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Personally, playing the guitar is fun...playing the bodhran is fun...singing is fun......but playing the fiddle is the most fun I've ever had in my life! I've watched people play this instrument for years, and have always wanted to try it out. So one day not too long ago, I had a friend "sniper" me one off of Ebay. It came with the fiddle, a bow, rosin and a carrying case. The entire cost of the set (with shipping) was $40.00. And I played that thing until I couldn't feel my fingers. It wasn't wood, but looked like wood and the pegs were plastic. It was a slow start, to say the least. Up to that point, I never held one in my hands before. I used the internet to learn the basics, I took lessons for a few months to make sure I was doing things correctly and finally, as I |
do today, I would listen to music and try to play it back as I heard it. I can't read a lick of music, but when I hear a tune I like I'll run to my basement and practice until I can play it back. I might not be the best fiddle player in the world, but when I play that instrument it's like time stands still. For that brief moment it's just me and my fiddle and all my worries fade away.
One of the founders of Whiskey Limerick, Brian actually started out as a guitar and bodhran player. He and his twin brother Kevin
started out in the Irish music scene as a duo simply dubbed The Susko Brothers appearing at local pubs and small outdoor
festivals. After a night of Pittsburgh pub hoppin' (and a half bottle of Jameson) he woke up, took two Advil, jumped on
the internet, and with reckless abandon bought his first fiddle. To the dismay of his two roommates he began to play
an instrument which he had never even held in his hand before. Unfortunately for Brian, the walls were very thin and
with every missed note a resounding "Awwwwww" could be heard from the next room.
His brother Kevin walked in from work one day to what he thought was a CD playing in the basement. What he saw was his brother Brian,
with a big smile on his face, playing a jig in the same basement where so many "Awwwwwws" had been thrown his way. Brian
stopped for a second, picked Kevin's jaw up from the floor and said..."I think I'm getting the hang of this thing." He soon
joined forces with a distinguished fiddle player to steer his newfound abilities and before long was playing jigs and
reels like he's been playing for years. Now instead of grabbing his ear plugs, Kevin was grabbing his guitar and playing
along with the fiddle...lets the games begin!
Since then Brian has become a happily married man (is that an oxymoron?). He left that house with thin walls for one of
his own and he now resides in Monroeville, PA with his wife, Theresa. He traded in his prized Mustang convertible for
an SUV, bought a weed whacker and leaf blower...and a new fiddle! One thing that hasn't changed however is his love for
the music. Whether in practice or on the stage, you can still see a smile on his face when he starts a jig and the more
Jameson you feed this fiddler...the better he plays! |
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