The Most Explosive Blues Violin Solo On Film - ’In the Cluster Blues’ Mark O’Connor

Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing Trio on “Mountain Stage“ ’In the Cluster Blues’ written by Mark O’Connor FZ: Hearing you play the blues on the violin seems so natural. How long have you been exploring the blues and what do you do or how do you accomplish that sound on the violin? MOC: Since I was a kid, 11 years-old. I played the blues all the time on my fiddle, and older folks would say, “how is that boy playing the blues! I’ll be darned!“ The blues though is what I heard, or more to the point, what I felt. It spoke to how hard a time I had dealing with stuff. It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I am quite serious given my family situation - raging alcoholic/abusive father, a dying mother and severe bullying at school. It was only my music that saved me my life, I can promise you that. FZ: In this version of “In the Cluster Blues“ you really go for it with the wails, screams, lot of intensity!! Where do you find that inspiration, your childhood? Did you have to dig