The Del McCoury Band & The Chieftains - Rain And Snow

Back at Xendom some of us mocked the 'fake Irish' for their devotion to Irish music (and dance), as some of them were not even Irish... Irish culture seemed a bit out of place. Others tried to bring some Italian culture into the mix, starting a celebration of St. Joseph's Feast Day in response to St. Patrick's Day. (I don't know what campus life is like now, it's been 6 years since I was last there.) In retrospect, we were too harsh in our judgment (and perhaps jealous that some were able to celebrate an identity, while we were stuck, far from home and from our own roots). The Irish music and dance were probably better than the Saturday college dances (lots of pseudo-swing plus modern pop), and anything resembling folk music would be much better than the cultural desert that is Californian suburbia.

Having come to appreciate bluegrass music, I'm surprised that there wasn't a move by studenst or faculty to appropriate Southern folk music (is there a native Virginian form of folk music ?). There were plenty of students who liked contemporary country. Some of the students who could play the right instruments, and a few were even interested in bluegrass, but nothing resulted from it, not for St. Cecilia's Night at least. Would it be too much to turn the college into a bastion of traditional Southern culture? I think students from other parts of the country might be more accepting of it than a Yankee would think.

I can't imagine bluegrass becoming popular at TAC, but maybe it could happen... all that is needed are talented and dedicated students who can play instruments and sing.

I discovered Paul Hébert (myspace) through a FB group dedicated to him--

Paul Hébert - Le printemps


Paul Hébert - Pauvres Riches


Paul Hébert - Tu es la seule


Paul Hébert - Bonjour bonheur


Joelle Bizier & Paul Hebert - Notre histoire