Ilanbanjo

[Ptarmigan]

WELCOME ;D

Hello Ilanbanjo

Welcome to the Old Time Music Forum.

We are all delighted that you are now a member and we look forward to your contributions to the discussions here.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your music & your Old Time Instruments.

Then, why not hop over to our Where do you live & play your Old Time Music? poll and click on your own area!

Cheers
'Ptarmigan'

[ilanbanjo]

hey there from paris,
thanks so much for creating this forum -

i'm a pure product of the new york city crypto-old time music scene, although I was lucky enough to have some of the best OT musicians around to tell me what i was doing was crap, so I learned quickly. I learned banjo over there and have been learning fiddle for just under two years from ol Polo B. down in the Ardeche mountains when I have time to head there, and from visits back home... I've been in france almost 4 years and work in an international organization, where the politics are actually worse than in the old time music scene.. I also play klezmer accordion, which I suppose I have more "trad-music cred" for, coming from a family of yiddish singers and composers from Maryland. But I sure love to zone out with great old time musicians, and im thrilled that people here in europe are picking it up and researching it and heading to the festivals and whatnot... Also supporting great artists from o'er there – recently brining to Sweden Tom and the Forge Mountain Diggers, if they are still alive, for example..

I've got a band here in Paris, the Old timey messengers, and hell, I'd love to bring them around a bit and show the EU our somewhat convoluted but well-meaning message. We got John Matthews, fiddle and singing, another new yaker who paid his dues backing up David Bass for some year back then in Cool as Grits String Band and spacing it out hippie style at Galax. There is also Stephen Harrison, best upright bassist in Paris (and one of the few here that really knows how to go boom boom) from Blackburn UK who sings and plays banjo.. And Mocke, from the French rock group Holden, who adds the Rock, and Russ, from Florida and Texas and who the hell knows, who is in charge of spoons, banjo uke and the dancing peter. Everyone sings
www.myspace.com/lesoldtimeymessengers

We might not have the sheer ot force of the UK (can someone find Wild Man Davy Wright?) but France has got some pickers. As mentioned, Polo and Nadine are fantastic musicians, and have a little community of fiddlers in their area and further abroad, all who have studied with Polo. Yup, there are little Polos floating around France, and they like to meet up at the Trad festivals in the summer sometime and show those hurdy gurdys and pipes whats up. Of special mention is Katy from Bordeaux and her buddies, who are sounding great these days and were a big hit at clifftop playing southwestern French music…. And Bruno torres who makes OT banjos in southcentral France.

Paris also has the amazing western swing/hillbilly band Cattle Call, with Manu and Dede on banjo and uke, with other wonderful pickers. Manu is a great banjo picker, he can do anything on it, and frails a cakewalk like I've never heard…. We’ve started a lil side project too…. Check em out:
www.myspace.com/cattlecallband

There is also Ian Mccamy and Robert Crumb down south who are fantastic musicians and we get to play with as well. Sarah Savoy from, yup, that family, also now lives in Paris and has added some needed fire into the Cajun scene.

All in all, things are well in france, I didn't mention all of it, and we'll be fiddling while the cities burn, that is certain.

And we'd love to come and visit y'all!!

Cheers

Ilan, paris

[Ptarmigan]

WOW! What a truly fascinating intro Ilan.

Thanks for joining us.

Good to get that link to the Cattlecall MySpace too.

Looks like France isn't such a Gobi Desert for Old Time Music after all!

Cheers
Dick