Aaron on bouzouki...

Peg

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Ian Stephenson
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 07:54 AM

thanks for the help. Hello Barry Finn! Saw you at the session a couple of weeks ago. nice singing, mate.

ian s.

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: GUEST,Rog
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 12:12 PM

excellent! thanks for the pointers. i'll definitely take my fiddle with me then, and try and find some of these sessions. contrary to what i said, i'm actually arriving tuesday afternoon, so (jetlag permitting) i'll try and make it to matt murphy's. i'm looking forward to it already!

any more suggestions are very welcome. apart from wednesday, i think i've got every evening off (incl. saturday).

by the way, i've got a neat little folding bicycle which i was wondering about bringing out, to save a taxi ride or two. how big is Boston? would i find it useful?

thanks peeps; maybe i might bump into some of you next week!

 rog.

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 22 Jun 01 - 01:02 AM

Hi Ian & thanks & (more than) pretty nice yourself.
Hi Roger. Boston's good sized & not an easy place to navigate with all the winding streets & cow paths that never got updated. It's pretty easy to get about using the MBTA (public trans.) You'll be staying in a central location known as the Copley Square area, very easy to get anywhere from there (don't take the taxi's, way overpriced). As far as taking a bike, Boston drivers are internationally know for being cruel, malicious, dangerous & always on the lookout for unsuspecting bikers from far of countries to cripple without having to actually get out & stop to apraise the carnage. Close by places to peek at that aren't far off: Harvard Sq. in Cambridge, Boston Gardens, Boston Public Library-Copley Sq., the Art Museum on Huntington Ave (your staying on Huntington Ave, just head away from downtown), Science Park Museum (next to the Fleet Center), the North End, downtown has harbor cruises going out to the harbor islands & Boston By Sea is narrated along with songs(by our own David Coffin). Go online for the above posted message for the Thursday edition of the Boston Globe Calendar. Hope you're able to make some merry music & I hope this helps, Barry

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: GUEST,ollaimh
Date: 22 Jun 01 - 08:27 PM

you know there were thousands of nova scotians who emmigrated to boston and environs over the last few centuries. so i'm curious, as a native scovey noshion whether there are cape breton style fiddlers there who have kept up the music? it's been years since i've actually been, but i remember a few areas of boston that were scottish--meaning nova scotian settled. are there still? and hows the busking down there--maybe i'll visit

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 23 Jun 01 - 02:09 AM

There are some great young fiddlers around Boston in the Irtish/Scottish/Cape Breton fiddling scene. Three pof them are in a fiddle band together called "Halali." They are: Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese, and Lissa Schneckenburger. They are brilliant fiddlers and fun folks. Look for them at sessions in and around Boston.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 23 Jun 01 - 02:13 AM

That should be "Irish," not "Irtish" music. I think Irtish music died out in the 10th century after the Irts were defeated at the battle of Wastings.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Ian Stephenson
Date: 23 Jun 01 - 07:27 AM

WOW!
Thank you chanteyranger. I just searched for halali on the net and found their website, and they're amazing!
Its good to know that there are other young bands out there. Are there any other young bands that I should know about??

Thanks again, Ian S.

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Sam Pirt
Date: 23 Jun 01 - 10:32 AM

Hi

Its good to see thers plenty of young players about round there. I am in the band 422 with Ian Stephenson and on me, Ian and Bill Sables last trip to the US we did not meet loads of young players. When I am over at the getway in October it would be great to meet more young players.

Cheers, Sam

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Tiger
Date: 23 Jun 01 - 06:24 PM

We went to the Black Rose on State Street last weekend. Great group called Celtic Clan. I think they're there quite often.

Not utterly Celtic, but played a good range of trad stuff, plus Van Morrison, Dubliners and U2.

I heartily recomend!

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 24 Jun 01 - 03:33 AM

Sam and Ian, I'm not sure if the younger crowd can be found at all the campouts but there is alot of young musical talent coming to the fore, particularly in fiddling. A whole contingent from Boston, including Laura, Lissa, and Hanneke, however, converge on the Valley Of The Moon Scottish Fiddling School - which is a week-long camp with tuition held in the California redwoods, founded and directed by Alasdair Fraser. There are 20-30 talented musicians in their teens and early twenties who go there every summer. If you e mail Halali from their website, I'm sure they'd be glad to tell you where the Boston sessions are that they go to, for your next trip to the U.S., and would probably know about gatherings in the Boston area where young musicians are found.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Scottish/Irish Sessions in Boston?
From: GUEST,Rog
Date: 30 Jun 01 - 01:17 PM

hi again,

just want to say thanks for all your help. i've had a lovely week here in boston (i leave tomorrow). i went to kitty o'shea's just after i arrived on the tuesday. met up with George on the fiddle, Dan on bouzouki & flute and a couple of lasses on fiddles who knew some of the Cape Breton tunes i play which was really nice as nobody in York does!

that session pointed me to M.J.O'Connor's on the following day which i only got to at around midnight (work kept me late) but still time for a couple of hours of tunes. nice to be in a place with sensible licensing hours! makes a change from england... what a nice bunch of people. i wish i could remember Dan's surname - he told me his email addr last night at the Burren and i can't for the life of me remember it... [e-mail]. anyone out there know who i'm talking about?

Barry Finn, you do have a point about the Burren sessions (well, ok, i've only seen one so far). there was an english lass on the whistle who seemed to be leading the session along with a slightly oriental looking girl playing the fiddle, very nicely, i believe, but i could hardly hear a thing to be honest. what a racket! loads of people shouting at the top of their voices. even with the microphones you could barely hear anyone play. bit of a pity really, and i can't really say that they were very open & inviting. still they suffered me to play a tune, which i think they enjoyed. i didn't care anyway, i was having a lovely time, having started off the evening at a conference reception with lots of free wine.

i'm sitting here the morning (ok afternoon) after, somewhat hungover, and wondering whether i should try and find another session this evening. yeah, i think i will!

anyway, for anyone that's reading this and interested in finding out about boston sessions, the best source of info i've found is a wee local paper called "The Irish Emigrant" which can be found in most irish bars hereabouts and has a half page giving details of many sessions around boston. i didn't find the Boston Globe too informative (lots of info on live music, but not much on sessions)

i've rambled enough! thanks all,
 rog.