Rebel MacIsaac Shows Traditionalist Side

For someone whose nascent reputation involves the defiance and corruption of his musical roots, young fiddler Ashley MacIsaac sure came across as a staunch traditionalist at the Troubadour on Tuesday--even if his Celtic dance tunes were backed by a rock band and shared time with a version of “Staying Alive.”

But Saturday night fever in the Celtic stronghold of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is fueled by the kind of frantic fiddling that forms the core of MacIsaac’s show, not by the Bee Gees. And even though MacIsaac is being trumpeted as a punkish upstart out to integrate this old, old school with modern strains, the strategy on display at the Troubadour was no more cutting-edge than Fairport Convention’s: lively folk dances given the boost of an amplified band.

And while MacIsaac made news recently for somehow ruffling folk singer Nanci Griffith’s feathers when they were both on tour with the Chieftains, the loquacious performer was virtually attitude-free as he conveyed a deep regard and enthusiastic love of his homeland’s music.

That sweet-natured devotion, enhanced by the musicians’ outbursts of dancing and enriched by the appearance of elderly spoons-player Gerry Deveau, imparted a spirit of community and helped the show transcend its musical limitations--as functional as it is for dancing or lamenting, it does get repetitious pretty quickly, and after a while it’s hard not to feel sawed into submission.