Music Round Up - December
Here’s what I know about a lot of Irish and Celtic music that touches Kansas City and the Midwest in some form or other.
Technically speaking it should a whole bunch of different posts, but these days I’m been traveling a lot and writing posts in my head rather than on my computer. That’s all very fine except when it comes to press the button marked ‘publish’.
Perhaps I’ll make this one-page quick catch-up a regular feature of IrishKC.
• The Fuchsia Band are leading the vote for Album of the Year on the popular radio programme No Celtic Boundaries. Lead singer Máirtín de Cógáin is also in the lead in their Songwriter of the Year category. Voting closes Christmas Eve. Instructions on how to vote here (Scroll down - on right)
• The Wild Clover Band have been sneaking away from their home in Kearney, Nebraska up to Omaha - to record their 4th CD. You can listen to clips of Back Home in Derry and The Foggy Dew here - not quite the finished versions yet but you get the gist.
• Seven Nations no longer have Dan Stacey in their midst. Fiddler Dan has left to pursue a solo career, although you can currently see him performing with Cherish The Ladies no less. And on February 15 and 16, 2008 you can see Dan perform as part of The Step Crew when they play at the Carlsen Centre in Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.
• Brían Ó hAirt has recently posted some delicious tracks on his MySpace. Ó hAirt in Gan Bua is playing in KC in 2008 (May 3). Before then Brían will be in Ireland in Rosmuc - the part of the Gaeltacht I went to - at the Cóilín Sheáin Dharach weekend. I’d love to go to that myself but think I’ll be traveling at that time. In the Midwest though you can, and should, consider attending the Sean-nós Milwaukee 2008 in February.
• Black 47 are gearing up for their annual Times Square New Year’s Eve bash, but I’ve been taken by Larry Kirwan’s recent blog entries, particularly those he wrote about his own feelings on returning to his homeland centered around Black 47’s recent tour of Ireland. Before traveling and then the journey there. There’s thoughts familiar to any Irish emigrant in there. Kirwan’s memories of working for Norman Mailer, and his tribute to Mary Courtney are well worth reading also.
• The Elders are about to celebrate 10 years together with a 2-night residency at Kansas city’s Record Bar. And the lads are also up for the Band of the Year in the No Celtic Boundaries awards. Voting instructions are here.
• The Indulgers from Colorado recently toured Ireland, and I got the dates wrong so missed out on their final night in Howth. But you can watch a video of the trip posted by Damien. Or if you prefer your images to be still, you can look at over 1,000 photos. Trip highlight was having Johnny Fean of Horslips (and that riff) play with them.
• Flannigan’s Right Hook have, starting in January, new regular gigs at 75th St Brewery on Wednesdays, and also every Thursday out at Llywelyn’s in Overland Park.
• The Lucky Charms will be playing in Kansas City when they directly follow Eddie Delahunt on Friday, January 18th, 2008, at his regular performance at Mike Kelly’s Westsider at 1515 Westport Road. Heavy on the ish, but think of 9:30 as the start time.
• Trinity are on the schedule to perform at the Irish Museum & Cultural Center’s annual gala on March 8 at the Intercontinental on the Plaza. Trinity are playing during the cocktail hour which starts at 6pm.
• Connacht Town are scheduling an increasing number of gigs around the area. As well as the mini-concert at Davey’s in January, and an appearance at the Record Bar the same evening, the boys also have gigs lined up at O’Malley’s in Weston (Jan 11/12); Fathead’s in Leavenworth, (Feb 2); Kyle’s Tap Room in Gladstone (Feb 9); Tommy Leo’s in Springfield [Mar 8], before returning to O’Malley’s in May.
• Gaelic Storm are due to be recording new material for an album any time now, and if you’re lucky you might get to hear some of it when they play in Kansas City on March 1, 2008 - at the Beaumont Club.
• Rattle & Hum KC, the U2 Tribute Band are taking a 2-month break after a very successful and high profile 2007 reflected in their commemorative 2007 poster. They return to performing on Saturday, February 16th at the Record Bar in Westport.
• The Kelihans are playing O’Malleys in Weston this weekend - December 22 2007 - and together with Flannigan’s Right Hook and Connacht Town play an Irish Triple-bill at Davey’s Uptown on January 19, ‘08.
• The Frames had their album The Cost make the Top 25 Albums of 2007 as chosen by KC’s Happy in Bag on There Stands The Glass. The Frames are fronted by one half of the leads in the film success of the year at KC’s Tivoli that was the movie Once.
• The Young Dubs plan to start recording their next album in the 1st week of January and finish it up by the end of Febuary. Before we get to hear them by Summer 2008, the Dubs will take to the road in March and do their usual “March on St Paddys Day” US tour followed by trips to Ireland and Denmark in early April.
• Jonathan Ramsey is currently offering a free MP3 to you for Christmas. Describing it as a “a happy song about loss of consciousness during the festive Yule season” it’s Christmas in Catatonia.
• Tullamore show no sign of playing anywhere in Kansas or Missouri until their traditional March appearance in Emerald, Kansas when they play the St Patrick’s Irish Festival, the night before Paddy’s Day, and then on the big green day itself when they play at O’Malley’s of Weston.
• Eddie Delahunt is playing St Stephen’s Day, or as you may know it, Wednesday, at O’Dowd’s, and gigging at the Westsider on Friday 29th. But the best place to see him is hands down at the Irish New Year’s Eve party at his cafe in an even bigger heated tent than last year. Tickets are scarce.
I’ve a bunch more to add to this later, but right now the sun is up in my world and the kettle has boiled so I need to walk outside with a cup of tea and a paintbrush.
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
