Archie Fisher

[Joe Way]

Anne & I first became aware of him through some Stan Rogers songs. Stan sang "Witch of the Westmoreland" which was Archie's song. Way back in the 80's, Anne & I attended a concert in Great Hall at Memorial Union with Archie & Garnet Rogers (Stan's brother) who played violin and flute to accompany Archie. This concert blew us away. I was able to see them again a year or two later, but then Archie disappeared from the North American continent. I would check his website periodically, but no North American tours in the planning. A couple of months ago, while checking another concert, we discovered that Archie & Garnet would be in Madison. Poor Anne had to miss him as she was visiting our daughter in Texas, but I saw them with friends and Archie sang this new song-"Ontario Dust"-one of my new favorites. Archie uses an alternative tuning of DADGAD which gives a very different sound. I say he is to Scotland, what Christy Moore is to Ireland. Hope you enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-UgC_ml6k&feature=kp

[Mabeanie1]

I'm not sure I'd agree with your suggestion that Archie Fisher is the Scottish Christy Moore Joe but he is a much admired songwriter (without the hard political edge that's in so much of Christy's work) and a very personable performer. He doesn't do much these days - I suppose he's getting on a bit now - and he gave up his radio programme a few years ago so I am amazed to hear that he was touring with Garnet again recently. I would love to have seen that show. I love Garnet Rogers full stop but, as I'm sure you know, he doesn't travel outside North America so we find it pretty hard to catch him. He's playing Stanfest again this year but Tony won't go to that one and I don't fancy doing it on my own. His electric Northwest Passage is incredible.

Wendy

[Joe Way]

Hi Wendy, I'm certainly not qualified to declare anyone the ___ of any country, but I can say that Archie has given us a great deal of pleasure through the years. Additionally, he was so warm when we met him. His songs seem to suggest such wonderful imagery. He is a horseman with an old horse named, Tequila Sunrise whom he calls "Sunny." He speaks of his old dog whining at the door and speaks of "a horse at my shoulder and a dog at my heals." I really like this verse:

And away to the north of the Lake Erie shore
"There’s a box of crisp apples by an old farmhouse door
And wood smoke and coffee are sweet in the air
And the radio’s ramblin’ along"

He looked really good when I saw him-certainly as good as he did in the 1980's. Garnet is still a curmudgeon.

Then there is this verse:

Now there is no forever or never again
There’s a here and a there and a now and a then
And we all take our turn of the moon and the sun
And the stars as the world rolls around

I keep repeating this song with Jesse Winchester's "Sham-a-ling-Ding-Dong." I know that it is posted in another thread, but you really need to listen to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uKGWpqnS8E

[Mabeanie1]

Thanks Joe. To my shame I had never heard of Jesse Winchester till I saw the tributes following his death. I don't normally watch YouTube clips but, yes, I had watched Sham-a-Ling-Ding-Dong and yes.

Wendy