GIVE SOME LOVE TO THE LOCALS

Katherine First and Max Cohen at the Black Sheep Deli 4/11/09

A week ago I attended a standing-room-only concert by Alisdair Fraser and Natalie Haas. (See “Dreaming of Niel Gow”—Celtic Corner) Last night was different—just twenty or so of us crammed into a wing of the Black Sheep Deli in Amherst to hear fiddler Katherine First, guitarist Max Cohen, and assorted friends play Celtic music (and a few hoedown departures to the Appalachians). Last week was professionalism extraordinaire; last night’s show was more like an intimate living room session except the desserts were better and the furniture wasn’t. The vibes were good, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the music well crafted. Everyone left smiling, but the big crowds were across the river in Northampton’s Calvin Theater to hear Gaelic Storm (the house band in “The Titanic”), where even the cheap seats cost $25.
Katherine First is a gifted performer whose solo album Sweet Spot (see “First Things First”—Celtic Corner) deserves a much wider audience than it will probably get. One wishes her mass acclaim, but right now she’s a reminder that unless we nurture the talent that’s on our doorstep, a lot of future Gaelic Storms will never step through the door that opens beyond the immediate horizon. Alarmists evoke the Biblical axiom that “a prophet is never honored in his own land,” but that’s not it exactly. Many local heroes are beloved in their own lands and have devoted followers, it’s just that there are not enough of them. So musicians spend a lot of time playing for sheer joy and whatever dough gets stuffed into the hat.
They deserve better. Those of us who love music often plan our lives around upcoming big-event concerts but forget that every night someone’s playing their heart out at a coffee house, pub, house concert, or deli right around the corner. Go listen. And, if you like what you hear, help them open the door to the bigger world. Katherine First began playing Celtic fiddle when she heard Craig Eastman at the Black Sheep more than a decade ago. Maybe that name doesn’t ring immediate bells, but if you’ve seen films such as “Black Hawk Down,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” or “Brokeback Mountain,” you’ve heard him. And if you own albums by artists such as Sheryl Crow, John Hiatt, Rickie Lee Jones, and Willie Nelson, scan the track credits for his name. Craig is in Los Angeles now, composing, doing studio production, and guest musician gigs. He got there because once upon a time a lot of local people took a chance on a local boy and gave him the boost he needed. So support local music—it’s the lifeblood upon which the star-maker machine feeds. If it fails to thrive, there won’t be many big-event concerts cluttering up your calendar.