Black Twig Pickers: Holy smokes; thank you, Vinton

by nf, 19 Aug 00:00

Got a call a little while ago that the Black Twig Pickers won the old-time band competition at the Vinton fiddlers convention today, and that Mike (that's me posting this; not trying to be 3rd person) took first in old-time fiddle and Isak took third in guitar (honestly, probably by far the most competitive contest category that any Twigs were involved in. The great Henry Boitnott took first with some incredible finger-picking -- very unusual and wonderful that two fingerpickers -- Henry and Isak -- were in the top finishers). Winning songs: "John Brown's Dream" for the band; "Sourwood Mountain" for Mike; "Buckdancer's Choice" (in an interesting improv-heavy arrangement) for Isak. There was, alas, no washboard competition for Nathan. Is banging on a corrugated piece of metal any less traditional than, I don't know, drawing on the walls of a cave? Debate for another time. Holy smokes, Black Twigs placing in a fiddlers convention. The planets are truly in an odd alignment. We're celebrating in Ironto, Roanoke and Blacksburg tonight.