to marion, montrealers like french music--they seem to view irish as honary french, but i know several people who played folkie and or countryish music for hours without making a bean. i don't think tthat sells.

my french is pretty bad so i sing the odd tune in french but it seems they are ok with irish songs in english but add an american twang, and you likely won't make a bean.

mostly i save my voice and play jigs and reels on mandolin or cittern?bouzouki and then they have usually given me money before they realize that i'm well a maudit you know what. which is funny because i'm a maudit acadien who is from a totally assimilated family. ah life is complex.

and rick fielding i used to see cris coole a lot in the subway. i don't think he's doing it as much. i've seen a few gigs posted for him so maybe he's a big friggin' shot now. although i did see him go through dundas west station a few days ago and he said hello. he's a great banjo player and recently i've seen him playing guitar, as in tunes.

i'm doing irish though and most of that crowd--i.e. the blue grass and related stuff--don'y play with celtoids--or at least it seems that way to me. hey in toronto many of the celtoids don't play with celtoids. oh for the good old days playing in people's kitchens in rural nova scotia.

of sourse the good old days meant abject poverty. i actually went to school with kids who got ricketts every winter, and occasionally scruvy. before you all think i'm doing the we were so poor i do admit that the canada welfare act has changed that. especially as poverty in french/acadien, and nova scotia gaelic culture was shamefull, so people would suffer badly rather than ask for help, now you just get the wellie cheque