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St. Patrick's
"season" is behind us now, but there's still plenty
of Celtic music in store for you concert-going fans. The Celtic
Airs/ WWUH concert series presents the Aoife Clancy Band on 5/11/01
at 7:30 in Wilde Auditorium. Tickets are available through the
University box office at 1-800-274-8587 or 860-768-4228.
Aoife
(pronounced Eefa) is the daughter of Bobby Clancy and the former
lead vocalist for Cherish the Ladies. Her band will include Laurence
Nugent on wooden flute and a guitarist and fiddler whose names were
unavailable to me as I write this article in March. This will be her
first solo trip to the University of Hartford. I hope you'll come
out to greet her and enjoy an evening of fine Irish traditional
music and song.
The
remainder of this article will seem like a schizophrenic flight of
ideas, tied together only by a thread in time. The week after St.
Patrick's Day was a very busy one for me and provided lots of
information to pass along to you.
On
3/20, I went to the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA to see
Karan Casey plus Sharon Shannon and the Woodchoppers. Karan is
touring with 15-month-old daughter Muireann, husband Niall Vallely
on concertina and Robbie Overson on guitar. They've been on the road
now for over a year and are much tighter than when we saw them at
the Wilde Auditorium 5/15/00 in their first weeks together. Based on
conversations I've had with Karan over the years, I'd say she seems
much happier and more relaxed now than during her days with Solas.
I'm not sure whether this is the effect of motherhood or of
embarking on a successful solo career. Her new solo CD, The Winds
Begin to Sing, will be an enjoyable treat for her fans. Guests
include Michael McGoldrick and Donald Shaw from Capercaillie, John
Doyle former bandmate in Solas, Frank Torpey from Nomos, Dezi
Donnelly, and of course Niall and Robbie.
Karan
passed along a few bits of interesting information. John Doyle is
working on a solo CD to be released this summer. Karan does some
guest harmony vocals with him. Nomos has disbanded with founder
Niall spending most of his time touring with Karan. Frank Torpey is
producing instructional videos on bodhran. Vince Milne is back into
the seisun scene and playing with a variety of local bands. Gerry
Mckee has embarked on a career in business!
Sharon
Shannon and the Woodchoppers put on a great show featuring the
mighty sound of 4 and 5 fiddles at times; the Kane sisters Liz and
Yvonne, the Shannon sisters Sharon and Mary and at times Inishboffin
based singer/fiddler Dessie O'Halloran. Sharon's new CD includes
vocals for the first time, by guests Steve Earle, John Prine,
Jackson Browne, Dessie O'Halloran and the Hothouse Flowers.
In
conversations with Mary Shannon, it appears our chance of seeing the
Bumblebees is slim to non-existent.
Because she is so busy with Sharon's band, because Liz
Doherty has left the Bees and because they have no vocalist, I
suspect this band will be defunct soon.
On
3/22, we presented Niamh Parsons and the Old Blind Dogs at the
Millard Auditorium to an audience of more than 350. This was the
first night of the Green Linnet Records 25th anniversary spring
tour. Wendy Newton, the founder of Green Linnet was in attendance
along with members of the Green Linnet promotions team. They were
highly impressed by our handling of this event and by the enthusiasm
and knowledge of those in the audience. Green Linnet has a fine
new double CD set to introduce you to their artists past and
present. The Old Blind Dogs have completed a new album to be
released this summer. Green Linnet will be releasing a new CD
by Lunasa this summer as well as an album of duets featuring
Lunasa's flute and whistle player Kevin Crawford later this spring.
With
barely time to catch my breath, and don't forget I was working my
regular job everyday of this week as well, I proceeded to Asnuntuck
Community College in Enfield on 3/23 to see Cherish the Ladies.
Leader Joanie Madden was as funny and entertaining as ever! The band
released their latest CD The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone
on 4/17. It's a very appropriate title as they have continued the
practice of featuring guest male musicians, started with their
previous CD At Home, which included their fathers (Cherish
the Daddies??) The new album includes Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie,
Eric Weissberg, Tom Chapin, John McCutcheon, the Clancy Brothers,
Brian Kennedy, Liam O'Maonlai, Davy Spillane, Liam O'Flynn, Matt
Molloy, Arty McGlynn, Kevin Glackin, Mick Moloney, John Sheahan of
the Dubliner's, Billy McComiskey, Donnchadha Gough and Jesse Smith
of Danu and once again the paterfamilias of the band members.
Needless to say, with all these guest vocalists, there are a lot
more songs and fewer tunes than you'd usually expect on a Cherish
the Ladies CD. The Ladies will be at the University of Hartford,
with their dancers, on 8/16/01. Tickets are already on sale through
the University box office. If you have tickets for the previously
scheduled dates in June, they should be exchanged.
That
was the end of a very busy week of music!!
Dervish
will be here 9/20-21. They are the cover artists on the March
edition of Irish Music Magazine which also introduces their new
greatest hits album Decade, scheduled for release in Ireland
3/17/01. I almost didn't recognize Brian McDonogh without his hat,
beard and mustache! It's very encouraging, and I'm sure very
satisfying for the band, that they have been able to continue to
record on their own independent label, a rarity these days. As it
seems it takes a long time for their albums to be released in the
US, you may want to check out their web site at www.dervish.ie for further
information on their albums and tours.
Last
but not least, don't forget that Danu will be here on 10/3/01.
Tickets for the Dervish and Danu shows will probably go on sale
about 6/1/01. Stay tuned to Celtic Airs Tuesdays 6:00-9:00 am for further
concert news.
Copyright©WWUH: May/June Program Guide, 2001 |
