Experiencing Canadian

Fiddle With An Attitude: Experiencing Canadian "Bad-Boy" Fiddler Ashley MacIsaac in Concert
By Rhiannon Schmitt

“Play us something from home,” shouted a keyed up fan from the back of the audience who hoped to hear some traditional jigs.

I came from home,” growled the soloist. “Our house burnt to the ground. I’ll play something from there, if you want to get schnitty.”

Ashley Mac Isaac isn’t famous for his tactfulness. But he's a damn good fiddler.

After hearing the request for songs from his native Cape Breton Island, he said, “Most of the music I played (as a child) was for funerals. So I’ll play something up-tempo like that," he sneered, then a smile cropped emerged. "This next tune is called ‘My Home.’ ” He played a traditional Cape Breton song with a rock band backup, an intense mix he created in the mid-90's with his chart-topping album, "Hi, How Are You Today?"

Once the song was finished, he quickly shot his characteristic and expected middle-finger "gesture" at the person near the back who had made the request. Then Ashley continued to create some of the most remarkable fiddle music I’ve ever heard! Like many others in the audience, I was confused and awkwardly amused by his startling polarity!

Ashley’s not a “pretty boy” like many other pop stars and teen icons. No sparkling jumpsuits or nose jobs here. He wears a ball cap, sometimes hidden by the hood of his sweater, baggy jeans and big rings. His face is scruffy and his voice is rough, but again, he can sure fiddle.

This performer doesn’t go out of his way to make eye contact and occasionally turned away from the audience during his solos, not unlike Miles Davis’ notorious performances. Come to think of it, I think he was even wearing sunglasses in the dark concert hall! But again, his remarkable fiddling more than made up for his detached stage presence.