Vic

As a child I used to listen to Myron Floren (the accordionist for Lawrence Welk) playing accordion folk music, so much so that my dear grandmother used to hide the album from me in all sorts of creative spots. I however, always found it. It was a truly seminal moment for me in my love affair with folk music.

I have always felt that Blackthorne was far more than just a trad band. Both Gerry and I played in garage bands in our miss-pent youth playing rock and roll (Led Zepplin for me) but both have evolved musically over the years. For me a pivotal moment in my musical transition was listening to Sandy Denny sing a song with Led Zep. I remember getting chills as I heard her voice and I knew then that my real musical love would be returning to folk music. I also learned from that experience that it was possible to blend two styles of music together.

My next big influence was Englishman Nic Jones, who blended English songs with melodies from all over the world, but mostly celtic. He often played with an electric bass and other non trad instruments.

From there it was straight into the likes of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span and many other folk rock acts. I did eventually end up going completely traditional, but I find that what excites me the most is a blended style of music.

I'm proud of our music and I think that one of the best new sets we've come up with is the Crooked Spire set and I really like the folk/rock under-tones. The other thing I like is that we have really made it one of our signature tunes.