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“Play us something from home,” shouted a keyed up fan from the back of the audience who hoped to hear some traditional jigs.
I came from home,” growled the soloist. “Our house burnt to the ground. I’ll play something from there, if you want to get schnitty.”
Ashley Mac Isaac isn’t famous for his tactfulness. But he's a damn good fiddler.
After hearing the request for songs from his native Cape Breton Island, he said, “Most of the music I played (as a child) was for funerals. So I’ll play something up-tempo like that," he sneered, then a smile cropped emerged. "This next tune is called ‘My Home.’ ” He played a traditional Cape Breton song with a rock band backup, an intense mix he created in the mid-90's with his chart-topping album, "Hi, How Are You Today?"
Once the song was finished, he quickly shot his characteristic and expected middle-finger "gesture" at the person near the back who had made the request. Then Ashley continued to create some of the most remarkable fiddle music I’ve ever heard! Like many others in the audience, I was confused and awkwardly amused by his startling polarity!
Ashley’s not a “pretty boy” like many other pop stars and teen icons. No sparkling jumpsuits or nose jobs here. He wears a ball cap, sometimes hidden by the hood of his sweater, baggy jeans and big rings. His face is scruffy and his voice is rough, but again, he can sure fiddle.
This performer doesn’t go out of his way to make eye contact and occasionally turned away from the audience during his solos, not unlike Miles Davis’ notorious performances. Come to think of it, I think he was even wearing sunglasses in the dark concert hall! But again, his remarkable fiddling more than made up for his detached stage presence.
Ashley won't make the audience feel warm and fuzzy inside with stock compliments like, “This town’s the best town I’ve ever played in.” In fact, this east-coaster poked fun at our local British Columbian politics and called attention to the fact that “such a lively crowd” hardly budged from their seats during his high-energy concert opening. I wholeheartedly agreed with him on that point since his fiddling was certainly deserving of some audience participation and not dancing was an insult to the fiddler.
And what a fiddler he is. Ashley has mastered his instrument with marvelous innovation.
Before the concert I expected his backward violin hold and unconventional technique would have gotten in the way of my appreciation of him as a violinist, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. His musicality, phrasing, and sense of style were phenomenal. He was up and down the neck of his instrument with such fluency as to lead a non-player to think it was incredibly easy.
There’s one word to describe Ashley MacIsaac’s playing: INTENSE. From lilting jigs to hard rock with fiddle solos, his intensity was electrifying. He'll never leap across the stage with enthusiasm and he only grugingly step-danced in the traditonal style, “hobbling and wobbling” as he put it. Even without the typical violinist's stage presence, he does give an electrifying, intense show and his attitude is fun.
Though his sound is rough and harsh, the subtle nuances like grace notes and other embellishments make his interpretation of traditional Celtic songs priceless. I was captured by his aggressive yet nimble bowing and laughed each time another few stands of hair came loose from his bow. He had to stop a few times to yank out the stray hairs from his balding instrument, during which he would babble on about everyday things.
He explained in great detail about his dinner earlier that night at a Chinese restaurant. “I had the ‘Lovers for Two Dinner.’ I was pretty full by the end of it. I don’t know what that has to with the next song.”
Neither did we.
He's also a smart-ass. His musical repetoire included musical gags from a violin wolf whistle to the chorus from La Cucharacha. His band didn't even seem to know what was going to happen next and I swear he played the traditional reel, "Fairy Dance," twice. No one seemed to notice or care.
Initially I was nervous that he's go too far with the edgy remarks, but I grew to appreciate his straightforward, honest approach to talking to the audience. His candid and direct remarks helped the audience warm up to him as a person, not just a pop star. It must be a Cape Breton thing: all the players I’ve seen from the island are “what you see is what you get” sort of people.
“I started playing fiddle when I was eight years old,” he said at the end of the show. “I’m 28. I’ve played for 20 years. That’s a good two-thirds of my life. I’ll be darn near one hundred by the time I’ve lived as much as I’ve played.”
Most of the audience was lost at this last remark, dazed expressions across our blank faces, but we all nodded slowly and asked for more fiddling.
**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years. She writes for two Canadian publications and Australia's "Music Teacher Magazine."
Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards and offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca
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