Fel Bautista
Los Angleles, CA
Born as I was, at an early age- no kidding- well , not really. It was early. I live in Diamond Bar, a ‘burb of Los Angeles, where my wife and I have lived for 25 some odd years. We have 3 children, all of whom are employed and have health insurance and vacation time. My earliest musical memory is plunking on an upright right piano at my aunt’s house. There was also a KOA wood guitar there that my dad would pick notes out.
The question I always get asked is “why did you start playing Irish music?” In one word, DISCO! The Rolling Stones released Sticky Fingers, the Beatles released Hey Jude and then there was a vacuum. KC and the Sunshine boys reared their ugly heads and I started listening to more bluegrass, more blues, Baroque and Renaissance music and what not.
The A-ha moment was listening to Fairport Convention play Lark in the Morning. I had never heard electrified fiddle before. I started going to a couple of import record stores, finding the likes of Steeleye Span and Martin Carthy. I saw Steeleye at Ed Pearle’s Ash Grove. I heard about a group called the Chieftain’s from an Irish band that played at a pub in downtown L.A. I saw the Chieftain’s from the second row at Royce Hall when they did their first US tour in 1974. The gates were opened. Planxty, the Bothy Band soon followed. I went to Ireland for a week in 1978. While in Ireland. I met several people, notably Matt Kiernan and Seamus Ennis through the help of Na Piobirti Uilleann, the Irish Piper’s club. The world wide web was up and running in the late 90s so I eventually found the Southern California Pipers Club and got piping instruction from them through the years.