Field Notes 2

Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton, MA (3/8/08)

Several more musicians than last time, though many of the same ones.
Lots of mics, recording equipment, realized fairly quickly that parts of the performance were being recorded.
Photographer showed up at about 9:00 (during the playing), seemed as though performers were really excited about being recorded/photographed.
Lots of musicians’ friends were there, taking pictures and cheering for their musician friends at the ends of songs.
Noticed the way instrumental songs were structure: songs were played in sets of three shorter that blended seamlessly from one to the other, the repetition of each shorter song determined before beginning to play. At one point, the younger fiddle player got wouldn’t play one of the sets of three because he said (jokingly, it seemed) that one of the three songs didn’t go with the other two and that “everywhere else in the world” they played a different third song. The band leader smartly replied “here we do it this way”.
When songs were being recorded, band leader would told people only to play the songs if they knew them. The young fiddle player echoed “if you know it, play it. If you’d fake it, don’t.”
At one point, a different guitar player/singer (not the group leader) took up the chair by the singing mic and started playing a song that sounded Irish, but referenced California. My mom, sitting next to me, pointed out how much American “country” music was based on Irish and Scottish folk music.
While this man was singing about California, he accidentally knocked over his beer near a collection of instruments that weren’t being used. While he rushed off to find a towel, the rest of the musicians kept playing, laughing at the situation, and repeatedly singing the chorus while the man who spilled the beer, quite flustered, tried to clean up the mess. The young fiddle player jumped up from his seat and started dancing and clapping, to which the audience responded by clapping along. When the man was done cleaning the mess, he sat back down and was about to start playing again when the rest of the musicians stopped. Very light-hearted moment.
Younger man seemed to recognize me, my brother, and my brother’s friends from the last time we’d come and swung by our table to ask in his thick Irish accent “how we were holding up”, continuing right along to bar before we could respond.
Just as last time, audience seemed constantly aware of the music while continuing to socialize, indicated a comfort with the setting that didn’t require them to sit somberly and watch the performance in silence (lots of singing along of vocal songs, extremely enthusiastic clapping when each song ended).

I talked to several of the people at the bar about what there thoughts were on the Saturday night seisiuns.

Bartender:
She’s worked every Saturday night for last two months.
Traditional Irish music “as it would be heard in Ireland”
Very social atmosphere, the music creates social ambience, but audience always “becomes silent” whenever a soloist is performing or someone is singing (unless they’re singing along)
Usually groups of twelve or more musicians, many recurring yet many “guests” who are familiar with tunes
When I asked how long the seisiuns usually go for, told me that she usually has to “kick the musicians out by 12:30”, saying they would play indefinitely if they could
Teasingly, told me being twenty-one would have made my experience more enjoyable (yet gave some insight into the “assumed” drinking culture of Irish pubs)

Older Man:
Actually from Ireland (thick accent) but hasn’t lived their for forty years
Quite hard of hearing, said that the music they play on Saturday seisiuns is “okay”, fairly similar to what he used to listen to in Ireland, but still felt as though he was listening to Irish music in America
Hasn’t returned to Ireland much since his parents died

Bodhrán player:
Playing bodhrán for only a year, but by playing at seisiuns three times a week has met over two-hundred musicians
Professionally, she is a high school teacher
One of the reasons she loves to play at Saturday seisiuns is “to have a front row seat to watch the great talent of some of the regular musicians
Said “when you come into one of these rooms, it’s as though the music comes out of the walls and through you”
Said that most of the people who participate in seisiuns (audience and performers) identify themselves with “Irish” if they aren’t actually from Ireland
Told me a romantic tale about the male fiddle player (the young man who greeted us at the door while smoking a cigarette the last time I went): “He’s an Irish citizen who came over during Thanksgiving to visit family, met a girl, and has been here since. Because of his great playing, he’s on the payroll at the Cultural Centre. Everyone who plays at the seisiuns is really excited because of the energy he brings”
Said the “communal” social atmosphere is based on the tradition of Irish farmers, after long days of work, getting together with instruments in their fields and homes and playing for each other and themselves
Told me that Irish folk music is an “oral tradition” with people learning to play from exposure to the music over many years
Proceeded to tell me that the young fiddle player didn’t know the names of many of the songs he was playing, rather he knew the melodies by heart from hearing the songs (he often times would sit and listen to the song that was being played for a moment before joining in, seemingly trying to figure out what song was being played)

Seisiun group leader (guitar player, singer):
Told him about the study I was doing and said he’d love to help, only it would be difficult for the next couple of weeks due to St. Patrick’s day making things a bit crazy in his life.
Told me he’d e-mail me about doing a “formal” interview when he got a chance

Middle-aged woman:
Said she used to attend shows like this when she was in college, always made her feel like she was down in the country: home
Used to have many records (vinyl) of Irish music but had lost them during her divorce, though she recognized many of the tunes that were being played
Said there was something “honest about traditional folk music” that you couldn’t find in other types of music, which explains why it “affects people so much”