History
Note: Even though there are rumors to the contrary, Asher is old enough to vote!
I got my first accordion right before my eighth birthday. Well, it was almost an accordion. It was actually a little, red, plastic, toy, melodeon, sort of a thing.
I saw it in a toy store and fell in love with it the minute I laid eyes on it. I begged my parents to get it for me for Christmas.
At first they said, "An accordion?!? What for? Don't you want to play guitar, or penny whistle, or something, uhh, nice?"
But being known as the unusually persistent, badgering kid that I am, I got the accordion!
The first thing that I learned to play (well kind of anyway) was Deck the halls. Once I had perfected it, my dad helped me along with the ratlin bog by playing it to me on his harmonica.
Since I was already a step dancer, and competing at the Detroit feis, I decided to plunge into my first music competition. I had learned the "Kesh Jig" and the "Ratlin Bog" to my eight year old perfection. Adjudicator Al purcel agreed, and after he stopped laughing, he gave me a gold medal, and told me to come back once I had learned the "Bucks of Orannmore".
Time to get serious.Justin Manning gave me my first real buttoned accordion. It was a black German accordion similar to a honer. I played that for about a year, until Michigan piano accordion player Walter Walsh told me I needed to buy a B.C.irish style box. In fact, every time I ran into another Irish accordion player, they told be to get a B.C. box. Finally friend, fiddler and accordion player, Mick Gavin put us in touch with Mr. buttoned accordion himself (a.k.a., Billy McComiskey) and he helped me buy my present accordion, the saltarelle Irish bouëbe. The good news was it came the day before the fleadh. The bad news was it came the day before the fleadh.
I did a really stupid thing. I took the challenge of switching fingerings and style completely in one day. Of course it did not work out. I was lucky I could play at all, but I lost to a very good player. I wish I could remember his name.
Today
Since that time, I have been having a lot of fun with my box. There have been lots of competitions and a lot more to learn. I have gone to west Virginia to meet and study with Billy McComiskey for a week long workshop twice. I was hired to play 10 tunes in concert with the chieftains when I was ten.
I am a former a member of the award-winning 18 and under Detroit Grupa Cheoil coached by Terence McKinney in 2003 and by my sister Alison in 2005. I competed with the adult level grupa cheoil called Stray away Child in 2004. Fleadh photos are here.
This past summer I taught concertina at Goderich Celtic College with Frank Edgley and now teach concertina for the "Detroit Irish Music Assoc", the Windsor Detroit comhaltas group.
I currently play professionally with my family and the successful Michigan band, Finvarra's Wren. We have a new cd available.
Another c.d. of myself and my family "One Big Happy" has some of my original and favorite traditional tunes. For examples on how I sound click here.
A video of me showing off one of Frank Edgley's concertinas
For more photos try the gallery or session pages.
I am currently 17 years old although there are rumors that I am still 10...
contact me at :
finvarraswren@mac.com
When I first got my saltarelle, the box was bigger than me!
Myself and Martin Fay of the Chieftains.
John Whelan.
The legendary Joe Burke.
LINKS -
