SEISIÚN SPY

Wendy Smith

The time was three p.m. Sunday afternoon. The place was Jack of the Woods pub in Asheville. Mark Warford and I were in North Carolina on a mission. The mission? To check out a new seisiún. Hosted by Beannie O'Dell (fiddle), Quinto Espina (Uilleann pipes), and Jeff Thomas (concertina) of "Bundle and Go", this seisiún had been going on for about a month.

As it turned out, there were several other people on the same mission. When we arrived, Oak Ridgers Matt McNeely and Jason Herrera of "The Travellers" were already there discussing pipes with Quinto outside on a sunny bench. Inside a discussion was going on concerning the size of the seisiún. The front corner usually occupied by the seisiún had to be abandoned in favor of the larger alcove in back. The alcove has bench seating around three sides and table in the middle to hold music and the occasional pint. Old tin beer and travel posters line the walls. The rustic surrounding tables are long and bar height so you can listen and watch from outside the alcove.

Jack of the Woods is a great place for a seisiún. The interior is dark with heavy wood structures and brick walls. Hands forged wrought iron details accent the bar and are seen throughout the pub. Stairs in the back lead to the Mustard Seed Cafe and give the place an underground feel. Because the building is built against a hill, there are windows on the front side only and heavy wooded blinds cover these. It could have been 12 midnight on a stormy night or 3pm on a sunny afternoon. Only the light behind the entering customers gave the occupants a hint of the outside world. But in the back of the pub, in the alcove, no one was thinking about that world. Every mind in the back was focused on playing the current tune, learning the tune, or spinning off into the next tune. Reels swirled up into the dim light and created a separate reality for everyone in the pub.

Because of the number of musicians that afternoon, people would alternate playing. One person would lead a set and then sit back to listen to the next set. This was nice because the musicians had more of a chance to converse with one another and share information. In conversation, I learned that all three of the hosts had been to numerous seisiún in both Ireland and Boston. The seisiún feel was very respectful, and listeners knew that it was all about sharing the music. Occasionally a member of the listening audience would step up and sing a song which added variety and gave the players a short break.

The cast of characters was wide and varied on this particular afternoon. In addition to the Oak Ridgers and us (Knoxvillians), Richard Beard (host of WNCW's Celtic Winds and bouzouki maker extraodinaire) was in attendance. Ross Schlabach, a concertina playing friend of Richard's, also made the trip up from the North/South Carolina border. The seisiún appeared to have about eight regular players and several others that come in and out. Though only a month old, people I talked to considered this seisiún a regular listening event in their Sunday routine. I can see why- the atmosphere is wonderful, the musicianship superb, and the beer dark and rich. Oh, and did I mention that the food is excellent with a wide choice of both carnivorous and vegetarian dishes? I recommend that everyone make the roadtrip to this seisiún ASAP.