fiddle-dee-dee

Just down the road today, at the Stowe House in Goleta, we attended the 36th Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Convention and Festival. What a lovely way to spend a day. Rousing, nostalgic music everywhere. Contestants on one stage. Headliners on another. Impromptu jam sessions scattered throughout. Fiddlers were certainly featured, but many other "old-time" instruments starred: banjo, mandolin, mandola, guitar, dobro, bouzuki, bagpipes. The singing was great, too. But our favorite, by far, was Molly's Revenge, a Celtic/Scottish flavored band who awed us with their spirited performance. The photo at top captures, I hope, some of their infectious exuberance. This was my first of such festivals. I'd go again, for sure.