This weekend I was introduced to a new 'old time' artist, Frank Fairfield. His songs are old (19th century some of them), and his voice, appearance and demeanour all hark back to those days. Hard to believe he's in his early twenties!
The talented young man from California plays the banjo, the guitar, and the violin (not all at the same time), with versions of popular folk songs like '9 Pound Hammer' - covered once by Johnny Cash, among others. The energy he puts into some of the more up-tempo songs on the violin is magnetic, and he seems to go into some kind of trance as he plays. He's currently touring the UK and I recommend going to see him if he's playing anywhere near you - check the list here.
After the show, I managed to have a brief chat with him about his style of dress, and asked him where it had come from - "I'm just trying to be a gentleman" was his reply. He also mentioned that there are many "sloppy" dressers in "urban centres". I couldn't agree more - on my walk home from the pub, past Cardiff's infamous nightlife hotspots, many examples of "sloppy" dressing presented themselves to me.
Fantastic voice, very talented. He's also very stylish lad, thank you for introducing him!
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