ARIZONA IRISH MUSIC SOCIETY
AIMS NEWS AND NOTES
AIMS News and Notes 9-24-2008
Arizona Irish Music Society
www.azirishmusic.com
Information Line: 602-770-8077
Signup - signup@azirishmusic.com
George L. O’Brien - george@azirishmusic.com
News - news@azirishmusic.com
============================================
Anyone interested in receiving the Directory/Calendar only version of this newsletter should e-mail us at join@azirishmusic.com. You will be able to read the entire newsletter on the web at www.azirishmusic.com/00000000.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Expanded Irish Cultural Center Gift Shop run by Pat & Patty McCrossan, the former proprietors of Ireland's Own, is now open from 10:30 am until 6 pm Tuesday through Friday and from 10:30 am until 3 pm on Saturday. It will also be open for any ICC special events. Call (602) 254-6094.
The Irish Cultural Center is at 1106 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-258-0109 www.azirish.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Out and About
--- Sorry About No E-Mail Last Week
--- Rosie Mccaffrey’s Voted One Of The Top Irish Pubs In America
--- Lis Doon Varna Had Big Grand Opening
--- Sat Afternoon Inish Featured In Debut Of The Irish Acoustic Showcase At Lis Doon Varna
2. Hayes And Cahill In Arizona This Week
--- Fri, Sept 26 Flagstaff, Cline Library Auditorium
---- Sat, Sept 27, Tucson, Berger Center
3. Arizona Irish Festival Celebrates Ireland Ancient & Modern
--- New This Year! Entertainment Schedule: Continues To 9:00 PM
--- Irish Toast Contest
--- Seisiun At Irish Festival
---- Inish To Play At Festival
4. Irish Cultural Center News
--- Contra Dance At The Center On Wed
--- Oct 3 - Seanachie Reunion - First Friday Turns Into A Big Party-Food, Art & Music
--- Oct 19 - Thomas B. Teven Of Celtic Pride To Performs At Icc
--- Oct 26 - Acclaimed Irish Balladeer Ken O’malley Comes To Phoenix
--- Oct 31 - First Annual Halloween Dinner Dance
--- Academy Scholarship Established To Honor The Marquardt Family
5. Oct 10 - Sean Tyrrell's Presentation Of "Cry Of A Dreamer” For IACI
6. Oct 5 - Sara Grey & Kieron Means In Concert In Prescott
7. Paddy Keenan Visits Arizona
--- Wed, Oct 8th - 7:00 PM - Fiddler’s Dream
--- Thur, Oct 9th, - 8:00 PM - Temple Of Music And Arts
--- Fri, Oct 10 - 7:30 PM - Future Studios
--- Sat., Oct.11 - 7:00 PM - Blue Rose Theater
--- Sun, Oct. 12 - 7:00 PM - Flagstaff
8. Memo From The Knockabouts
9. This Week In Irish Music
1. OUT AND ABOUT
--- SORRY ABOUT NO E-MAIL LAST WEEK
If you missed AIMS NEWS AND NOTES last week, it was because the e-mail server was down. Hopefully this won’t happen again, but if you are interested in what you missed, go to www.azirishmusic.com/09172008.htm. The archive directory is www.azirishmusic.com/00000000.htm with virtually every newsletter going back to 1999 when we started. I try to get it updated by Wed every week, so if you do not receive the newsletter by then, please check on the website.
Every so often people ask me if I have dropped them from the list. Unless it is done by accident, I don’t drop people. However, there are several other reasons why something was not received.
1. Make Sure Your Address Is Up To Date: I am well aware that people keep changing their e-mail to avoid spammers. If you still want AIMS NEWS AND NOTES, you need to send me an update. Send the new address to the yahoo account.
2. Anti-Spam Software: The best way to ensure you keep getting AIMS NEWS AND NOTES is to add us to your “safe list”.
3. Full Mail Box: Some web based e-mail services have very small mail boxes (100 or so) that can get filled up very quickly.
In any case, if there is known problem on our end, it will be indicated on the front page.
--- ROSIE MCCAFFREY’S VOTED ONE OF THE TOP IRISH PUBS IN AMERICA
Seamus called to let me know that Rose McCaffrey’s was selected as one of the top 40 Irish pubs in America. It is an honor for Seamus and Rosie, but also for the Phoenix Irish scene that has become o active.
As an asside, The Irish Echo listed Irish organizations around the country and included the Arizona Irish Music Society.
--- LIS DOON VARNA HAD BIG GRAND OPENING
Last Thursday, Lis Doon Varna “officially” opened. With pipers from the Glendale Police Pipe band, music by Celtica, dancers from the Celtic Dance Academy, all followed by music from the Biffos. There were balloons (turned into animals and wacky hats), giveaways, a toast contest, girls from Bushmills, and a giant Guiness glass blow up balloon.
On Friday we started with music by the Lis Doon Varna seisiun players followed by the McMorrows. The McMorrows also played on Sat.
Everyone was impressed with the pub and it was a great party.
--- SAT AFTERNOON INISH FEATURED IN DEBUT OF THE IRISH ACOUSTIC SHOWCASE AT LIS DOON VARNA
There are a number of perform
ers doing Irish music that deserve more exposure to the Irish community, so I am starting a showcase for them explicitly patterned on Fiddler’s Dream and the Music Corner. Only this will be exclusively for Irish music. The initial plan is for an “Opening Act” followed by additional “guest” musicians. This will not be an “open mic” in that only established players will participate.
Bands will be permitted to bring their own sounds systems. However, I will bring my own system in some cases, although I’m pretty much limited to duos.
This week will be the Irish pub debut of a band called “Inis” (Irish for island) featuring Chris Devine, Colleen Collins, and Becky Wolve. They will perform at the Arizona Irish Festival on Sat Oct 4.
2. HAYES AND CAHILL IN ARIZONA THIS WEEK
--------------------------------------------------------
--- FRI, SEPT 26 FLAGSTAFF, CLINE LIBRARY AUDITORIUM
--------------------------------------------------------
8:00pm. Doors at 7:30pm
Where: Cline Library
Cost: $25 general admission
$2 discount to NACHS, FFOTM, NAU/CCC Faculty Staff, Seniors
$15 for students and children
Tickets available at: NAU Central Ticketing, Cedar Music, ticketmaster.com
Contact: Kari Barton 928-600-1365, Kari@LivingTraditionsPresentations.com
Website: www.livingtraditionspresentations.blogspot.com
Presented By: Living Traditions Presentations
--------------------------------------------------------
---- SAT, SEPT 27, TUCSON, BERGER CENTER
--------------------------------------------------------
Berger Center
1200 W. Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85745
520-981-1475 -- web at Inconcert
8:00 PM
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill are an amazing Irish fiddle and guitar duo that have toured all around the world. The Irish Echo says “There’s no more impressive partnership in Irish instrumental music today than Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill.” Martin Hayes has been the All-Ireland Fiddle Champion six times over, has taken home an National Entertainment Award (Irish equivalent to the Grammy) and was named the Folk Instrumentalist of the Year in 1999 by the BBC Radio Awards. Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist, versed as well in classical, blues and rock, as he is in traditional music. Cahill’s innovative accompaniment is acknowledged as being a major breakthrough from guitar in the Irish tradition.
Hayes & Cahill have performed in Flagstaff twice before, both times to audiences that were awed by the music and performance, and demanded encores. This musical duo is one not to miss by any fan of Celtic music or of stellar musicality. The musical rapport between Hayes and Cahill is so strong that it is often said they appear to be playing one instrument.
Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill are being presented by Living Traditions Presentations Friday, September 26, 2008 at the Cline Library Auditorium. The concert will begin at 8:00pm with the doors opening at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 with a $2 discount to members of NACHS, FFOTM, seniors, and NAU/Faculty Staff. Student and children’s tickets are only $15. Tickets are available at NAU Central Ticketing (928-523-5661), Cedar Music (928-779-0799), and www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please contact Kari Barton at 928-600-1365 or Kari@LivingTraditionsPresentations.com or visit www.livingtraditionspresentations.blogspot.com.
3. ARIZONA IRISH FESTIVAL CELEBRATES IRELAND ANCIENT & MODERN
MUSIC * DANCE * FOOD!
Who: The Irish Cultural & Learning Foundation
What: The Arizona Irish Festival ~ Where everyone is a wee bit Irish!
When: Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 10am~9pm (NEW TIME! WE
STAY OPEN LATER!)
Where: Irish Cultural Center
1106 N. Central Avenue * Phoenix, AZ 85004 and
Margaret T. Hance (Deck) Park
602.308.4601 * azirishfestival.org
Tickets: Adults $10, Children 6-12 $1, Children under 6, FREE!
Phoenix, AZ ~ The Eighth Annual Arizona Irish Festival is coming to the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix on Saturday, October 4, 2008. The event takes place at Margaret T. Hance Park where visitors can enjoy a celebration of Irish culture through music, dance, food & live entertainment!
Shoppers will enjoy an array of Irish gifts, souvenirs and merchandise! Do you love meat pies, corned beef & cabbage and fish & chips? Visit the food court for a selection of fine Irish grub that’s sure to please any palate.
A silent auction will offer unique prizes to the bold bidder with good timing, and the winner of the raffle at the end of the day will find tickets to Ireland in his or her hand. Children (of all ages!) are welcome to wear Halloween costumes in honor of the October 31 holiday that once marked the end of summer for the ancient Celts.
There are plenty of pubs, vendors and rich cultural presentations and displays. Trace your Celtic roots and come back to the bogs ~ follow the story of the Irish in Arizona!
--- NEW THIS YEAR! ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE: CONTINUES TO 9:00 PM
The Festival, known for its top-notch musical entertainment, kicks into high gear with a number of well-known and loved Celtic groups. There are so many performances scheduled that musical entertainment will flourish on two stages! They are broken down by style: traditional and modern ~ the Harp Stage and Pub Stage, respectively.
On the Harp Stage, guests will enjoy the likes of world renowned Celtic dance academies featuring Tir Conaill School, Celtic Dance Academy, McTeggart Dance School, The Bracken School along with seasoned Irish musicians such as Oceans Apart, Molly’s Revenge, and The Academy Fiddlers!
The Pub Stage boasts the rowdy and raucous stylings of the Center’s own Pat McCrossan, The Knockabouts, The Biffos, Keltic Cowboys, rounding out the day’s festivities with two sets “after dark” with The Brazen Heads! That’s right! This year’s Festival will open at 10am and close at 9pm. The evening hours are a first for the Festival and what better way to celebrate than with beer, spirits and music flowing late into the evening!
HARP STAGE
10:30am Opening Ceremonies
10:45am Tir Conaill School
11:05am Oceans Apart
11:50am Celtic Dance Academy
12:10pm Molly’s Revenge
12:55pm Dignitaries & Colleen
1:10pm The Academy Fiddlers
1:55pm McTeggart Dance School
2:15pm Oceans Apart
3:00pm The Bracken School
3:20pm Molly’s Revenge
4:05pm Raffle of Trip to Ireland Winner Announced
[EITOR’S NOTE: Harp state will continue later including a performance by the Acadeny music students.]
PUB STAGE
10:45am Pat McCrossan
11:30am The Knockabouts
12:30pm Pat McCrossan
1:30pm The Knockabouts
2:30pm Keltic Cowboys
3:30pm The Biffos
4:30pm Keltic Cowboys
5:30pm The Biffos
6:15pm Irish Toast Contest Semi-Finals
6:45pm The Brazen Heads
7:30pm Irish Toast Contest Finals
8:00pm The Brazen Heads
8:45pm Pub Stage Closes
*Times are approximate and subject to change.
-----------------------------------------------------------
--- IRISH TOAST CONTEST
-----------------------------------------------------------
ARE YOU A TOASTER?
Calling all toasters to enter The First EVER Bushmill’s Best Irish Toast Contest!
Phoenix, AZ ~ Sharpen your wits and brush up on your blarney to write a prize-winning expression of that Celtic Pride!
Beginning now through Festival time (October 4th) participants are invited to write and “perform” their best Irish toast! Sign up on-line at www.AZIrishFestival.org to pick your preferred pub!
The finals will take place on the Bushmill’s Irish Pubs of the Valley Stage at the Arizona Irish Festival on Saturday, October 4th. Compete for Cash Prizes: $500, $250 & $100! Worst Irish Toast: Into the dunk tank!
Bring all your friends to the Festival to cheer you on to victory!
-----------------------------------------------------------
--- SEISIUN AT IRISH FESTIVAL
-----------------------------------------------------------
[EDITOR’S NOTE: There will be an Irish seisiun next to the court yard in the afternoon. We’ll probably finish up when the ceili in the Great Hall begins around 4:30 PM. Several musicians will go down to the Harp Stage in the early evening to join the Academy musicians.]
-----------------------------------------------------------
---- INISH TO PLAY AT FESTIVAL
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hi George,
Hope you have been well. We are looking forward to playing at the Irish Festival coming up!
We finally have some times/locations:
12:00 in the park by the Faerie Booth
3:15pm In the Clos at the Irish Cultural Center (north of the Great Hall)
5:00pm In the Vendor Area (preceding ancient crafts demonstration )
See ya there!
Colleen Collins
4. IRISH CULTURAL CENTER NEWS
1106 N. Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ
602-258-0709 www.azirish.org
---------------------------------------------------------
--- CONTRA DANCE AT THE CENTER ON WED
---------------------------------------------------------
Each fourth Wednesday, Contra Dance comes to the Irish Cultural Center. This month it falls on September 24. The dancing begins at 7:30 PM and were almost ready to hang up the shoes by 10 PM. Cost is only $7. Snacks provided by dancers. Watch your kids around dancers and bring your soft soled non scuffing dance shoes! Contra Dancing is a form of American folk dance in which the dancers form a set of two parallel lines that run the length of the hall. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves that ends with couples having progressed one position up or down the set. As the sequence is repeated, a couple will eventually dance with every other couple in the set. Is Contra Dancing Similar To Square Dancing? Many of the basic moves in Contra Dancing are similar to those in square dancing (swings, promenades, dos-à-dos, allemandes). A square dance set comprises only four couples whereas only the length of the hall limits the number of couples in a Contra Dance set. To join the set, all you need is a partner. If you have danced squares, you will enjoy Contras immediately.
---------------------------------------------------------
--- OCT 3 - SEANACHIE MUSICAL REUNION - FIRST FRIDAY TURNS INTO A BIG PARTY-FOOD, ART & MUSIC
---------------------------------------------------------
First Friday, October 3, at the Center begins with Chef Frank Hand's salmon in lemon dill sauce with a wild rice pilaf, accented with honey glazed carrots and topped off with Irish cream puffs (yummy with a cold Guinness). Our featured artist is Jill Jones and her photography. Jill is proud of her Irish heritage and her family's connection with photography and beautiful imagery. You can see some of her work on line at http://jillsphotos.home.mindspring.com/, but they are much better in person with Chef Frank's dinner.
The Center will host the reunion concert of Seanachie on Friday, October 3 at 7:00 PM. Admission is $10.00. Arizona's beloved Irish band featuring Steve Colby, Dennis McMorrow and Ken Mulqueen will reunite this evening in celebration of friends and family. Come celebrate with us in this rare performance of one of Arizona's favorite Irish bands. The Center's own Academy Fiddler Band starts off the evening right! Proceeds from this concert to benefit The Academy of Irish & Celtic Studies.
Back in the early part of the decade, Seanachie was one of the most popular Irish bands in Arizona. Time presures rather than any lack of popularity led the band to break up. Steve Colby would join up with John Good to form Oceans Apart which is hugely successful. But last spring, Seanachie was brought together ty a request of an old fan and had great performance. This is their second "reunion" concert after the success of the spring concert.
Steve Colby is widely regarded as on of the finest vocalists in the Irish music scene as well as being a master on the guitar, banjo, mandolin, tenor banjo, and bouzouki. Kenny Mulqueen on fiddle has long been a fixture of the Irish scene. Dennis McMorrow, brother of Jerry and John of the band McMorrows. who plays accordion and guitar and vocals.
They give a great show and have fun doing it.
---------------------------------------------------------
--- OCT 19 - THOMAS B. TEVEN OF CELTIC PRIDE TO PERFORMS AT ICC
---------------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, October 19, 2008, The Center will be presenting Singing Phenomenon, Tom Teven Following an extended tour of the Northwest, Thomas B. Teven of Celtic Pride is returning to Arizona.
Currently, Tom is touring the Northwest promoting his newest recording, comprised of classic country and rock. The new CD is a solo endeavor, and has been very well received by audiences. Tom performed for many years at the original Dubliner Pub in North Phoenix, still located at 40 th Street and Thunderbird. The club was packed on most nights, and many of the original crowd of regulars still remain friends today. It was, in short, an amazing era. Ready to enjoy a warm Southwestern winter, Tom says he is looking forward to returning and to seeing old friends ... and to meeting new ones. "I have a special bond with that area. It will be great to be back," he said. The concert starts at 7:00 pm and admission is $10.00.
---------------------------------------------------------
--- OCT 26 - ACCLAIMED IRISH BALLADEER KEN O’MALLEY COMES TO PHOENIX
---------------------------------------------------------
Dublin born singer-songwriter Ken O’Malley will be the featured performer on Sunday, October 26 at the Center. In this captivating solo show, O’Malley will transport his audience to his beloved Ireland with his rich, resonant voice and engaging stage presence accompanied by his remarkable talent on guitar and mandolin. The University of St. Thomas at Houston pronounces that Ken O'Malley is "widely regarded as the finest Irish folk singer/songwriter in the United States today" and the Irish News calls this consummate entertainer "without question, . . .the single most enduring, influential and proficient of all Irish musicians in Southern California . . ." The event promises to be a magical evening of music with songs in both English and Irish Gaelic, suitable for all ages. Not just a singer, about whom Dave Soyars of the Irish Herald writes "his powerful and emotive voice shines through on everything he does", O’Malley is also a cultural ambassador and educator who infuses every performance with a genuine passion and love for his native land and its people. As longtime fan Mark Dresser says "the songs Ken sings touch all of us, Irish or not, to the very core of the human heart". Admission to the event is $10. Showtime is 7:00 PM.
---------------------------------------------------------
--- OCT 31 - FIRST ANNUAL HALLOWEEN DINNER DANCE
---------------------------------------------------------
On Friday, October 31, 2008, The Center will be presenting t he first annual Halloween dinner and dance. Join them at 7:00 pm for dinner, music and games. Festivities include a traditional costume contest for individuals and couples. Of course costumes are optional. Live music by our own Pat McCrossan. Tickets are only $35. RSVPs are required before October 24. Please contact Michael or Anna O’Hara at 480-345-9517 or irishfamilyaz@hotmail.com beginning August 30.
---------------------------------------------------------
--- ACADEMY SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED TO HONOR THE MARQUARDT FAMILY
---------------------------------------------------------
The Char and Jim Marquardt scholarship has been established to acknowledge their significant contribution to the Valley Irish Music community. The mission of the Char and Jim Marquardt Scholarship is to continue Char and Jim’s tradition of nurturing local Irish music by assisting qualifying students of the art and tradition. The Char and Jim Marquardt scholarship will be awarded once per term and will pay half of the tuition for the selected students of the Phoenix Irish Cultural Center (ICC). Interested candidates may apply for the scholarship by submitting the designated application for the upcoming term. A committee, consisting of the members listed below, will review the applications and select the recipients. A scholarship will cover only the term for which it was awarded. A new application and selection process will occur before every term. The Char and Jim Marquardt scholarship is funded by memorial contributions from members and friends of the Valley Irish Music community. The administration and committee membership is renewable every term. The initial beneficiaries of the Char and Jim Marquardt scholarship are the students of the Music Academy of the ICC. However, the scope of this scholarship may change at the discretion of the Committee Members. -----
-------------------------------------------------------
On Monday, October 6, the Center started Term 4 of the Academy of Irish & Celtic Studies. Classes are offered in Music (13 different instruments) and Language (Irish and Welsh) We will also be offering a music theory class which will cover all instruments. The academy classes are 50 minutes in length and meet once a week for 9 sessions. The cost for music and language classes is $90.00 per class. Private lessons are 25 minutes in length and are available on a limited basis. The cost for private lessons is $30.00 per class.
Call 602-258-0109
5. OCT 10 - SEAN TYRRELL'S PRESENTATION OF "CRY OF A DREAMER” FOR IACI
IRISH AMERICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE FALL 2008 IRISH PERCEPTIONS
Sacks Tierney Law Firm
4250 N. Drinkwater Blvd., 4th Floor
Scottsdale, AZ
The Irish American Cultural Institute Fall Irish Perceptions presents Sean Tyrrell, Irish folk singer, musician and composer on Friday, October 10 at 7:30. The location of this presentation is scheduled for Sacks Tierney Law Firm at 4250 N. Drinkwater Blvd., 4th Floor in Scottsdale. Tickets for this presentation may be obtained "at the door" for $8.00 each. Seating is limited, so come early.
Enjoy Sean Tyrrell's presentation of "Cry of A Dreamer," a mixture of recitation and traditional songs and tunes conveying the life of Irish patriot John Boyle O'Reilly. A native of the slower moving West of Ireland, Sean immigrated to New York in 1968 where he played his music in the folk club scene in Greenwich Village. In the early 70’s, Sean moved west to San Francisco and a diet of Irish music sessions. It was here that Sean's reputation as an exceptional singer of songs took root. Traversing New Hampshire in the mid-70’s, Sean co-founded "Apples in Winter," a band that was short-lived, but well recognized.
In the late 70’s, Sean returned to Ireland and continued to compose, but seldom played in public until he relocated to Bussen in County Claire. It's hard to avoid music in this part of Ireland and soon Sean was lured back into the music scene. With a growing reputation, he was invited to "guest" on several recordings, including 2 albums with Uilleann piper, Davy Spillane. On the heels of the success of Sean's recordings with Davy Spillane, Sean embarked on his first solo project: "Cry of A Dreamer," which was recorded on his own label, Longwalk Music. The album released in April 1994 and voted Best Folk Album of the Year by both Folk Roots and Hotpress. Sean accompanies himself on several instruments, and his singing style is authentic and expressive. He is known for composing music for poetry.
His sound combines traditional Irish music with contemporary influences, perhaps reflecting the Galway musical tradition as he plays the mandolin, mandocello, banjo, and tenor guitar. Sean has toured Ireland, England, the Continent, America and Australia in the past with Kevin Glackin and Ronan Brown; Davy Spillane; Three for the Ditch (Sean, Frankie Lane, and comedian Jack Lynch), Paddy Keenan, and poet, Mary O'Malley.
6. OCT 5 - SARA GREY & KIERON MEANS IN CONCERT IN PRESCOTT
Wild Iris Coffee House,
Sara Grey and Kieron Means in Concert, Sunday, October 5, 7:30 p.m., Wild Iris Coffee House, 124 S Granite Street, Prescott. Tickets are $12 and available at the Wild Iris or by calling Warren Miller at 928-445-8823. Seating is limited. Venue holds only 85 people and the show goes on without amplification--should be fun that way. Heat got to you yet? Time to head to the hills! See Sara's site at www.maclurg.com/saragrey/sara.htm
7. PADDY KEENAN VISITS ARIZONA
---------------------------------------------------------
--- WED, OCT 8TH - 7:00 PM - FIDDLER’S DREAM
---------------------------------------------------------
Fiddler's Dream
17th St. & Cactus Wren, Phoenix, AZ
602-997-9795 - www.fiddlersdream.org
---------------------------------------------------------
--- THUR, OCT 9TH, - 8:00 PM - TEMPLE OF MUSIC AND ARTS
---------------------------------------------------------
Temple of Music and Arts
Cabaret Theater
330 S. Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ
524-981-1475 - www.inconcerttucson.com
---------------------------------------------------------
--- FRI, OCT 10 - 7:30 PM - FUTURE STUDIOS
---------------------------------------------------------
Future Studios
30 Hozoni Dr, Sedona, AZ
(928) 282-9139 www.futurestudios.org
---------------------------------------------------------
--- SAT., OCT.11 - 7:00 PM - BLUE ROSE THEATER
---------------------------------------------------------
Blue Rose Theater
115 McCormick, Prescott, AZ
(928)771-1218
---------------------------------------------------------
--- SUN, OCT. 12 - 7:00 PM - FLAGSTAFF
---------------------------------------------------------
TBA
928-600-1365
Kari@LivingTraditionsPresentations.com
-----------------------------------------------------------
--- BIOGRAPHY
-----------------------------------------------------------
Paddy Keenan was born in Trim, Co. Meath, to John Keenan, Sr. of Westmeath and the former Mary Bravender of Co. Cavan. The Keenans were a Travelling family steeped in traditional music; both Paddy’s father and grandfather were uilleann pipers. Paddy himself took up the pipes at the age of ten, playing his first major concert at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin when he was 14. He later played with the rest of his family in a group called The Pavees.
At 17, having fallen in love with the blues, Paddy left Ireland for England and Europe, where he played blues and rock. Returning to Ireland after a few years, he began playing around Dublin with singer/keyboardist Triona Ni Dhomhnaill and singer/guitarist Micheal O Dhomhnaill. Fiddler Paddy Glackin joined the three, and they asked flute player Matt Molloy to play with them shortly thereafter. Next accordion player Tony MacMahon joined the group, and then guitarist Donal Lunny was asked to listen to the six. Liking what he heard, he joined as well, and the loosely-knit band began calling itself Seachtar, the Irish word for seven.
Seachtar’s first major concert was in Dublin. They played a few more gigs around the country, but circumstances soon forced Tony MacMahon to drop out. When the rest of the band decided to turn professional, Paddy Glackin left as well; he was replaced by Donegal fiddler Tommy Peoples (who was later replaced by fiddler Kevin Burke). All the group needed now was a name.
Micheal had recently returned from Scotland, where he happened across a picture taken in the 1890s of a group of tattered musicians. “The Bothy Band”, it was titled, in reference to the migrant Irish laborers who worked in England and Scotland, where they were housed in stone huts known as “bothies”. Micheal suggested that the band take this name, and the others agreed. Thus was born one of the most influential bands of the 1970s, The Bothy Band.
The Bothy Band forever changed the face of Irish traditional music, merging a driving rhythm section with traditional Irish tunes in ways that had never been heard before. Those fortunate enough to have seen the band live have never forgotten the impression they made—one reviewer likened the experience to “being in a jet when it suddenly whipped into full throttle along the runway”. Paddy was one of the band’s founding members, and his virtuosity on the pipes combined with the ferocity of his playing made him, in the opinion of many, its driving force. Bothy Band-mate Donal Lunny once described Paddy as “the Jimi Hendrix of the pipes”; more recently, due to his genius for improvisation and counter-melody, he has been compared to jazz great John Coltrane.
Paddy’s flowing, open-fingered style of playing can be traced directly from the style of such great Travelling pipers as Johnny Doran; both Paddy’s father and grandfather played in the same style. Although often compared to Doran, Paddy was 19 or 20 when he first heard a tape of Doran’s playing; his own style is a direct result of his father’s tutelage and influence.
Paddy’s style has continued to mature in the intervening years since the break-up of The Bothy Band as he has pursued a solo career. He tours the world, playing festivals and gigs in the US and Canada, Ireland, Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand, and the Far East. He appeared at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and at Merlefest. At the Washington Irish Festival at Wolf Trap in 1995, Paddy performed in a concert with accordion player James Keane and guitarist John Doyle that was videotaped and has been broadcast worldwide. In 2000 he was a member of the Irish Pure Drops tour in Europe, along with accordion player Joe Derrane and guitarist Malachy Bourke. Paddy toured in 2003 with Eire Japan, a trio that featured fiddler Frankie Gavin and guitar and banjo player Junji Shirota. In 2006 Paddy played festivals as far afield as Israel and Thailand; he also spent time in Mali, working on a film project and attending the Festival in the Desert.
Paddy has composed and arranged music for several film projects, including Traveller, a major studio release starring Bill Paxton and Marky Mark (1997), as well as projects focusing on the history of the Navajo people, and on pagan culture. He has recorded in recent years with many major artists in the world of Irish traditional music and beyond, including fiddler James Kelly, flute player Larry Nugent, Steve Morris of Deep Purple and the Dixie Dregs, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bela Fleck and Tim O’Brien.
On his own label, Hot Conya Records, Paddy produced Na Keen Affair in 1997, featuring Bothy Band-mate Tommy Peoples, Seamus Creagh, Niall Vallely and several Newfoundland musicians; and The Long Grazing Acre in 2001, with singer and guitarist Tommy O’Sullivan, former Bothy Band-mate Triona Ni Dhomhnaill, James Blennerhassett, Steve Housden, Greg Sheehan and others. Both albums were met with critical acclaim.
In March 2000, Paddy’s elder brother Johnny lost his battle with lung cancer. In 2002 the first annual Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival was held in Longford, Ireland. That first festival coincided with Paddy’s being awarded the TG4 Traditional Music Award (Gradam Cheoil) as Traditional Musician of the Year. The ceremony was held at the Cork Opera House in November, where one of the high points was a surprise on-stage reunion of several members of The Bothy Band. Since receiving the award, Paddy has established The Long Grazing Acre Foundation, an educational trust fund for the Traveller community in Ireland; the fund provides student recipients with scholarship money to further their education.
Generally acknowledged as the most accomplished uilleann piper performing today, Paddy is certainly one of the most brilliant musicians of his generation. He can rightfully claim his place alongside such open-style legends as pipers John Cash and Johnny Doran.
-------------------------------------------------------
--- QUOTES ABOUT PADDY KEENAN
-------------------------------------------------------
“Paddy Keenan has few peers in the world of traditional Irish music. For over thirty years he has focused on a simple but rarely attained goal: to present the music in its purest essence. Transcending the technical challenges of the uilleann pipes, flute and tin whistle, Paddy has consistently mined the rough ore of jigs, reels and airs, and worked and reworked their presentation until we, his audience, get to hear the real, pure, life-affirming beauty of them. If the end result is like water from a holy well, Paddy Keenan is surely one of the world’s best water witches!”—Tim O’Brien, 2001
“In a live situation, uilleann piper Paddy Keenan is probably the most exciting traditional musician in the world. His inventiveness and willingness to take risks most players wouldn’t even think of and pull them off makes his playing an endless source of fascination for traditional music lovers, and pipers in particular.”—Ken Ricketts and Marya Parker, 2001
“Paddy Keenan is the piper’s piper, the best of the best.”—Zina Lee, Celtic Café, 2001
“Paddy Keenan returned to Celtic Connections and presided over one of the most white-hot, most gloriously musical displays in, never mind the festival’s but, one suspects, the Royal Concert Hall itself’s, history.”—Rob Adams, Glasgow Herald, January 1998
“Keenan’s wild and free style of piping is at its unfettered best. With a front man like Keenan and a cast of musicians as distinguished as this, it’s not surprising that this disk rocks.”—Steve Winick, Dirty Linen, August/September 1997
“Paddy Keenan has consistently been one of the enigmas of Irish traditional music. Na Keen Affair is the first recorded evidence for 14 years that Keenan is still untouchable.”—Colin Harper, Q Magazine, March 1997
“Crucial to the vigorous vitality of the Bothy Band’s recordings was uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, who combined with fiddler Tommy Peoples and flutist Matt Molloy to create an aggressively raucous front line that constantly seemed on the verge of flying apart but never did.”—Geoffrey Himes, The Washington Post, 1997
“In Irish music there are legends and legends and then there’s Paddy Keenan. Paddy Keenan’s playing is now at its peak. Na Keen Affair is one hell of a comeback.”—John O’Regan, Rock ‘n’ Reel, 1997
“The genius of Paddy Keenan at the top of his art remains unassailable. There is no other uilleann piper alive who can reach the heights of performance that he can… a career…that has been distinguished by Olympian playing.”—Washington Irish Folk Festival, 1994
“I just couldn’t BELIEVE the ferocity with which Paddy Keenan attacked the uilleann pipes. A product of the wild style of Travelling pipers… Keenan was, for me, [The Bothy Band’s] most breathtaking component.”—Colin Irwin, Melody Maker
“A knowledge of the sum total of his technical achievements does not prepare one for the excitement of his playing. His fluid rolling style of piping is further heightened by his sure instinct for the right place to decorate the melody or even to interrupt its flow by a staccato passage of exceptional brilliance…The same approach to performance is evident… a willingness to risk everything for success, all the time reaching out for the difficult but rewarding turn or variation rather than taking the easy way around a musical problem.”—Tomas O Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (Routledge & Kegan Paul
8. MEMO FROM THE KNOCKABOUTS
Hey George,
We had a fun time down in Phoenix this weekend - but damn was it hot! The Knockabouts have a couple of gigs this Saturday that I wanted to pass along. We will be at the Verde River Festival this Saturday in Cottonwood. The event is being held at Dead Horse State Park and we play at 1PM. Later on Saturday, we will be at Charly's Pub in the Weatherford Hotel at 9PM.
Thanks,
John
Knockabout
9. THIS WEEK IN IRISH MUSIC
-------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX
-------------------------------------------------------
Michael McClanathan will be at the Westin Kirland every evening at sunset.
--- WED
Paul Knight will be at Into The Bean on Wed.
Scott Jeffers will be at the Dubliner on Wed
Malcom Harris will be at the Los Oliovs Park on Wed
There be a contradance on Wed.
--- THUR.
Shay Veno and Jane Hilton will be at Tim Finnegans on Thursday
Tom Teven will be at Seamus McCaffrey’s on Thursday.
--- FRI/SAT
Brazen Heads will be at the Dubliner on Fri and Sat.
Mac Seoin will be at Fibber Magee’s on Fri and Sat.
Lis Doon Varna will host Wild Angels on Fri and Sat.
Shay Veno will be at O’Connor’s on Fri and Sat
O’Donoghue’s will host Easton Ashe on Fri.
Biffos will be at Rosie McCaffrey’s on Fri and Sat
Keltic Cowboys will be at Rula Mula on Fri and Sat
Tom Teven will be at Seamus McCaffrey’s on Fri and Sat
Tim Finnegans will host “There is That” on Fri and Sat.
SAT
Greg La Cosse will be at Shpard of the Hills (Music Corrner) on Sat.
--- MON
Greg La Cosse will play at the Peoria Public Library on Mon
--------------------------------------------------------
TUCSON
--------------------------------------------------------
Hayes and Cahill will be the Berger Center on Sat.
There will be a contradance on Sat at the First Methodist Church.
--------------------------------------------------------
FLAGSTAFF
--------------------------------------------------------
Hayes and Cahill will be at the Cline Library on Friday evening.
The Knockabouts will be at Charley’s Pub on Sat
---------------------------------------------------------
COTTONWOOD
---------------------------------------------------------
Dead Horse Ranch State Park 675 Dead Horse Ranch Rd Cottonwood 928-634-5283
9/27/2008 Sat 1:00 PM Knockabouts
--------------------------------------------------------
SEDONA
--------------------------------------------------------
Karl Jones will be at Indian Gardens on Sun and the Martini Bar on Mon.
Cline Library Auditorium
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Hayes and Cahill
|
1. PHOENIX
Dubliner Irish Pub
3841 E. Thunderbird Rd.
Phoenix
602-867-0984
|
9/24/2008 | Wed | 9:00 PM
| Scott Jeffers
|
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Brazen Heads
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Brazen Heads
|
Fibber Magees
1989 W. Elliott Rd. #19
Chandler
480-722-9434
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Mac Seoin
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Mac Seoin
|
|
9/28/2008 | Sun | 4:00 PM
| Fibber Magee's Sunday Afternoon Seisiun
|
Irish Cultural Center
1106 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix
602-392-7850
|
9/24/2008 | Wed | 7:00 PM
| Contradance at the ICC
|
Lis Doon Varna
16100 N. Arrowhead
Peoria
623-979-0730
|
9/24/2008 | Wed | 7:00 PM
| Seisiun at Lis Doon Varna
|
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Wild Angels
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Wild Angels
|
Los Olivos Park
2802 E. Devonshire
Phoenix
602-256-3130
|
9/24/2008 | Wed | 8:00 PM
| Malcom Harris
|
O'Connor's Pub
2601 W. Dunlap
Phoenix
602-997-7714
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Shay Veno
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Shay Veno
|
O'Donoghue's Irish Pub
20469 N. Hayden Rd.
Scottsdale
480-585-6329
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Easton Ashe
|
Peoria Public Library
8463 W Monroe St,
Peoria
623-412-7555
|
9/29/2008 | Mon | 7:00 PM
| Greg La Cosse
|
Rosie McCaffrey's
906 E. Camelback
Phoenix
602-241-1916
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Biffos (O'Carroll's Gate)
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Biffos (O'Carroll's Gate)
|
|
9/30/2008 | Tue | 9:00 PM
| Frank Mackey
|
Rula Bula
401 S. Mill Ave
Tempe
480-929-9500
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Keltic Cowboys
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Keltic Cowboys
|
Seamus Mc Caffrey's
18 W. Monroe
Phoenix
602-253-6081
|
9/25/2008 | Thu | 9:00 PM
| Tom Teven
|
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| Tom Teven
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Tom Teven
|
Shepard of the Hills Church
5524 E. Lafayette Blvd
Phoenix
623-939-0209
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 7:30 PM
| Greg La Cosse
|
Tim Finnegans
9201 N. 29th Ave. #52
Phoenix
602-997-2323
|
9/25/2008 | Thu | 9:00 PM
| Shay Veno
|
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 9:00 PM
| There Is That
|
|
9/28/2008 | Sun | 1:00 PM
| Tim Finnegan's Seisiun
|
Westin Kierland Resort
6902 E Greenway
Phoenix
480-624-1030
|
9/24/2008 | Wed | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
|
9/25/2008 | Thu | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
|
9/26/2008 | Fri | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
|
9/28/2008 | Sun | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
|
9/29/2008 | Mon | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
|
9/30/2008 | Tue | 6:30 PM
| Michael McClanathan
|
2. TUCSON
Auld Dubliner
800 East University
Tucson
520-206-0323
|
9/28/2008 | Sun | 4:00 PM
| Tucson Irish Seisiun
|
Berger PCA - In Concert
1200 W. Speedway
Tucson
520-981-1475
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 8:00 PM
| Hayes and Cahill
|
First Methodist Church - Tucson
915 E. 4th Street
Tucson
520-293-3783
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 7:00 PM
| Contradance - Tucson
|
Rincon Market
2513 East Sixth St.
Tucson
|
9/30/2008 | Tue | 7:00 PM
| Celtic and Old Time Jam
|
3. FLAGSTAFF
Charly's Pub and Grill
23 N Leroux St
Flagstaff
928-779-1919
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 9:00 PM
| Knockabouts
|
|
9/28/2008 | Sun | 7:00 PM
| Flagstaff Irish Seisiun
|
5. REST OF AZ
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
675 Dead Horse Ranch
Cottonwood
928-634-5283
|
9/27/2008 | Sat | 1:00 PM
| Knockabouts
|
Indian Gardens Country Store
3951 N Az-89-Alt
Sedona
928-282-7702
|
9/28/2008 | Sun | 12:00
| Karl Jones - Irish Rover
|
Martini Bar
89A at New Frontiers
Sedona
|
9/29/2008 | Mon | 9:00 PM
| Karl Jones - Irish Rover
|
This site © 2005
Arizona Irish Music Society
Info Line: 602-770-8077
