File: johnstoneroy06-oh-fiddlingin70s_M.mp3
Speakers:
RJ – Roy Johnstone
KP: Curator Ken Perlman
RJ: I moved here in '78, yeah.
KP: What was the state of Island fiddling [then]?
RJ: Coming from Winnipeg where there wasn't very much, I thought "This is a Mecca." The fiddlers had already formed their association. There's no question, it was all older men playing, but there was some really wonderful players. I liked the good Scottish players, especially the dance players. They just had an amazing drive and life in their playing. And of course meeting Eddy [Arsenault] and going up to house parties there, that was quite an eye-opener, just to see how vibrant the music was, how much the music was just a part of these people's lives. Eddy was fishing, and here's this guy, a fisherman coming home, and then they'd have a big house party, and everybody'd come and there'd be food. There'd be all these people, playing music and dancing. There was just so much joy and comraderie. And I just got swept in. Plus they welcomed me; I became an adopted Acadian in a way, I felt like BThey were very welcoming. They all said I was a good player [but] I didn't know hardly any of the tunes. But I was trying and I was keen to learn them, and they saw that. So they were very welcoming and there was no pretension. You could just tell they played with their heart and soul. And people dancing, so it was just something I had never experienced before. Even to the present day, that's one of the real highlights of playing fiddle music, is to play at a house party when people grab a set of spoons, or jump out and step dance, and all the different players.
