Local, world-class fiddler Alasdair Fraser joins “James Bond” in supporting an independent Scotland

Forget about the State of Jefferson. I’m reading an article in the “International New York Times” while on vacation in Italy this week titled “The stars collide over Scotland”: Eight weeks before a referendum on whether Scotland should break away from Britain and become an independent country, the Yes and No camps have stepped up their campaigning – not just down at the grass-roots but also among the stars.”

Sean Connery, Annie Lennox and Alan Cumming all favor independence, while Emma Thompson, David Bowie and J.K. Rowling all want Scotland to stay, as the Times reports.

As it turns out, our local resident and world-class Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser is in the independence camp, along with “James Bond”. Back on June 9, I was listening to a KVMR interview with Fraser. (Pssst….rumor has it that Alasdair Fraser is going to be in studio on the Monday Morning Show, 9am hour, 89.5 fm, kvmr.org streaming, to tell us all about fiddle camp. He may even bring a fiddle or violin into the studio. Violin? Well, he’ll also be talking about a Music in the Mountains event… Make a date to Alasdair about Monday, probably 915ish.”

I’m a big fan. We’re Facebook friends and Twitter friends, and we attended his recent Fiddle Camp concert at the Fairgrounds, hosted by Music in the Mountains. Alasdair is featured in our magazine’s Summer issue, under an article “We’ve got Talent.”

I enjoyed the interview on June 9 and wish KVMR had archived it on a podcast (at least I couldn’t find it), because he made news in discussing his support for an independent Scotland.

Since then Fraser has Tweeted regularly for the “yes” campaign:
•Independence is a reflection of our confidence as a Nation.. #indyref #VoteYES #yesscotland #indyreasons #YES2014
•Strange its okay to have a discussion on ‘British values’ but talking of ‘Scottish values’ seen as problematic. Some consistency helpful.
•#indyref gives @scottishlabour voters a chance to “reclaim their party” by backing independence

“Scotland has been England’s junior partner in Britain since 1707. But three centuries is no time at all in the view of many Scots, who have demanded self-determination, on and off, ever since,” as the Times reports. “That prospect is now nearer than ever, with a vote on Sept. 18. So far, polls give the stay-united camp a near consistent majority of the vote, though many of them show that at least 10 percent of voters have yet to make up their mind.

“Mr. Connery, 83, who reportedly has a ‘Scotland Forever’ tattoo and says he might move back to Scotland if it secedes, recently wrote in the New Statesman that ‘the opportunity of independence is too good to miss.'”

(Photo: Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas at Fairgrounds in July, by John Taber, Live Shots http://www.liveshots12.smugmug.com/)

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