MUSIC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am a big fan of traditional music, mostly oldtime music of the Appalachian region. The picture (ca. 1916) to the right is my great-grandfather who was born in Scott County, Virginia in 1900.  Scott County is the home of the Carter Family and a hotspot of old time music. The other is my banjo and cat Mardy Maybelle (named after 2 heroes, Murie and Carter).

 

There’s something about oldtime stringband music that attracts me to it. It might be related to family heritage or the sense of community. I think it is also related to the fact that when 4 or 5 people play together, they can sometimes become greater than the sum of their parts. There are obvious parallel themes to this and ecological systems.