W♥M: Irish

11/05/2024

Minneapolis: November 23 to November 28, 2024

09/04/2024

Screaming Orphans at Minnesota State Fair (02 Sep 2024)

Screaming Orphans

Rooted in traditional Irish music, Celtic pop-rock band Screaming Orphans draws from a diverse set of influences to focus on melody-driven songs with pop and rock strains and to explore new and exciting songwriting and performance concepts. These four sisters are known for a powerful, award-winning sound that combines their own original melodic old-school pop songs with a unique and modern take on traditional Irish music and song.

Leinie Lodge Bandshell Stage Schedule

Sept. 1 & 2 Screaming Orphans
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm, 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm

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Minnesota State Fair

Of course, this was the great Minnesota State Fair, one of the largest, if not the largest?, in the country, and draws in thousands of Minnesotans. There are plenty of entertainment, fun for the whole family! …

Screaming Orphans

This event is free and open to the public. For the full schedule, head over to irishfair.com The year’s bands include Screaming Orphans, Screaming Orphans, and Eileen Ivers. 3pm, free. …

With so much to do at the “Great Minnesota Get Together,” it takes a lot to capture the attention of such a huge crowd at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell stage. The Screaming Orphans said it themselves after their first set that they would understand if we didn’t make it back for their second set … but with talent so pure and in spades, I wanted to see both sets from 1 - 1:45 and 2:30 - 3:15 pm on the last day of the Minnesota State Fair on September 2, 2024.

The band consists of four sisters - Joan, Angela, Gráinne and Marie Thérèse.

The two blondes spoke mostly and explained that the two brunettes do the “playing,” that they were the musicians; however, the whole family was encouraged to play anything they wanted while growing up. And yes, they do have parents, they neither do a ton of screaming nor are they actual orphans. In fact, they asked the crowd to scream at one point because it would make the violin player play even faster. It was a name brought up by a friend and they liked it. Their mother sang ballads so a lot of their sound has that background rooted in tradition but they have a mix of pop and rock. The punk band Flogging Molly was pumped through the speakers prior to their soundcheck.

Too many times had they heard “Danny Boy” butchered covered in bars by other bands so instead they sang for us “Step it Out, Mary.” They ended the first set with a cover of The Turtles’ “Happy Together.” The second set ended with a cover of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” with a plea to the audience to sing the post chorus part in the original song that goes “Da-Da da da” as “Shot of Vodka, shot of vodka, and a rum and a rum and a coke.”

There were a lot of people who had donned their Screaming Orphans T-shirts for the show. We just missed them in Kansas City. They have been here in Minnesota before for the Irish Fair. They regretted that they couldn’t stay after the show as they were jet setting to Pennsylvania, then overseas, then back to Ireland and wouldn’t return to the states until December. They are working on a Christmas album next, so hopefully if we do catch them again, there will be more new music to listen to.

Screaming Orphans at Minnesota State Fair (02 Sep 2024)

quynh ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 02:41 AM in Flogging Molly, Irish, Irish Fair, Minneapolis, Minnesota State Fair, Quynh, Screaming Orphans, The Proclaimers | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/25/2024

Ber at Minnesota State Fair (25 August 2024)

25 August 2024 Minnesota State Fair at Minnesota State Fairground

Ber Setlist

Better Man
Feels So Easy
I'm Not in Love
Superspreader
Halfway
Boys Who Kiss You in Their Car
Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye cover)
Same Effect
Middle of Nowhere
Your Internet Sucks
Whatever Forever
with Eric on tambourine

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Minnesota State Fair

The annual Minnesota State Fair is kicking off August 24 and will continue until Labor Day, September 4th. The two week-ish event will feature over 900 Shows with … …

Ber

Before being terrorized by a killer shark off the coast of Cape Cod, south Minneapolis was treated to the songs of local musicians Ber and Anni XO right off the shore of Lake Harriet. ...

“I’ve never sang in front of pork chops smoke before,” Ber said on her first set at the MPR stage, at the great get-together, the Minnesota State Fair, on a hot Sunday.

Ber at First Avenue (06 Oct 2022)

Unlike her previous appearances, such as her first show at First Avenue, with Sigrid, in Oct 2022, this Minnesota State Fair show is all acoustic. Not great, as the acoustic music, mostly handled by Brian, does not drown out all the excitement of the spin-the-wheel next door.

We previously mentioned that Ber (originally from Minnesota) moved to London and was ‘discovered’ by Zane Lowe and Travis Mills of Beats 1 and BBC Radio One. When we saw her in 2022, we mentioned that she was working on her debut EP. That EP was called And I’m Still Thinking About That, and since then, she’s released Halfway and Room For You (her latest).

Highlight of her set was her cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The original song was somewhat of a duet, the boy parts sung by Goyte, while the girl part was by Kimbra. The first part of the song, you only hear the perspective of Goyte… it isn’t until Kimbra comes in, do you hear the story from her perspective. It’s really a sad and emotional song, and was faithfully covered by Ber… except she sings both parts.

We also got the secret story behind “Your Internet Sucks”, which I’ve always thought was about a British boy that she dated for a year. She tells us one time she was making homemade potato gnocchi for his visit. She said it would take a good three hours to get it ready, and he showed up after driving an hour. He wanted to rest, so she left him alone for a few hours. When she finally came to get him, the whole time he was playing Fortnite on his iPad. Anyway, the song wishes that he has all the inconvenience of life… including the curse of bad internet. That’s cold, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

She ended her set with “Whatever Forever”, with Eric on tambourine.

Of course, this was the great Minnesota State Fair, one of the largest, if not the largest?, in the country, and draws in thousands of Minnesotans. There are plenty of entertainment, fun for the whole family!

If music isn’t your cup of tea, there are corn art, live farm animals, all the food-on-a-stick that you can afford to eat, etc. We saw the Timberworks Lumberjack Show at North Woods Stage, and nearby caught The Chipper Experience, a bit of comedy and magic, at the Family Fair Stage. We previously saw the amazing yo-yo skills of Mark Hayward at the same stage. He jokingly called one of his yo-yo “skullcrusher”, as he demonstrated the “deadly” eye of the hurricane trick to a mother and her daughter.

Dan Patch Park & Stage celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a variety of guests like the Aztec Dance Group and Buffalo Weavers. Over at MPR, they also had Social Dance with Native News, doing demonstrating and teaching a two-step traditional dance to the audience.

Of course, we were there for the music. The biggest free stage is the Leinie Lodge Bandshell Stage, who brought in Rochester, New York’s McKinley James, a 22 year old bluesman.

Kazual was a vocals/a cappella-esque family band of three brothers and a cousin, from Atlanta, Georgia. They mostly covered songs, such as the Temptations, DeBarge, and Justin Timberlake.

Tennessee’s The Dryes (Derek and Katelyn) are big Dolly Parton fans, with their single “Dolly Would”. They also covered “9 to 5” with “Island in the Stream”.

The second-best free stage is the Shell’s Stage at Schilling (in the West End Market). We like the stage, but it’s located all the way west and we didn’t make it out that way much (since most of the smaller stages are located in the center). We only caught High & Rising, a “groovy grass” band from Wisconsin.

Adam Daniel at Minnesota State Fair (06 Sep 2021)

Adam Daniel was officially listed at The Hangar, but he managed to sneak in Nici Peper, from Wisconsin, and her first time at the Fair. We previously mentioned Peper opened for Erik Koskinen in Feb 2020. We previously saw Daniel in Sep 2021.

Some restaurants’ events aren’t officially listed on the official MN State Fair’s website, but they would also bring in musicians. We kind of found out Wayne and the Boys was playing at Giggles’ Campfire Grill or that Shane Martin was playing at RC's BBQ. O’Gara mostly brough in Irish entertainment, such as Traditional Irish Piper. Cafe Caribe brought in Chris Lawrence Band, while French Créperie brought in Steve Johnson. International Bazaar Stage always has world music, we saw Pan Dimensions. The Department of Natural Resource brought in Red Rock Swing Band who played every hour or so.

Those are just some of the random bands we saw. Some were by accident; some we intentionally went to their show to check them out. There’s never a dull moment. It is a bit exhausting, walking all of the place… but where else can you get this kind of experience?

01 / 20

Lindsey Stirling at Armory (24 Aug 2024)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 10:48 PM in Ber, Erik Koskinen, Gotye, iPad, Irish, Kimbra, Minneapolis, Minnesota State Fair, Nici Peper | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/12/2024

Hozier at Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS (2024-08-09)

Hozier 2024-08-09 Bonner Spgs Azura Amph

Hozier 2024-08-09 Bonner Spgs Azura Amph Poster

HOZIER SETLIST

De Selby (Part 1)
De Selby (Part 2)
Jackie and Wilson
From Eden
Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene
Dinner & Diatribes
Francesca
It Will Come Back
Like Real People Do
I, Carrion (Icarian)
Abstract (Psychopomp)
Would That I
Too Sweet
Almost (Sweet Music) (with band introductions)
Eat Your Young
Movement
Take Me to Church

Encore:
Cherry Wine (acoustic from B Stage)
Unknown/Nth (band joins, from B Stage)
Nina Cried Power (w/Melissa McMillan)
Work Song (with Joy Oladokun)

JOY OLADOKUN SETLIST

Taking Things for Granted
Keeping the Light On
Changes
sunday / One of Us (Joan Osborne cover snippet)
Somebody Like Me
Drugs
We’re All Gonna Die
look up

HOZIER TOUR DATES

AUG 10 BOK Center Tulsa, OK
AUG 13 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Maryland Heights, MO
AUG 14 Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE
AUG 16 Breese Stevens Field Madison, WI
AUG 17 Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul, MN
AUG 20 Canada Life Centre Winnipeg, Canada
AUG 21 Sasktel Centre Saskatoon, Canada
AUG 23 Scotiabank Saddledome Calgary, Canada
AUG 24 Rogers Place Edmonton, Canada
AUG 27 First Interstate Arena Billings, MT
AUG 28 Ford Wyoming Center Casper, WY
AUG 30 Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre Greenwood Village, CO
AUG 31 First Credit Union Amphitheatre West Valley City, UT
SEP 3 Ford Idaho Center Arena Nampa, ID
SEP 4 Hayden Homes Amphitheater Bend, OR
SEP 6 Gorge Amphitheatre Quincy, WA
SEP 7 RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater Ridgefield, WA
SEP 9 Golden 1 Center Sacramento, CA
SEP 10 Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View, CA
SEP 13 Tucson Arena Tucson, AZ
SEP 14 North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Chula Vista, CA
SEP 17 Kia Forum Inglewood, CA
SEP 18 Kia Forum Inglewood, CA
SEP 20 Kia Forum Inglewood, CA
SEP 21 iHeartRadio Music Festival Las Vegas, NV
SEP 22 Isleta Amphitheater Albuquerque, NM
SEP 24 Frost Bank Center San Antonio, TX
SEP 25 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion The Woodlands, TX
SEP 26 Paycom Center Oklahoma City, OK
SEP 28 Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival Franklin, TN
SEP 29 All Things Go Columbia, MD
NOV 5 RAC Arena Perth, Australia
NOV 6 RAC Arena Perth, Australia
NOV 8 The Drive North Adelaide, Australia
NOV 10 Torquay Common Torquay, Australia
NOV 12 Sidney Myer Music Bowl Melbourne, Australia
NOV 13 Sidney Myer Music Bowl Melbourne, Australia
NOV 15 Qudos Bank Arena Sydney, Australia
NOV 16 Roche Estate Pokolbin, Australia
NOV 18 Riverstage Brisbane City, Australia
NOV 20 Spark Arena Auckland, New Zealand
NOV 22 Wolfbrook Arena Christchurch, New Zealand
NOV 23 Wolfbrook Arena Christchurch, New Zealand

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Hozier

Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is enjoying a sold-out American tour this Winter. He's touring in support of his eponymous debut self-titled studio album, which hit #1 on the Irish chart and #2 in the US charts. ....

One of the most popular voices from Ireland came to the heartland as folk-rock singer-songwriter Hozier played a long sold-out show in front of 18,000 fans outdoors at Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS, just west of Kansas City.

===

The evening began with the pleasant surprise of a support set from Nashville via Arizona folk/pop/roots singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun, still in support of full-length, Living Proof (out via Verve/Forecast/Republic). (If we read the poster closer, we’d have known that Canadian Allison Russell was only opening the first set of dates of the tour).

We’d seen the singer headline last year at The Truman in Kansas City so were familiar, and the thirty-five-minute performance began with Oladokun demurely introducing herself and the band by saying, “Hi, I’m Joy. These are my friends- they’re very weird and we’re going to play some songs together” before launching into “Taking Things for Granted”, a song we knew from previous, was about a childhood birthday experience.

Like previous, Oladokun re-enforced how any change does not wear well- even the little things apparently as the name change of the HBO Max streaming service to simply “Max”, was enough to disgruntle the singer, prefacing the fact before the song, “Changes”.

Neil Young was a musical inspiration for “sunday”, a song which was combined with a verse or two from Joan Osborne’s modern classic, “One of Us” and the Weezer-influenced “We’re All Gonna Die” usually finishes the set, but they wisely changed things up to finish with the message of positivity in “look up”- reminding the audience to value the smallest beautiful things in life, and that you, and your loved ones all matter in this world.

====

The third and latest album from Newcastle, Ireland folk rock singer-songwriter Hozier (aka Andrew Hozier-Byrne) is titled Unreal Unearth (via Rubyworks/Island/Columbia) and unreal has to be the perfect word for the singer’s return to the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist after debuting with hit single, “Take Me to Church” more than a decade ago.

The recent album has topped the charts in the US, UK and his native Ireland among other places, and current single “Too Sweet” is everywhere- crossing formats and on the radio constantly at the moment.

We caught him last in 2019, pre-pandemic and selling out the 2181 capacity State Theatre in Minneapolis. Flash-forward a few years, and he’s playing in venues that hold six times that size (like this one) and is still selling them out – unreal!

The spanning two-hour set began as the new record does, with “De Selby (Parts 1 and 2)”, an ethereal set of tracks inspired by a character in a Flann O’Brien novel that explores darkness as a connection, and ended with Hozier singing in his native Irish, as a canopy of projected evening stars surrounded he and his eight-piece band.

The projections behind the stage were massive and mostly composed of scenes and elements found in nature, while Hozier himself seems to have barely aged in the last decade, staying the same- tall height, similar hairstyle, and with the same wardrobe of a plain jean jacket and pants.

The rabid crowd got a taste of new music with the anti-war song, “Nobody’s Soldier” from the upcoming “Unaired” EP (out this week) which reveals three songs mostly inspired by the poet Dante’s “Inferno” that were written for the full-length but didn’t make it. They're described as “"songs that might have made it to the circles of gluttony, limbo, violence, and the outward 'ascent' respectively” according to the artist.

He’d take time to marvel at the size of the crowd, which stretched all the way up the hill on the grass, also reading the high-held sign of someone concussed but still attending and gave a shout-out to someone’s dad. He was proud enough of his sharp band to introduce them twice; once following hit “Almost (Sweet Music)” from sophomore album Wasteland, Baby! and again during the encore.

Mega radio hit, “Too Sweet” from the addendum Unheard EP was unceremoniously slipped into the setlist about two-thirds through, with Hozier casually thanking everyone for his first Number One in seven countries, including the US. Call it the Irish humble brag, as almost every other artist would play their biggest song last and extend it into something three-times its original length, for no good reason.

The new album’s lead single, “Eat Your Young” found many in the crowd trying to mimic the falsetto vocal on the track and 2019 single, “Movement” had all 18,000 clapping along to the beat which continued as the main set would end with his 2013 breakout single, “Take Me to Church.”

One of the earliest songs he wrote, “Cherry Wine” began the encore as the 6’6” singer emerged to play it acoustically from a platform at the mixing board, situated halfway up the venue’s hill. He stayed put and switched back to electric for “Unknown/Nth” from the new record, as the band gradually returned to their positions to help finish the song with volume.

A prefacing speech to the social anthem “Nina Cried Power” (originally a collab with Mavis Staples) had the artist speaking out strongly about social, political, and global issues; mostly encouraging peace, tolerance, the need for protest, and why we’re all much more similar, than different. In Staples’ place, touring singer Melissa McMillan completely tore the house down vocally.

2014’s “Work Song” would end the evening, with the singer ever appreciative to his band, crew, local staff, and support act, and he brought Joy Oladokun back out to help sing the song about a hard life and imperfect love that in the end, redeems all.

“When you move, I’m moved” Hozier sang on his 2019 single, “Movement” and the same could be said for the sold-out 18,000 in attendance that shrieked, cheered, and swooned with his every verse and gesture. If his crowd keeps multiplying exponentially as it has, we could very well be seeing him in stadiums next time.

(All Photos by BRANDON CLASEN Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

HOZIER at Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs KS (2024-08-09)

HOZIER at Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs KS (2024-08-09)

HOZIER at Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs KS (2024-08-09)

JOY OLADOKUN at Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs KS (2024-08-09)

JohnC ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Posted at 02:35 PM in Bonner Springs, Brandon Clasen, Hozier, Irish, John, Joy Oladokun, Kansas City, Review | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tags: 2024 Tour, Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, Brandon Clasen, concert photography, concert review, Hozier, Joy Oladokun, Kansas City, KC, Sandstone, Take Me to Church, Too Sweet song, Unreal Unearth

03/14/2024

R.I.P. Karl Wallinger (World Party, The Waterboys)

Karl Wallinger photo courtesy USA Today

(Read more Musicians who died in 2024)

R.I.P. Karl Wallinger

Welsh musician Karl Wallinger, the multi-instrumentalist and force behind the band World Party and also known as a mid-80’s member of Irish band The Waterboys, has passed away at the age of 66.

His publicist revealed that Wallinger passed on Sunday, March 10, with no cause of death announced, but it was not publicly revealed until day’s later.

The Waterboys and Mike Scott paid tribute on their website, saying, “Karl was an integral part of The Waterboys from 1983 to the end of 1985, and was one of the original touring line-up. He made many powerful contributions to the band during his membership, many of which are included and described in the recent 1985 box set and book.” Scott would also note on X / Twitter that Wallinger was “one of the finest musicians I’ve ever known” and to “Travel on well my old friend.”

Wallinger was born on 19 October 1957, in Prestatyn, Wales, interested in music early and particularly intrigued by the music of The Beatles. He trained classically on the piano from age nine, with his musicianship winning him a music scholarship to Charterhouse in Surrey.

Following school, he became the keyboard player for a group named Pax, then co-formed Quasimodo with two members who would eventually form The Alarm with Mike Peters.

Wallinger would move to London, becoming the musical director of The Rocky Horror Show and would answer a "guitarist wanted" ad to join The Waterboys, convincing Scott the band needed a keyboard player more, but was able to fill several roles as the band toured their first album and recorded the follow-up, A Pagan Place.

The succeeding album, This is The Sea, would prove a high watermark for The Waterboys, with Wallinger co-writing “Don’t Bang The Drum”, playing the then-unique synth bass on the album, and memorable synthesizers on their biggest hit, “The Whole of the Moon.”

Scott’s level of creative control forced Wallinger to leave the band in 1985, creating his own World Party, which blended Northern Soul and influences from US artists Sly Stone and Prince, Beatles-influenced melodies, and the storytelling of Van Morrison, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan.

In all, the band released five studio albums beginning with 1987’s Private Revolution, a live record and a couple compilations.

Darlings of college and alternative radio, single “Ship of Fools” reached No. 5 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart in the U.S. in 1987 and “Way Down Now,” went to No. 1 on the Billboard alternative chart in the U.S. in 1990. “Is it Like Today” was their biggest U.K. hit, reaching No. 19 in 1993 and his song “She’s the One” became a 1999 No. 1 single for singer Robbie Williams.

In February 2001, Wallinger was discovered to have a brain aneurysm, which required major surgeries and years learning how to speak again and play instruments, amazingly returning to touring five years later, though never releasing another new album. Those royalties from “She’s The One” turned out to be well-timed, helping greatly with Wallinger’s medical and rehabilitation bills, during his years-long recovery.

Wallinger passed away at his home in Hastings, along England’s south coast and is survived by wife Suzie, son Louis, daughter Nancy, and two grandchildren.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Posted at 11:58 PM in Irish, John, Musicians Who Died, News, RIP, The Waterboys, World Party | Permalink | Comments (0)

12/11/2023

Minneapolis: January 15 to January 19, 2024

01/15 The Cactus Blossoms at Turf Club

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The Cactus Blossoms

Ahead of their 2022 tour for their new album One Day For February 11, Minneapolis duo The Cactus Blossoms (brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum) will be playing a residency at the Turf Club, every Monday. …

12/06/2023

Neeson 2023

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Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson plays a hitman with a heart of gold in Memory. The hitman, suffering from early stages of Alzheimer, decides to make things right after declining a contract to kill a young girl. The 2022 film is based the Belgian film The Alzheimer Case. ....

In the Land of Saints and Sinners
imdb.com

Where we last saw actor Liam Neeson, it was for the “hitman with a heart of gold” movie Memory in 2022 - a remake of The Alzheimer Case. I mentioned for an actor in his 70s he was still very believable as an action star.

Neeson is at it again, and this time, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, is one of the best films I’ve seen from Neeson in a while. This is the second film that teams Neeson up with director Robert Lorenz… and I think they have a winner formula, because I did actually enjoy their film The Marksman.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is basically a revenge film. The film takes place in Ireland, in the mid-70s. Neeson is a retired hitman who does “one last job” and now finds himself in a cat-and-mouse game of the Irish terrorists, seeking revenge.

I think where the film really shine is with its supporting cast, including the dumb, but young hitman played by Jack Gleeson, the bartender Sinead (Sarah Greene), and the Star Trek star Colm Meaney as the handler.

Some critics might find the action/revenge film a tired cliché, but I like it and I like seeing Neeson in these roles.

Neeson’s next film is called Thug, about an aging gangster. Personally speaking, I wouldn’t mind it if Neeson revise his role as the detective in A Walk Among the Tombstones… but since that film didn’t do well in the theaters, they probably won’t revisit the character.

Retribution
imdb.com

Liam Neeson’s other 2023 film is the action thriller Retribution, which came out in August 2023 from Lionsgate with little fanfare. That’s probably because this film isn’t that great.

There is a twist in the story, but I already guessed the correct ending by this point… and I didn’t even see the original Spanish film El desconocido, which this film was based on.

The plot is about Neeson as a financier. His car is rigged with explosive that if he tries to get out of the car, that it will explode. It’s not a believable story, but you go with it, because it’s Neeson in the lead and he’s captivating to watch. Unfortunately, since he’s trapped in the car, there’s not much action that he can do.

Like I said, this is not a good film. The police are horrible at their job (equally bad acting). It is just a standard action film, the Guadian best summed it up, saying: “Liam Neeson is on autopilot in car-bomb movie.”

In the end, would I recommend this film? Probably not, but if you like Speed and looking for a new action film, check it out. You may want to also add Non-Stop and The Commuter to your watchlist, as they’re from the same people.

11/30/2023

R.I.P. Shane MacGowan (The Pogues)

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The Pogues

Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues - Miss Otis Regrets/Just One of Those Things Red Hot + Blue was one of the first CDs I've ever own. This was an AIDS-benefit CD which sold over 1 million records ...

I’m sadden to hear that The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan has died.

Although Sky News said that The Pogues are best known for their song “Fairytale Of New York” with Kirsty MacColl, that wasn’t the song that I first found the Pogues.

It was still with Kirsty MacColl, but it was for Cole Porter’s “Miss Otis Regrets”, medley with “Just One of Those Things”, for AIDS benefit album Red Hot and Blue in 1990. The two songs were reworked to seamlessly mix together with a touch of Irish fiddles and traditional instruments.

If you haven’t heard their rendition, MacColl starts the song with a nonchalant excuse of why Miss Otis couldn’t make it to lunch. It’s slow and it’s sweet and it takes its time to tell the story of how Miss Otis shot her lover and was lynched by a mob. As the song drifts out, suddenly the music picks up, and in walks a young Shane MacGowan singing, “It was just one of those things, one of those crazy things”.

MacGowan was 33 the time, but the man looks like he was in his late 50s. And his rough voice sounded like it had lived a lifetime. It was such a contrast to MacColl’s beautiful vocals, and that’s why the medley works so well.

I mentioned earlier that I was sadden… but if you know MacGowan, he would’ve preferred if we celebrate his music. With that, I leave you with “Streams of Whiskey”.

There's nothing ever gained
By a wet thing called a tear
When the world is too dark
And I need the light inside of me
I'll walk into a bar and drink fifteen pints of beer

I am going, I am going
Any which way the wind may be blowing
I am going, I am going
Where streams of whiskey are flowing.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 07:59 AM in Cole Porter, Irish, Kirsty MacColl, Musicians Who Died, News, RIP, The Pogues | Permalink | Comments (0)

11/09/2023

Loreena McKennitt at The State Theatre (11-08-23)

11/08 Loreena McKennitt at State Theatre

Loreena McKennitt Setlist

-- Set I --

Samain Night
A Hundred Wishes
Ages Past, Ages Hence
On a Bright May Morning
Manx Ayre
The Mummer's Dance
Stolen Child
Lost Souls
The Bonny Swans
Never-ending Road (Amhrán Duit)

-- Set II --

The Visit
All Souls Night
Bonny Portmore
Between the Shadows
The Lady of Shalott
Greensleeves
Tango to Evora
Courtyard Lullaby
The Old Ways
Cymbeline

-- Encore --

Dante's Prayer
Wild Mountain Thyme

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Loreena McKennitt

Canada’s foremost groundbreaking independent artist, Grammy nominated Loreena McKennitt will be stopping by the State Theatre in Minneapolis this Wednesday, October 19th. …

As I sat in my seat and waited for the auditorium lights to turn down, I looked at the low-lit stage and kept wondering, “Are those real candles?”

Five candelabras containing 35 candles, each with its own character, some flickering, some dancing, while others pulsed. I don’t know why I needed to know their veracity. It just seemed with the expanding technology of stage lighting, is a light source from the middle ages still needed?

Loreena McKennitt is back on tour after an eight-year hiatus. The reason for the tour is to celebrate the thirty year anniversary of her Juno-winning album, The Visit. Actually it’s going on 32 years now due to COVID. She wrapped up her American portion of her tour in Minneapolis, then concerts in her home country of Canada before the European leg next year.

Since 1985 McKennitt has released ten studio albums and has sold over fourteen million copies. Her music has been described as Celtic World Music. And based on the bio she told the crowd, she can best be described as a musical archeologist who has looked for the threads of Celtic traditions throughout the world with visits to Portugal, Germany, Tuscany, Turkey, Siberia, Mongolia and the beginning of the Silk Road in China.

Like the glowing candles behind her, McKennitt had a warm, inviting stage presence.

“Come on in,” she started off the evening. “The water's fine.” And she proceeded to share funny stories about buying a skull from a hustler at Shannon’s Airport and being saved from arrest while illegally busking in London. (The police officer decided to nab the exhibitionist in the nearby bushes instead.)

In between the stories and thoughts on industrialism and smartphones in the classrooms, McKennitt played from her cannon with songs like “Stolen Child,” “The Mummer’s Dance” and traditional Irish folk tunes from her upcoming album The Road Back Home.

Mckennitt was backed by a four-person band. Caroline Lavelle provided backup vocals while playing the cello, recorder and accordion. Dudley Phillips was provided moments to lead on bass. And Brian Hughes on an array of guitars and Hugh Marsh on violin provided an early highlight with a duel of one-upmanship that was rewarded with the biggest response from the crowd.

Throughout the night McKennitt switched from piano to a Troubadour Harp, a musical instrument smaller than the classical pedal harp. The reason she decided on the smaller instrument was due to her mode of transportation at the time: a Honda Civic.

After a brief intermission, McKennitt returned to play The Visit in order and in its entirety. It was the highlight of the evening for the audience was well versed, McKennitt and her band were well seasoned as they played the stirring “All Souls Night,” the traditional “Bonny Portmore” and “Greensleeves” with a tinge of Spanish guitar.

Then there was McKennitt’s voice. The best description I can find is comforting, the kind of voice you would want to hear on a cold, dark night with candles flickering.

Loreena McKennitt at State Theatre, Minneapolis (08 Nov 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 06:53 PM in Dave, Irish, Loreena McKennitt, Minneapolis, State Theater, State Theatre | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/21/2023

The Mary Wallopers at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall (10-20-23)

10/20 The Mary Wallopers with Sam Shackleton at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Tour Dates

10/21 - Chicago, IL @ Martyrs
10/24 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore
10/25 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
10/27 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
10/30 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/31 - San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room at HOB
11/09 - Bristol , UK @ Trinity
11/10 - London, UK @ Forum Kentish Town
11/11 - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
11/12 - Cardiff, WL @ Tramshed
11/15 - Folkestone, UK @ Quarterhouse
11/16 - Oxford, UK @ The Bullingdon
11/17 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK
11/18 - Liverpool, UK @ Academy Liverpool
11/19 - Norwich, UK @ Epic Studios
11/22 - Exeter, UK @ Phoenix
11/23 - Wolverhampton, UK @ Wulfrun
11/24 - Northampton, UK @ Roadmender
11/25 - Sheffield, UK @ The Leadmill
12/13 - Edinburgh, UK @ The Liquid Room
12/14 - Dundee, SC @ Fat Sams
12/15 - Aberdeen, SC @ Lemon Tree
12/16 - Glasgow, SC @ Barrowland Ballroom

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Mary Wallopers

Ireland’s The Mary Wallopers is headlining the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, in St Paul, in support of their new album Irish Rock ’n’ Roll. The band is described as traditional as the Pogues, but still maintaining their punk roots ...

St. Paul was treated to the sounds of traditional Gaelic music from Ireland and Scotland, but everything about the show was not stereotypical. First of all, the venue, Amsterdam Bar & Hall, not a pub or even the right city. Then there were the musicians, not old and craggy, smelling like the sea with sprawling beards. No these lads were young, spry and mostly clean shaven.

Sam Shackelton opened the evening with a pint in hand before picking up the guitar. He is from Scotland, born in Stirling, just north of Glasgow if you go north on M80. He earned a master’s degree at the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh with an emphasis on folk music.

Being a one-man act, Shackleton recorded his debut album, Causeway Recordings, in his Edinburgh flat in 2022 and is touring the United States for the first time. He opened up his set with “Rattlin’ Roarin’ Willie” a traditional Scottish folk tune about a man who sold his fiddle for alcohol.

After a few songs on guitar, Shackleton switched to banjo. He then asked for permission to play it for he has found that some do not like the instrument. He said audiences in the Netherlands don’t like it at all, which was pretty funny considering the venue he was in.

Shackleton had an engaged and lively audience that kept shouting requests, but he was limited in time and said he wanted to play his songs, to which someone in the audience replied, “That’s fair.”

“I'm glad we could come to an agreement,” Shackleton laughed before finishing his set with two originals: “Scottish Cowboy” and “Rattlin’ Train”.

If you are looking for an authentic Irish folk music experience but have no plans to visit the Emerald Isle, go see The Mary Wallopers. They are a trio of brother’s Charles and Andrew Hendy and Sean Mckenna. For their first United States tour they filled out their group with Roisin Barret on bass, Brendan McInerny on drums and Fin O’Connor on tin whistle and bagpipes.

Like any good Irish folk band these lads know how to have fun. There was the rollicking “Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice.” and “The Blarney Stone.” They updated the traditional “Rothsea-O” with sidebars that mostly involved Charles slamming Sean for being a border-line criminal: “Sean McKenna is a dirty lout” and the joys of staying in a flea-infested motels.

The Mary Wallopers are based out of Dundalk, Ireland, just north of Dublin on the Irish Sea. They started mostly playing in pubs for the social aspect, to learn their craft and to score a few pints. When the pandemic hit they turned a room in an old farmhouse into a makeshift pub and continued to play and drink and interact with an audience that grew to forty thousand. It was that exposure that allowed them to take their act on the road to support their latest album, Irish Rock n’ Roll. Still, their set still had the feel of being in a pub as the trio took turns to sing solo much like Shackleton while the other members grabbed a pint.

Sean sang an original called “The Idler.” Charles sang about endless work-related accidents befalling the Irish in “Building Up and Tearing England Down.” And Andrew sang about the Catholic Church’s role in taking babies from unwed mothers and selling them.

Forgive me, but I didn’t catch the name of the song, but the lyrics and Andrew’s voice had a piercing poignancy that achieved what this band and all Irish folk bands before strive to do more than anything else. Speak truth to power.