Trad Diary: Alison Boylston Piazza House

Monday, September 5, 2016

Labor Day Session 2016

When I billed our annual Labor Day Irish session as an end-of-summer blow-out session, I had no idea how true my words would become. On Saturday morning, even as I scrubbed the porch and stocked the larder and made ready for a house full of people and music, Hurricane Hermine was making her way up the Atlantic coast. By mid-Saturday afternoon, when my first guests arrived - Rose and Gene Clancy, over from the Cape - even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, there was already talk of cancelled ferries on Sunday. But even though the scheduled three-day event was cut short, with people leaving early on Sunday morning to beat the storm, the worst of which was due to hit on Monday, we had a good turnout and managed to pack in a solid seven hours of mighty music, starting on Saturday afternoon and going into the night. It really was a special Labor Day Saturday, with the town filled with people, and that electric, palpable energy you feel in anticipation of a storm. At one point during the afternoon, as we sat on the porch, playing music and watching the people and the traffic, Rose asked me - with more than a little anxiety in her voice, "Why are all the buses headed to the ferries packed to the gills? And why is everyone headed out of town?" But the music went on - hurricane? what hurricane? - the food flowed, the friends and the crowds came and went, and I know I keep saying this, but this was one of our best sessions yet. Thanks everybody, for coming out.

A great way to say goodbye to summer - not that we want it to end. Star Above the Garter, Road to Lisdoovarna, and Old Favorite.

Irish traditional music, Edgartown Porch Sessions, Edgartown Irish Music, Irish Music on Martha's Vineyard, Sara Piazza Photography

Avi, at our Friday night pre-session session.

Avi and Colin.

Rose - top notch fiddler, and Gene - Irish balladeer and story teller and all around gem of a gentleman, originally from Co. Armagh - an honor to have them with us - settling in on Saturday afternoon.

Rose and Gene

Gene and Rose

Nancy, Scott, Paul, Gene, and Rose (and did I mention that Scott rode his bike down from Boston? Plus ran twenty-four miles that morning?).

Our youngest fan. Janet and Orion.

Maria

Gene and Rose

Gene

Gene, Rose.

Violet

Nancy, Scott, Paul.

Colin, Nancy, Scott.

Colin, Nancy, Scott, Paul, Gene, Rose.

The Brighton boys, Danny and Tom.

From the phone. Colin, Scott, Billy.

From the phone. Mary, Colin, and Scott.

Courtesy of Mr. Tom Griffin. A rare glimpse of yours truly. Violet, Mary, Colin, Nancy, Scott, Paul, Rose, Sara.

Violet, Mary, Colin, Nancy, Scott, Paul, Sara. (Tom Griffin)

Colin, Scott, and Billy.

Mary, Colin, Scott.

Scott, Billy, Rose.

7:00 ferry Sunday morning.

Squibnocket, Sunday morning. Still not much happening, weatherwise.

Edgartown Harbor, Monday morning. Windy and gray; developing.

South Beach, featuring long combers that have fetched all the way from the nucleus of what is now being called a tropical storm.

A couple of out-of-towners admire the ocean.

Another rare glimpse of yours truly, as captured by my daughter, Maria. We often find each other at the same location with our cameras, totally by accident. It's become quite amusing.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Fourth of July 2016

Our sixth annual Fourth of July session here in Edgartown, replete with music, food, parade, fireworks, mystery guests, and more music - three days' worth.