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YEEEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IRISH-FRICKIN-FEST (not the official title) THIS WEEKEND!
I've checked out Live Ireland's recs:
As usual, trust us. NOT in any order! Here we go: Cathie Ryan, Dave Munnelly Band, Eddi Reader, Cherish the Ladies Reunion concert Sunday afternoon, Liz Carroll and John Doyle, Mick Moloney and Michelle Mulcahy, Barra McNeils, Beoga, The Fuchsia Band, Millish, Liadan, Leahy, Tommy Makem and Blarney.
Unfortunately, I've just found out that Tommy Makem passed away a few days ago (on August 1.) While I am sad that such a legend and important advocate for traditional Irish music has gone, his presence at IrishFest every year was...problematic. So, mixed feelings about that. I *am* sad that he passed so very close to the festival - It would have meant a lot for everyone involved to have had him come one last time.
So, here's a chore for those of you into the Irish music scene - GO TO THE ARTIST LIST and tell me who not to miss... Meaning "who is the unknown star of the year" more than the who the steadfast favorites are... I've got the buzz on Frogwater but nothing else is jumping out at me. I'll be checking out the Live Ireland list but what do *you* know?
Of possible interest: Live Ireland blogs about the state of the Irish festival scene. A looong while back I read something on one of my LJ groups brushing on this topic and was a little intrigued by it... I'm really not that tapped into "the scene" and hadn't realized such a war was raging... I'm not sure where I stand on it - My musical tastes have to balance themselves with my honor of tradition and the "big picture".
On the freakishly rare chance that someone actually wants to read that article from a year and a half ago that we are discussing in that LJ entry, here is the text:
Copyright Irish Voice, Inc. Jun 14-Jun 20, 2006
AT the conclusion of the last summer Irish festival season, I commented on the state of this summer pastime in an article entitled: "No, Nay, Never Again Please."
In it, I lamented how "the old guard" was driving the new voices of Irish music into the ground by hiring the likes of Tony Kenny, Paddy Reilly, and a host of newer acts who sing the standards through the all too well traveled "Fields of Athenry."
I like the traditional ballads, and no one sings them quite like the legends. Forty years ago, the strains of Paddy Noonan at their reception worked my parents up into a wedding night lather that produced an Irish Voice music critic.
I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Noonan and if my mother had taken his advice and said "no, nay, never." But any culture that uses fossil fuel to power itself will eventually run out of gas, and it seemed that the Irish festival concept was on its last fumes.
The article touched off a reaction that I could never predict. Not only was there a spirited debate for weeks in the letters pages of this fine paper on whether I was an idea guy or an idiot, there were a number of Irish radio hosts who had me on and threw me to the wolves of callers waiting to weigh in.
I could also never predict the change in tone of the Irish festivals this year. A bold statement was made last weekend, as New England Irish Connections Festival had Damien Dempsey, currently number one in the Irish album charts, as its headliner over the weekend.
This Father's Day weekend should be a rocking one indeed, as Connecticut's Fairfield Irish Festival kicks off at Indian Ledge Park. It features a killer triple bill of Black 47, the Elders and Searson.
What makes this show remarkable is the cross pollination of different geographies tied together by Celtic rock and roll. Searson is a fiery band from Ontario, Canada, while the Elders are "arsekickin' music from the heartland" of Kansas.
Also featured are local band Highland Rovers, folk songstress Liz McNicholl, and Mac Talla Mor, a band that mixes Celtic and calypso. For more information, log onto www. Irishfestival.org.
One festival that is near and dear to my heart is the 36th annual New Jersey Irish Festival on the grounds of the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.
This is one of the largest hoolies in the state, with 20,000 Celts pillaging the verdant fields with music, dance, barbecues, liver abuse and family fun in the kids' tent. Tony Kenny has been replaced by a powerful Black 47 and Prodigals double bill.
I know what some of you are saying - Black 47, a band whose Bittersweet Sixteen collection marks as many years for these pioneers, cannot be considered as cutting edge. Still, the organizers of the bill must be commended for bringing this critical cultural touchstone into the present.
Besides, with all of the marches on Washington and Irish immigration lobbying activities, it would seem that the time is right for a political Irish voice in the wind, and no one fits that bill quite like Black 47 Larry Kirwan.
The festival will take place on Sunday, June 25, and includes Mass, an enormous vendor tent, and a wreath laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial on the grounds.
For the bands, the Irish festival season allows them to share fans.
"It's a phenomenal opportunity to spread the word to folks who wouldn't necessarily otherwise be exposed to you," says Prodigals' leader Greg Grene when asked about the appeal of playing the festivals. The Prodigals are touring this summer behind their excellent new CD, Momentum (for more information, check out www.prodigals.com)
"You'll get a lot of folks who come down because it's an 'event,' not necessarily because they're already converts to your music, and that's great. You can have people listen with totally fresh ears. We played an outdoor city festival in Ohio yesterday, and this one guy had never heard the band before, bought all six CDs, and came up with tears in his eyes (literally!) saying it was probably the coolest thing he'd ever seen. Pretty mad stuff, that."
If you still haven't made your travel plans for the summer, might I suggest a road trip to one of the many great festivals within driving distance?
The third annual Great American Irish Festival will be held on July 28-29, at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds near Utica, New York. This year's festival will once again be a day and a half (Friday night and all day Saturday), and a crowd in excess of the 16,000 Celts that were there last year is expected to attend.
Natalie MacMaster, the Prodigals, Enter the Haggis, Hair of the Dog, the Glengarry Bhoys, and Cathie Ryan are on the bill, with more acts added on a daily basis. For more information, log onto www.greatamericanirishfestival.com.
Later in the summer, Upstate New York will get another Celtic weekend as the city of Rochester hosts the legendary Tommy Makem at their festival September 8-10.
One of the biggest festivals staged each year is in Dublin, Ohio. With a name like that, you would expect this city to be in touch with their inner shamrock.
The talent on this weekend is legendary, and this year is no exception. Seanchai and the Unity Squad, Hothouse Flowers and the Prodigals are on the main stage throughout the weekend, which stars on August 4. For more information, log onto www.dublinirishfestival.org.
I know there are many readers my age and younger who have been complaining quite loudly that there has been no venue for new Irish music since Guinness did away with their fleadhs.
For those of you who have been saying your rosaries in the hopes that your local festival organizers would deliver some fresh sounds to your neck of the woods, it would seem that by and large, your prayers have been answered. This is your chance to show your approval by packing up the family and supporting these great lineups.
It's your chance to say "no, nay, never" to the same old stuff.
Irish Voice. New York, N.Y.: Jun 14-Jun 20, 2006. Vol. 20, Iss. 24; pg. 27, 1 pgs
BY MIKE FARRAGHER