A Newcomer's Look At Irish Music in Phoenix By Rob Adams rja_3m@yahoo.com
Valley residents flirt occasionally with Gaelic and Celtic culture, attending annual events that have become practically ubiquitous, such as the Highland Gathering, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, or even the Renaissance Festival. For those who stake claim to old-world ancestry, no matter how thin the bloodline, it might be surprising to learn that many musicians and citizens work year-round in the Valley to promote the music and culture of Ireland and Scotland.
In 1998, a surge in cultural interest for all things Celtic in the Valley led to the creation of the Arizona Irish Music Society. Formed to celebrate and promote the state's Celtic heritage, musical artists and pub culture, the society's web site provides a directory of cultural organizations, bands, pubs and restaurants, plus weekly performance schedules and news items. For the fan of Celtic music that doesn't get out much, the society promotes "The Irish Show," hosted by musician Pat McCrossan and broadcast on KFNX-AM 1100 every Saturday afternoon from 4:30 to 6.
A love for the music and culture is evident with local musicians. Immersed in Irish culture by birthright - her parents emigrated from Ireland to New York - Sheila Maguire, 32, is enthusiastic about the music scene in the Valley. "It's a great community, and it's changed a lot over the years," Maguire said. "There were only a handful of musicians out here 10 years ago and now it's sprouted up - it's fantastic that everybody's getting involved in it."
Maguire is the youngest of 8 children; she first learned to play fiddle from her father when she was 6. Arriving in the Valley from Brooklyn in 1988 to study graphic arts at Scottsdale Community College, she said, "I didn't play (Irish) music in Arizona at that time; I didn't realize there was anybody out here that played." It was not until she returned to Arizona in 1992 that she met The McMorrow's, a traditional Irish pub band that sparked her interest in the local scene. Soon after, she joined Ashling, a traditional Celtic/rock outfit, and for the next three years played 6 nights per week. Session recording work drew her back to New York in 1996, but she returned to the Valley in 1999 and has been here ever since.
Like Maguire, Jerica Leathers, 29, was born to an Irish family. A native Arizonan, unlike Maguire she didn't begin fiddling until her seventh year of playing. "I think I had just turned 20 when I went with some of my friends to see Sheila's band play," she said. "As soon as I saw Sheila I was just like - WOW!" This revelation was paired with an encounter during her rehearsals as a violinist with the Mesa Symphony Orchestra: "My staff partner with the symphony had just started Irish fiddling - actually threw 'Drowsy Maggie' at me one day - and I said, 'Oh, what is this - I want to do this!'"
Leathers has immersed herself in the genre since 1993, and as with Maguire, is an in-demand performer - recording, sitting in with other local bands, and fiddling with the bands Roseblood and Blackwood. Both Maguire and Leathers frequently attend "seisiuns" - jam sessions - sponsored on varying nights by several Valley pubs. The cooperative nature of the pub owners ensures no overlap of sessions. At haunts across the Valley like Rosie McCaffrey's and Bandersnatch Brew Pub, musicians - professional as well as amateur - dine, quaff pints, and above all, play music for love of the craft until final call rings out. The laid-back camaraderie overshadows any competitiveness that might exist.
Maguire thinks that anyone who has the desire to learn should make an effort to involve themselves as more than just an observer. "There's a lot of different things that go on, so jump in with both feet," she said. "As far as learning an instrument, it's not as difficult as people think." Maguire instructs her students in the traditional Irish custom - by ear. "With Irish music," said Maguire, "you at least have to have a CD nearby to hear what it sounds like - sheet music can translate only so much. It's like trying to write a southern accent in English, or an Australian accent - if you don't know what it sounds like, you're going to be way off." Classically-trained Leathers teaches by ear and with sheet music both privately and as a staff instructor at the Irish Cultural Center and its affiliated school, the Academy of Irish and Celtic Studies, established in 1998 in downtown Phoenix.
Leathers said that interest in Irish music and culture exploded with the international popularity of the Irish music and dance production "Riverdance." "All of a sudden, everybody wanted to do it, everybody wanted to try to be like that," said Leathers. "Once that hit, people were starting bands, learning the music, and now it's getting to where there's so many bands and not enough places to play...(Riverdance) spawned a lot of interest."
Maguire and Leathers emphasize that the number of venues supportive of the Celtic and Gaelic music scene - as well as ongoing educational programs offered by non-profit enterprises such as the Cultural Center - keep local interest in the culture alive and relevant. " It's a nice little community that we've got going here, and I think it's very supportive of the music," said Maguire. "It's family more than anything," said Leathers, "and that's what our music and the Cultural Center is striving to bring together - the sense of community, family, of bringing people together for the common love of tradition."
This site hosted by FASTQ
This site © 2002
Arizona Irish Music Society
