ARIZONA IRISH MUSIC SOCIETY
GREAT BIG SEA HEADLINES CELTIC ROCK FEST AT CAJUN HOUSE
By George O'Brien - Arizona Correspondent
Great Big Sea headline the Scottsdale stop of the "The Uprooted Tour" with Seven Nations and The Young Dubliners at the on Thursday, August 15th at the Cajun House, 7117 E. 3rd Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 For tickets call 480-945-5150.
Great Big Sea
The term "Celtic Rock" is applied to bands that play full fledge rock and roll, but with a distinctive Celtic flavor. Three of the hottest Celtic Rock bands are Great Big Sea from New Foundland, the Young Dubliners based in Los Angeles, and Seven Nations from Orlando Florida.
Great Big Sea (GBS), was founded in 1991, and offers an energetic combination of rock and sing along folk songs with a traditional flare. It is a reflection of their Cape Breton background that even their most rock oriented CD, "Sea of No Cares", has recurring references to the sea and the lives of fishermen.
Kerry Miller describes the band, "Great Big Sea creates an energetic and upbeat fusion of traditional Newfoundland tunes and sing-along pop-folk, performed with irresistible frat boy charm. The traditional songs of their sea-faring ancestors show the influence of the English, Irish, French and Scottish who settled on the island, and their rhythms, melodies, and diverse instruments (including the bouzouki, mandolin, bodhran, accordion, penny whistle, and fiddle) lend a special flair to Great Big Sea's original songs as well."
Great Big Sea already the most popular bands of any genre in eastern Canada, has gained almost cult status with in its rapidly growing U.S. fan base. Their popularity in eastern Canada led them to win Entertainer of the Year award for five consecutive years at The East Coast Music Awards before withdrawing their name to allow other musicians achieve the recognition they deserve. The first beneficiary was Natalie MacMaster.
While they have produced seven successful CDs, the real popularity of Great Big Sea is a result of their fantastic live shows. Dirty Linen described Great Big Sea as "one of the best party bands that ever picked up a squeezebox or a fiddle."
The make up of the band is:
Young Dubliners
Alan Doyle - vocals, guitar, percussion
Bob Hallett - vocals, fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, whistles, Irish flutes, accordion
Darrell Power - vocals, bass, bones, percussion
Sean McCann - vocals, guitars, bodhran, tin whistle
The Young Dubliners are based in relatively nearby Los Angeles, so they have had more exposure here than the other two bands. They go their start in the early '90s when founder Keith Roberts (vocals/acoustic guitar) relocated to America from Dublin, Ireland. Later adding Randy Woolford (electric guitar), Jon Mattox (drums), Brendan Holmes (bass), Jeff Dellisanti (saxophone/organ/flute) and Mark Epting (violin/mandolin),
Ram Samudrala described them after opening for Jethro Tull, "The opening band was the Young Dubliners, who, in all fairness, put on an incredibly energetic performance overshadowing their older compatriots. Their music is akin to a mix of the Pogues, Tempest, Giant Ant Farm, and the Levellers, but with less of a punk feel and more of a rock aesthetic. The crowd was really into them and I was really impressed as well. They are definitely worth checking out if you're into the rock of today." Ram Review
Lead singer
Keith Roberts described the band as well as their album Absolutely when he noted, " "It really is a reflection of the band. It's got the sense of humor of the band, along with the balls-y lyrics that maybe in the past I couldn't bring myself to write. You put it all together and you get this good-feeling, upbeat album."
Seven Nations
Seven Nations is less well known to Phoenix music fans than the other two bands, but if they live up to the reports from the rest of the country, this will quickly change. According to their own description, " Seven Nations has a sound and style like no other, performing excellent rock/pop songs, using one of the most unlikely sonic threesomes imaginable: bagpipe, fiddle and guitar. But this combination is not a gimmick. The sound is a fusion of two strangely complimentary musical styles: driving modern rock and foot-stomping traditional music."
Antrina McFarland notes, "to truly appreciate Seven Nations, you should see them perform a live show. This is where the energy and the music really shine through."
Seven Nations themselves consists of:
Kirk McLeod (vocals, guitars, piano and highland bagpipes)
There is no doubt that the Cajun House will be hopping on Thursday.
Strudy (bass guitars)
Ashton Geoghagan (drums)
Scott Long (highland bagpipes, shuttle pipes)
Dan Stacey (fiddle, violin, and feet(!).
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