NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC
NIGHTS
What we said about
AdderStone
AdderStone find the Sweet Spot
Considering how good an epiphany (that sudden surge of profound elation, enlightenment, joy, wonder and happiness) feels, it's remarkable how few we actually let ourselves experience.
Epiphanies aren't cheap, that much we know. They cost a good deal of work, effort, and honest graft. Maybe that's why they're so valuable when they do occur.
There were several moments that could rank up there in the epiphany levels last week at Allendale Village Hall, as AdderStone's concert of classic Northumberland songs connected the generations.
As old as the hills, perhaps, but I'm not afraid to admit to moistening eyes on the haunting refrain of Felton Lonnen, and even Johnny Handle's new verse, through Jackie Barry's exquisite vocal grace notes, coupled with the harsh effort required to hold her bronchitis at bay, kept the anguish of a parent's concern for their child ever real.
Or Tony Wilson's sing-along refrain 'Pay no mind the way life treats you', which elicited many harmonies from around the room -- that was a moment.
Richard Johnstone's brilliant Northumbrian pipes were very successful, but my wee epiphany came when he did an old traditional number I must have heard innumerable times over the past decade, and still can't remember its title! Music to touch the heart's sweet spot.
But time really stood still, for me and for everybody in the hall, when Sean Barry sat down for a solo spot on his Celtic harp. In the coin of the realm, it's impossible to put a monetary value on this feeling that exists only in the realm of the senses, a synthesis of instrumental virtuosity from a young, talented musician, in a comfortable local music platform.
I don't know about anybody else, but my feeling is that I live for such epiphanies, and it's such a delight when they come along.
