One weekend every spring, my family and I head to Montville, Maine for a weekend immersion in American fiddle music… at the Maine Fiddle Camp, run by Doug Protsik and originally founded by Greg Boardman.  Two years ago, a group of women in the Newell family entertained with a very moving a capella version of the tune Now is the Cool of the Day.  The song was written by Jean Ritchie.  To my ear and eye, it conjured up the image of a slow moving river, winding through an open and mature woodland.  No question, it belonged in this film!  With a little searching, we found such a place near us, at the Tanglewood 4H Camp and Learning Center.  A spectacular location (and an intriguing camp for connecting to the Maine outdoors).

We filmed Tim Eriksen sat riverside and worked up a version of this tune on his banjo, finishing it off with an echoing flourish.  Enjoy.

Posted on May 5th, 2009 in Educators, Environmentalists, Neo-Traditional Music, Parents