I can't make it to Cropredy this year, so, to at least partially fill the resulting void in my life, last Saturday (28 July), my wife and I drove 150 miles north of New York City to a farm near Hillsdale, a small town east of Albany near the Massachusetts border. We spent the day at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. It is in many ways like a smaller version of Cropredy, lasting 4 days with people camping out. This was its 19th year. You can see more about it on
www.falconridgefolk.com.
The evening show had six sets, the last being a group called The Strangelings. They are comprised of The Kennedys (Pete and Maura, who have put out a number of recordings under their own name) and several other people. Several songs into their set, I suddenly hear a familar opening riff. OMIGOD! CAN IT BE? YES, THEY ARE PLAYING "MATTY GROVES"! In an arrangement very like the original FC version on LIEGE AND LIEF. (It was remarkable that they had only just acquired their fiddle player shortly before their set at the festival.) That was indeed a great and appreciated surprise.
You can see more about The Strangelings on The Kennedys' website,
www.kennedysmusic.com. They have a CD and a DVD available.
Meanwhile, I send my best wishes to all who are attending Fairport's Cropredy Convention. I'll be there in spirit, even if I can't be in person.
Cheers /// Tom***
