First meeting of the year!

Members get great tips on playing Cape Breton-style from Calum MacKinnon, music director.

Membership for an individual costs a mere $25, and $35 for a family membership.

You may sign up on line- just look for our “Join/Renew” tab at the top of our homepage – you’ll be able to use Paypal that way. You may also send a check to our treasurer, Donna Varnau, at 725 Driftwood Lane, Edmonds, WA, 98020- but please be sure to indicate exactly whom the membership is for.

Remember, you’ll have access to our music library, and receive a $25 discount when you sign up for our annual Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas workshop in January!

We love to have new folks join us, and we love to see our loyal members keep coming back, year, after year!

Lots of excitement ahead! Hope you’ll join us!!

We are pleased to announce that registration for the seventh annual Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas workshop is on line! (The workshop will be held at Camp Casey, Coupeville, WA, January 16 – 18th, 2015.)

You will notice a few changes based on the suggestions from last years’ campers, and due to recently completely renovations at Camp Casey! Here’s just a short list of “what’s new”:

• newly renovated additional housing right next door to Auditorium A,
• Sunday concert starts an hour earlier (2 p.m.)for commuters (and football fans!),
• an amplification system for improved communication in Auditorium A,
• an additional building will be available for extra practice/jam sessions!

Click on the “Register” tab under Workshop to get started! Don’t forget to also renew or join Northwest Scottish Fiddlers to get a discount on registration!
Hope to see you soon!

The first NW Scottish Fiddler’s meeting is coming up soon folks!  Get your fiddles out, rosin up that bow, and be sure to get in on all the activities- starting September 14th, at 2:00 p.m., sharp,  if you’re an adult… 1:00 p.m. if you’re a member of the youth band!

We will be holding meetings at the same location as last year, in the Fireside Room, at the Calvin Presbyterian Church- http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?cp=47.76552~-122.3612&where1=Calvin%20Presbyterian%20Church&FORM=SNAPST

Most likely, we’ll be treated to a new tune or two from Calum, re-visit an old set or two, and have time for a jam session as well. **Remember to bring something tasty to share for our potluck after the meeting!

See you there soon!!!

Scottish Fiddling in the Fireside Room

Save the date! Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas will returning for Northwest Scottish Fiddler’s 7th annual workshop January 16th – 18th at Camp Casey Whidbey Island! Look for more information in the workshop section soon!

You should trying fiddling blindfolded– you never know what great revelations may occur!

Well, almost! Now that we have your attention, here are next year’s fiddle club meeting dates. They have been confirmed with the church, so they’re official!
2014:
September 14th
October 12-
November 9
December 14

2015:
January 11
Feb. 8
March 8
April 12
May 17

Northwest Scottish Fiddle club members and friends will be on hand to entertain the crowds at Folklife this year, even if the club itself was not selected to play.
Catch some great playing by these folks: (Please feel free to add more folks and gigs in the comment section below!)
Calum and Friends (Vienna, Christina, Niki and Guinevere)-Monday, 2:50-3:20 – Trad Stage
Bill Boyd: Saturday (with Hale Bill and the Bopps-Scandinavian) Saturday at 12:30 at Cornish
Bill Boyd with Susan Burke: Sunday, at 1:15, at Cornish
Evan and Elise Snoey with Hot Cider: contra dance- Friday 5 p.m., at the Roadhouse
Judy Laub with Ms. Behavin: contra dance –Friday, noon, and also, Judy with the Fab Girls : contra dance -Monday- 11 a.m.
For the complete schedule, go to:
http://www.nwfolklife.org/festival/complete-2014-schedule/

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, who belong to our club, or support the youthful members of our club! We will not meet on Mother’s Day – but we will see you on May 18th! Please note we will also meet in the activities room- at the other end of the church, the entrance is still from the same parking lot area. NOTE TIME CHANGE!! We will start the general meeting at 1 PM. Calum will possibly teach a tune, we’ll review tunes we learned last month, and a jam of great proportions will follow- with some eating and socializing in between!

Calum telling a story!

Vienna and Flora start off Coilsfield House.

Guinevere Saenger playing her recently composed set.

How did we all get on stage? There are people on stage you can’t see from this angle!

“Hot Cider”

Youth band members

Calum has a solo!

Our latest gig at the Everett Public Library on March 30 turned out to be the library’s fullest house yet this year! Estimated attendance at this year’s concert was nearly twice what it was the previous year, with many folks standing on the sides and in the back for the two hour-plus concert!

One very pleased concert-goer commented that she was going to Scotland soon, and seriously doubted she’d find anything better than what she saw and heard that afternoon.

Soloists, group, and family acts brought fresh material and amazing talent into the mix of traditional Scottish medleys. Many thanks to Guinevere Saenger, Vienna S., the “Youth Band”, the Cummings Family Band, and “Hot Cider”!

Thanks to Susan Barkan for organizing this! Thanks to the Everett Public Library for hosting us, and most importantly, thanks to Calum MacKinnon and all the musicians that made this afternoon one to remember!

Just a quick reminder that March’s meeting will be March 16th, rather than the 9th, due to a schedule conflict! Sorry about the change up! It will make the month seem sooo long before we have a meeting! See you soon!

Here’s a great video, thanks to Barry Rix, our great “sound guy”- who set up the microphones, and all the rest! This is Northwest Scottish Fiddlers – all 20 minutes of it, performing our opening act! We shall remember it also, as the day the Seahawks won the playoff, won’t we?!

Opening act, with Calum requesting a wee favor from the audience.