Scott Mathis

scott1
Originally uploaded by goyishekop.

I went to Galax in the late 80's, never having been to another old-time music festival.

My first exposure to old-time music was to the Gypsy Gyppo String Band, in Seattle, but I hadn't heard any other old-timey mandolin players since I'd found my mandolin in a Colorado hock shop, for $135. I wasn't just self-taught, my style was self-invented -- cobbled out of listening to local fiddlers and banjo players and wearing through the tracks of one Gyppos' record, listening to Jerry Mitchell.

I had no guess whether the other mandolin players I'd meet there would shun me or laugh at me or think, "Okay, this guy's pretty good." What I found out was that there weren't any other mandolin players.

Then I saw Scott. He was sitting in the sun with that big hat, down by the stables, playing away in a jam, laughing, keeping up, sounding just like I wanted to sound. I remember thinking, "Look at that. He's doing stuff I thought I invented."

As soon as I sat down, he asked me if I wanted to play his mandocello.
I didn't even know there were mandocellos. Turned out it was Norman Blake's.

Five years ago, Scott moved up here from Albuquerque, with his sweetie, Linda Askew. This week, they moved back. Gosh, I miss him already.