Boston

Andy was playing a contra dance at the Scout House in Concord, MA the night we were heading back to Boston, and he invited me to come along. This was an awesome dance. Many dancers both young and old attended and the band was fantastic; Andy Reiner, Julie Metcalf, Larry Ungar, Stewart Kenny, and caller Mary Wesley were all in good form.

The next day I researched sessions and other contra dances in the area. Since school was not in session there weren't any other contra dances, but there were three sessions I managed to make it to: The Brendan Behan Pub on Saturday Afternoon, The Green Briar on Monday Evenings, and The Druid on Tuesday Evenings.

I met three great players who were at both Brendan Behan's and The Druid: Emily and George Keith the married couple and both fine fiddle players, and James Hamilton, a fantastic flute player. These guys made both of these sessions a worthwhile venture. The session at the Green Briar was loud, large, and beginner friendly. They have a Comhaltas sponsored slow session before the faster session at 9pm. The whole vibe reminded of the Starry Plough back home.

On the way back from The Druid I had to wait till 1:30am for the last bus to arrive. A bus driver waiting for his shift ambled over to me with a slight limp. He was gaunt and roughly shaven, his uniform stained like he had eaten greasy food in haste, and he had a slightly menacing look on his face. I started to wonder whether I had been singled out as his his next murder victim when he said "Is that a violin on your back, because I was wondering how easy it is to learn," It turned out he was a jazz pianist who wanted to learn classical strings. We chatted about music until he headed back to his shift.

As the bus driver walked off, a confused lady asked me if I could help her figure out what bus to take. It turned out she was from California, and we not only stopped at the same bus stop, but were staying on the same street! We struck up a conversation about travel, and she told me about her life as a fight attendant and all the exotic places she's been. She was really excited for me and my travels abroad.

In between sessions I got a chance to write, play some tunes, and drink some of Andy's home-brew. I helped Andy keg a few Belgian Ales and got to taste them as they were being kegged. Both more fresh and alive than any beer I've had, and more flavorful to boot!

Just as I was starting to grow restless for my next adventure, Quena Crain called let me know that she was going to be calling a contra dance at Marlboro Collage on Wed August 29th, so we conspired to meet in Springfield and to spend the rest of my time on the East Coast in Vermont and Upstate New York.