Celtic Connections cont.

I've come to a decision. Celtic Connections is amazing. I was a little disappointed in my choice last night. Should have gone to see the Punch Brothers and Carolina Chocolate Drops. Still kicking myself. At the time that I booked the tickets though, I couldn't justify three North American concerts in a row. Now that I know how the festival is structured, I'd do things a little differently.

So all you who are coming in the future, take note. What you REALLY want to see are the Late Night Sessions or Festival Club. It's WAY cheaper, and you get an excellent sampling of all the groups who will be playing over the 3 week festival. There are a couple catches... you don't know who will be playing until you show up at the door, and it doesn't end until about 4am. Which hurts when your body is programmed to wake up at 6am. A lot. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Also, when looking at the workshops, forget whatever your main instrument is, and take a bunch of "come & try" or beginner workshops. Instruments are provided, it's fun and relaxed, and again, cheap. Third tip: come alone. It's a great way to meet people, and you'll leave with a list of "here's my contact info. Come visit" invitations. And they're genuine.

I can't believe how friendly the people are here. I ran next door for a sandwich at lunch today. The lady sitting at the next table asked me if I was drinking orange juice (?), and the next thing I know, she's writing me a list of all the different restaurants and cafes I need to try while I'm here.

Today was magical. One of the highlights was the Mandolin workshop. Soooo much fun! I now know how to hold a mandolin and plectrum properly, pluck Ally Bally Bee (sounds vaguely like Kumbaya), play the chords, and play an arpeggio slide intro and bridge thingy. I got to be in the "advanced" half of the class, because it's tuned like a fiddle. LOL.

The other highlight was the Vent du Nord and Väsen (+3 other groups) concert tonight. High energy is the place to be! Somehow they blended the Swedish, French Canadian, and Scottish styles really well. But MAN, was it hopping! It made my fingers itch to get home to my fiddle. Vent du Nord are great performers - they really know how to interact and involve the audience, and seem to be incredibly excited about being on stage and playing with their guests. I can't even begin to describe the atmosphere. Put on one of their CD's, throw on a couple other high energy CDs from other groups at the same time, then add in 2,475 people standing, stomping their feet and clapping, and that might be a start.

Honourable mention goes to an up and coming band named Rura that played yesterday at open mike. I'm checking out their myspace page right now (http://www.myspace.com/therura). The recordings on there don't have the same pulse and energy that they had live yesterday, but they were REALLY good!