For 35 years, Fairport Convention has been performing their version of folk-rock and touring in thousands of cities around the world. Band members Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie, Gerry Conway and Ric Sanders integrate the sounds of wood and wire, fiddle, bass guitar, Moroccan hand drums, violin and other instruments to create a distinct and unique harmony and resonance. Throughout the years, the band has brought in many new members whenever old members choose to pursue other venues of performance.

Dave Pegg, Fairport Convention's bassist, was very eager to answer any question thrown his way.

Wildcat: How long have these particular band members been performing together?

Pegg: I joined in 1969. Simon Nicol is the only original member. He's the singer and guitarist. Ric Sanders joined in 1985, and the most recent recruits are Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway. So, I guess I'd say about five years for this particular group of Fairport.

Wildcat: Who writes the songs and what experiences usually inspire the songs?

Pegg: Most of the songs are written by Chris Leslie, who is a fine traditional musician. Most of the songs on the new CD are his. There is one great song of particular relevance to us called "My Love is in America." It's about an Irish person who has to come over to get work and has to leave home. Also, one of the more traditional songs is "Happy Man," which comes from Chris's village of Aderbury. It is used for Moorish dancing, and it was around for years, but never recorded before. We like to think that we are keeping a piece of Aderbury with us.

Wildcat: What emotions do you hope to inspire in your audience through your music?

Pegg: At our concerts we hopefully cheer people up. Our main thing is to do live gigs; we really enjoy those more than doing the actual recordings, you know. We want people to have a really good time, and we want to get them to feel happy. But we also have songs that make people think.

Wildcat: What is unique about Fairport Convention in comparison to other bands?

Pegg: Fairport is credited as being the first English band to fuse traditional Irish and Scottish music with an electric backing that has given birth to other bands. We hold our own festival every year in the UK. It attracts about 18,000 people in the second weekend of August, and it's organized by my wife, Christine.

Wildcat: So, what goes on at this festival?

Pegg: Well, because this year was the 35th anniversary of Fairport, we had ex-members of the band come back to play, like Richard Thompson, Ian Matthews, Ashley Hutchings and others. We play songs from the old days. We also put other acts on that we think are really good. This festival kind of funds all our other projects that we probably couldn't afford otherwise.

Wildcat: What things have changed about Fairport Convention over the years, besides members?

Pegg: Not much, I can happily say. It started with people in the band sitting around and playing music and we still do that. We are very self-sufficient. We formed our own record label in 1979, which is used in every place but America. We were one of the first bands in England to do that. This has helped us keep Fairport the same as it's always been.

Wildcat: Does Fairport Convention hold any interesting pre-performance traditions?

Pegg: We used to have the reputation of being people who enjoyed a pint of beer, but it's not really like that anymore.

Wildcat: What goes on at a typical concert?

Pegg: We play stuff off of our new CD and our old CDs. We try to play stuff that our older fans will appreciate, as well. "Meet on the Ledge" has become some kind of anthem for Fairport, so we usually play that. Also, "Matty Groves" is a 19-verse Scottish ballad that has been in the repertoire for every gig. It is usually the last number in a set.

Wildcat: How do you especially cater to your fans?

Pegg: We've always been the kind of band who knows the names of a lot of fans and socialized with our fans.

Wildcat: If you could perform at any event in history, what would it be and why?

Pegg: (laughs) It would have to be at some great day of celebrating, like the end of a war. I'd like Fairport to play at my 100th birthday, without the wheelchairs.

Wildcat: What food product would you associate with Fairport Convention?

Pegg: Well · we all enjoy eating curry, as do most bands in England. In the '60s and the '70s, the only place open late enough after a gig were the curry restaurants, so most of us developed a taste for it.

Fairport Convention will be playing Friday at 8 p.m. at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd.