Mother Jones
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When I catch fiddler Suzy Thompson on the phone, she’s pretty amped to tell me about the 10th annual Old Time Music Convention in Berkeley, California. As BOTMC’s director and founder, Thompson has coaxed old-time musicians from around the world to not only perform at the small annual festival, but to lead its square dances and workshops with eager local participants and amateurs. The outdoor string band contest, held at the park near the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, often takes center stage: jug bands, Italian tarantellas, a Greek band complete with undulating belly dancer—”anything goes as long as it’s unplugged,” the program reads. The result is a gathering modeled after Appalachian fiddle and banjo conventions that emphasize “doing rather than just watching.” There’s not much separation between the stars and the regular folk who take part.
That attitude is what attracted Foghorn Stringband fiddler Sammy Lind to old-time music in the first place. “I was really drawn to the social aspect of it,” he tells me during a break from his current tour in Washington. “I loved getting together; it felt great to be part of a crew of people like that.”
Original post –
Gettin’ Rowdy and Real at Berkeley’s Old Time Music Convention
