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The Philadelphia Ceili Group’s Singers’ Session Welcomes Their Donegal Guests

The McGill Family Singers

The McGill Family Singers

The Singer’s Session hosted by the Philadelphia Ceili Group the first Wednesday of every month generally has a featured singer, but this month’s guests were a little bit extra special; they came all the way from Ardara, County Donegal, to do the honors.

Bernie McGill and daughters Mairead and Aine were in Boston last week where Aine competed in the World Irish Dancing Championships. But a trip to the States wouldn’t be complete without a stop in Philadelphia to visit the McGill cousins, and since they all share a love of music, an appearance at the Singers’ Session was a natural way to cap off the week.

And they brought the crowds with them. Terry Kane, who runs the session, noted, “This is the first time we’ve had more than 30 people here.”

But probably not the last. Although the Singers’ Session takes the summers off, there are two more to go this spring:  May 1st and June 5th. May’s featured singer isn’t set yet, but Karen Boyce McCollum is scheduled for June, and that’s another evening of singing not to be missed.

So if you have a love for singing Irish songs (in English or in Irish), come on out to the Irish Center in Mt. Airy. All levels of singers are welcome. You can find more information on the Philadelphia Ceili Group website.

And to listen to a few songs from Bernie, Mairead and Aine McGill, with a little help from their Philadelphia relatives and friends, check out our videos:  “There Were Roses” and “Gleanntain Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair.”

April 5, 2013 by
Music

The CD the Audience Demanded

The John Byrne Band Celtic Folk, available now.

The John Byrne Band Celtic Folk, available now.

Last year, the Philadelphia-based John Byrne Band toured more than 18 states, hitting venues large and small with a mix of original tunes (from their first CD, After the Wake), throwing in “two or three Irish songs,” says Dublin-born Byrne.

“Then invariably at the merch table, people were looking for the Irish songs,” recalls the singer-songwriter. “The only thing we had were some old Patrick’s Head [Byrne’s previous band] which isn’t what we’re doing now.”

When the band—including Andy Keenan (who also tours with Amos Lee), Maura Dwyer and Rob Shaffer—returned home from their Midwest adventures, they started talking about doing an Irish album.

What they put together at Turtle Studio in Philadelphia isn’t exactly an Irish album. In fact, it’s exactly what the photo on the cover says it is. The photo shows a handmade sign on a country road  just outside Lincoln Nebraska, where the band played in an old barn. It reads, in white paint: “John Byrne Band, Celtic/Folk, Tonight 7 PM.”

Packed with traditional songs arranged by the band, honed on stages throughout the US, it includes familiar Irish standards such as “Follow Me Up to Carlow,” “The Parting Glass,”  “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy,” and “The Irish Rover,” as well as roots-style music including the poignant and arresting “The Lakes of Ponchartrain” (rewind alert!) , the ballad of an Irish immigrant smitten by a Creole girl made popular by Planxty, and “The Ballad of The Old Black Pearl,” written by American Jim McGrath (while on a ship by the same name in the mid-Atlantic).

“Andy heard a bunch of guys [The Reprobates] on Block Island singing [McGrath’s song], he bought their CD and learned the song,” says Byrne.

Before going into the studio, each band member made a list of the songs he or she loved. “And the lists turned out to be very similar,” says Byrne. “Some are straight-up barn-burners, pub songs, and some are the really delicate songs that we like to do best, like The Lakes of Ponchartrain.

When I asked Byrne which was his favorite, he paused. Turns out that’s as tough a question to answer as “Which of your kids do you like best?”

“I’m in love with all of them,” he confesses, laughing. “When you’re making the album you’re listening to the songs over and over, and you just have to stop. When I picked up the CDs and stuck one in the CD player in the van, I was really happy.”

As you may be. You can purchase Celtic Folk online at CDBaby and on Amazon or at one of the band’s gigs. They’re at Rosie O’Grady’s, 800 7th Avenue, New York, on Saturday, March 30, and Byrne and his bandmates do the Fergie’s Ballad Session on Sundays (next one, April 7) at Fergie’s Pub, 12th and Sansom in Philadelphia. The band will also be opening for Tempest at the Sellersville Theatre on Saturday April 13.

March 29, 2013 by
Music

The CD the Audience Demanded

The John Byrne Band Celtic Folk, available now.

The John Byrne Band Celtic Folk, available now.

Last year, the Philadelphia-based John Byrne Band toured more than 18 states, hitting venues large and small with a mix of original tunes (from their first CD, After the Wake), throwing in “two or three Irish songs,” says Dublin-born Byrne.

“Then invariably at the merch table, people were looking for the Irish songs,” recalls the singer-songwriter. “The only thing we had were some old Patrick’s Head [Byrne’s previous band] which isn’t what we’re doing now.”

When the band—including Andy Keenan (who also tours with Amos Lee), Maura Dwyer and Rob Shaffer—returned home from their Midwest adventures, they started talking about doing an Irish album.

What they put together at Turtle Studio in Philadelphia isn’t exactly an Irish album. In fact, it’s exactly what the photo on the cover says it is. The photo shows a handmade sign on a country road  just outside Lincoln Nebraska, where the band played in an old barn. It reads, in white paint: “John Byrne Band, Celtic/Folk, Tonight 7 PM.”

Packed with traditional songs arranged by the band, honed on stages throughout the US, it includes familiar Irish standards such as “Follow Me Up to Carlow,” “The Parting Glass,”  “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy,” and “The Irish Rover,” as well as roots-style music including the poignant and arresting “The Lakes of Ponchartrain” (rewind alert!) , the ballad of an Irish immigrant smitten by a Creole girl made popular by Planxty, and “The Ballad of The Old Black Pearl,” written by American Jim McGrath (while on a ship by the same name in the mid-Atlantic).

“Andy heard a bunch of guys [The Reprobates] on Block Island singing [McGrath’s song], he bought their CD and learned the song,” says Byrne.

Before going into the studio, each band member made a list of the songs he or she loved. “And the lists turned out to be very similar,” says Byrne. “Some are straight-up barn-burners, pub songs, and some are the really delicate songs that we like to do best, like The Lakes of Ponchartrain.

When I asked Byrne which was his favorite, he paused. Turns out that’s as tough a question to answer as “Which of your kids do you like best?”

“I’m in love with all of them,” he confesses, laughing. “When you’re making the album you’re listening to the songs over and over, and you just have to stop. When I picked up the CDs and stuck one in the CD player in the van, I was really happy.”

As you may be. You can purchase Celtic Folk online at CDBaby and on Amazon or at one of the band’s gigs. They’re at Rosie O’Grady’s, 800 7th Avenue, New York, on Saturday, March 30, and Byrne and his bandmates do the Fergie’s Ballad Session on Sundays (next one, April 7) at Fergie’s Pub, 12th and Sansom in Philadelphia. The band will also be opening for Tempest at the Sellersville Theatre on Saturday April 13.

March 29, 2013 by
Music

Here’s Where to Buy “Ceili Drive”

Tommy Joyner of Milkboy Recording, chatting with uilleann piper Tim Hill.

Tommy Joyner of Milkboy Recording, chatting with uilleann piper Tim Hill.

A funny thing happened on the way to the public sale of our exciting new compilation of Philly Irish music, “Ceili Drive.”

It was a little thing called St. Patrick’s Month, which does tend to distract us a bit, what with all the parties, parades, pub crawls, pomp, and such.

Happily, the craziness is (mostly) behind us now, and we can devote our full attention to introducing “Ceili Drive” to the world. And by “the world,” we mean you.

We created “Ceili Drive” for a couple of reasons:

  • The first and most important: Philadelphia is a total hotbed of great Irish music. A lot of people know that, but trust us, it’s a revelation to some people. So we really wanted to shine a spotlight on some superb local talent—which was hard because there’s so much talent, and we couldn’t possibly capture it all. To do that might take 10 or 20 CDs. Alas, we had bucks for just one.
  • The second and more pragmatic reason: To fill our coffers with filthy lucre. A lot of you already know this—except for the occasional heckler who seems to think we have a staff of 100 and a budget to match—but it’s we happy few cranking out irishphiladelphia.com. We pull in a bit of ad revenue, for which we are deeply grateful, but trust us when we say that no one on the staff of this international media conglomerate is about to retire to the south of France. Not even to the south of Upper Darby. So we hope “Ceili Drive” will help us meet some of our expenses, and set us up with a bit of “mad money” to help make irishphiladelphia.com better. And reimburse us for gas and parking. Luxuries and frivolities like that.

So get ready to exercise your clicker finger because we’re about to direct you to our secure online store. You’ll see all the track listings there.

And even though we’ve said this before, we really can’t say it enough. We owe a lot of you a deep debt of gratitude. So thank you, and thank you yet again. You know who you are.

March 22, 2013 by
Music

Here’s Where to Buy “Ceili Drive”

Tommy Joyner of Milkboy Recording, chatting with uilleann piper Tim Hill.

Tommy Joyner of Milkboy Recording, chatting with uilleann piper Tim Hill.

A funny thing happened on the way to the public sale of our exciting new compilation of Philly Irish music, “Ceili Drive.”

It was a little thing called St. Patrick’s Month, which does tend to distract us a bit, what with all the parties, parades, pub crawls, pomp, and such.

Happily, the craziness is (mostly) behind us now, and we can devote our full attention to introducing “Ceili Drive” to the world. And by “the world,” we mean you.

We created “Ceili Drive” for a couple of reasons:

  • The first and most important: Philadelphia is a total hotbed of great Irish music. A lot of people know that, but trust us, it’s a revelation to some people. So we really wanted to shine a spotlight on some superb local talent—which was hard because there’s so much talent, and we couldn’t possibly capture it all. To do that might take 10 or 20 CDs. Alas, we had bucks for just one.
  • The second and more pragmatic reason: To fill our coffers with filthy lucre. A lot of you already know this—except for the occasional heckler who seems to think we have a staff of 100 and a budget to match—but it’s we happy few cranking out irishphiladelphia.com. We pull in a bit of ad revenue, for which we are deeply grateful, but trust us when we say that no one on the staff of this international media conglomerate is about to retire to the south of France. Not even to the south of Upper Darby. So we hope “Ceili Drive” will help us meet some of our expenses, and set us up with a bit of “mad money” to help make irishphiladelphia.com better. And reimburse us for gas and parking. Luxuries and frivolities like that.

So get ready to exercise your clicker finger because we’re about to direct you to our secure online store. You’ll see all the track listings there.

And even though we’ve said this before, we really can’t say it enough. We owe a lot of you a deep debt of gratitude. So thank you, and thank you yet again. You know who you are.

March 22, 2013 by
Music

Mary Courtney: Morning, Noon & Night Star

Mary Courtney, John Redmond and Donie Ryan of the band Morning Star

Mary Courtney, John Redmond and Donie Ryan of the band Morning Star

Every once in a while, a live musical experience exceeds even the highest expectations and leaves its audience in a state of permanent thrall…when you walk out still mouthing the word “Wow.” The performance by Mary Courtney & Morning Star did just that when they played for the Philadelphia Ceili Group at the Irish Center in Mt. Airy on March 9th.

All three—singer and guitar player Mary Courtney, button accordionist John Redmond and tenor banjo player Donie Ryan—are well-known and highly regarded musicians in their home base of New York, but it’s long past time that they became household names to music lovers everywhere.

Though they’re residents of the Bronx these days, their Irish roots are strong and proudly displayed, with Mary hailing from Castlegregory in County Kerry, John from Ballindaggin (it means “townland of the stronghold”) in County Wexford and Donie from Lorrha, County Tipperary. Together they’re a force of talent, accomplishment and musical knowledge that is showcased by the tunes they play, and illuminated by the heavenly voice of Mary Courtney when she sings.

The group Morning Star was originally formed in 1982, by Mary, Margie Mulvihill and Carmel Johnston (who was Carmel Glendon then). Other than a hiatus of a few years in the mid 80’s, the band has been together in one formation or another ever since: “This line-up, we’ve been solid now for 6 years, 7 years,” Mary explained. “And we all freelance as well.”

Among Mary’s own freelance gigs was her time with the group Black 47, the highly regarded Celtic rock band who paved the way for today’s groups like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. She sings on their albums “Fire of Freedom” and “New York Town,” and keeps in contact with founding member Larry Kirwan. “I’m still in touch with him. We did the Sandy Seisiun benefit in the Bronx last month to raise money for the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.”

Performing for charity events is part and parcel for the band. Immediately after their Philadelphia performance, the group was heading to Pittsburgh to play for “Row On for Brendan” at Central Catholic High School, an annual event that honors the memory of Brendan Foley, a student who passed away in 1996 at age 15. Bruce Foley, Brendan’s father, is an Irish musician, and over the years the fundraiser has raised almost $300,000 for the school’s rowing team.

The long ride ahead of them didn’t daunt Mary, and the comfort and graciousness displayed by the band onstage was just as notable after the show. “It’s wonderful to get a new audience. We got such a great welcome here in Philly…such a warm, wonderful welcome,” she said, smiling. “I’m lucky. I’m very blessed to be able to play, and to have John and Donie. And to have Beth Higgins, my partner of 11 years in my life. She’s the love of my life. I’m the luckiest person alive. I was an illegal for 10 years, and in the early 90’s I won a [Bruce] Morrison visa, now I’m a citizen of the United States. I’m very blessed.”

It’s obvious to anyone who spends a minute in Mary’s company that this is the absolute truth.

The band has a new CD out, “Mary Courtney & Morning Star ~ Live From the 33rd County,” which is available at CD Baby and Amazon. For more information, check out Mary’s website.

And here’s a (brief!) list of where you can catch Mary performing in NY:

An Beal Bocht Cafe, in Riverdale, NY. Every Friday night from 6-8, a solo ballad session

Tir Na Nog, at 8th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th, Manhattan. Most Friday nights from 8-11

St. Andrews Restaurant and Bar, on W. 46th Street, between 6th an 7th. Every Saturday night from 9-1, with Patrick Madden

O’Brien’s Irish Pub, on W. 46th Street, between Avenue Of The Americas & 7th Ave. Every other Sunday from 4-7, with Patrick Madden

Doc Watson’s, on 2nd Avenue. Every other Sunday night (the same Sundays as O’Brien’s)

Finally, if you didn’t catch Morning Star when they were in Philadelphia, here are a few videos so you can see exactly what you missed out on (you won’t do it again!):

The Homes of Donegal

Come By the Hills

If Ever You Were Mine/The Red-Haired Lass/Stone of Destiny

March 22, 2013 by
Music, People

Mary Courtney: Morning, Noon & Night Star

Mary Courtney, John Redmond and Donie Ryan of the band Morning Star

Mary Courtney, John Redmond and Donie Ryan of the band Morning Star

Every once in a while, a live musical experience exceeds even the highest expectations and leaves its audience in a state of permanent thrall…when you walk out still mouthing the word “Wow.” The performance by Mary Courtney & Morning Star did just that when they played for the Philadelphia Ceili Group at the Irish Center in Mt. Airy on March 9th.

All three—singer and guitar player Mary Courtney, button accordionist John Redmond and tenor banjo player Donie Ryan—are well-known and highly regarded musicians in their home base of New York, but it’s long past time that they became household names to music lovers everywhere.

Though they’re residents of the Bronx these days, their Irish roots are strong and proudly displayed, with Mary hailing from Castlegregory in County Kerry, John from Ballindaggin (it means “townland of the stronghold”) in County Wexford and Donie from Lorrha, County Tipperary. Together they’re a force of talent, accomplishment and musical knowledge that is showcased by the tunes they play, and illuminated by the heavenly voice of Mary Courtney when she sings.

The group Morning Star was originally formed in 1982, by Mary, Margie Mulvihill and Carmel Johnston (who was Carmel Glendon then). Other than a hiatus of a few years in the mid 80’s, the band has been together in one formation or another ever since: “This line-up, we’ve been solid now for 6 years, 7 years,” Mary explained. “And we all freelance as well.”

Among Mary’s own freelance gigs was her time with the group Black 47, the highly regarded Celtic rock band who paved the way for today’s groups like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. She sings on their albums “Fire of Freedom” and “New York Town,” and keeps in contact with founding member Larry Kirwan. “I’m still in touch with him. We did the Sandy Seisiun benefit in the Bronx last month to raise money for the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.”

Performing for charity events is part and parcel for the band. Immediately after their Philadelphia performance, the group was heading to Pittsburgh to play for “Row On for Brendan” at Central Catholic High School, an annual event that honors the memory of Brendan Foley, a student who passed away in 1996 at age 15. Bruce Foley, Brendan’s father, is an Irish musician, and over the years the fundraiser has raised almost $300,000 for the school’s rowing team.

The long ride ahead of them didn’t daunt Mary, and the comfort and graciousness displayed by the band onstage was just as notable after the show. “It’s wonderful to get a new audience. We got such a great welcome here in Philly…such a warm, wonderful welcome,” she said, smiling. “I’m lucky. I’m very blessed to be able to play, and to have John and Donie. And to have Beth Higgins, my partner of 11 years in my life. She’s the love of my life. I’m the luckiest person alive. I was an illegal for 10 years, and in the early 90’s I won a [Bruce] Morrison visa, now I’m a citizen of the United States. I’m very blessed.”

It’s obvious to anyone who spends a minute in Mary’s company that this is the absolute truth.

The band has a new CD out, “Mary Courtney & Morning Star ~ Live From the 33rd County,” which is available at CD Baby and Amazon. For more information, check out Mary’s website.

And here’s a (brief!) list of where you can catch Mary performing in NY:

An Beal Bocht Cafe, in Riverdale, NY. Every Friday night from 6-8, a solo ballad session

Tir Na Nog, at 8th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th, Manhattan. Most Friday nights from 8-11

St. Andrews Restaurant and Bar, on W. 46th Street, between 6th an 7th. Every Saturday night from 9-1, with Patrick Madden

O’Brien’s Irish Pub, on W. 46th Street, between Avenue Of The Americas & 7th Ave. Every other Sunday from 4-7, with Patrick Madden

Doc Watson’s, on 2nd Avenue. Every other Sunday night (the same Sundays as O’Brien’s)

Finally, if you didn’t catch Morning Star when they were in Philadelphia, here are a few videos so you can see exactly what you missed out on (you won’t do it again!):

The Homes of Donegal

Come By the Hills

If Ever You Were Mine/The Red-Haired Lass/Stone of Destiny

March 22, 2013 by
Music

The Beginning of the Long Goodbye

George Millar

George Millar

One of their big hits was a Tom Paxton tune, “Wasn’t That a Party?” For the Irish Rovers, it still is. But all good things must come to an end.

Sort of.

The iconic Canadian-Irish band is traversing the United States on what is being billed as “The Beginning of the Long Goodbye Tour.” The Rovers plan to stop touring the United States in 2014. There will be a jaunt to New Zealand after that, and from there a tour of Canada, finally wrapping things up in Toronto in March 2015.

After that, they’ll go no more a-roving. That’ll be it for endless hours on buses and planes, countless nights in hotel rooms of varying levels of quality, and agita-inducing meals on the run.

But that doesn’t mean the end of the Rovers, as front man George Millar explained in a recent call from Chicago. The party is still far from over.

Q. What’s special about 2015?

A. In 2015 the band will be 50 years old. We thought that would be a good time to stop the heavier touring. We’ll still do the odd CD and public appearances, but we figure that’s enough. The day-to-day travel is hard. It’s hard on the back when you’re in a different bed every night for weeks. We were always kept so busy all the time, as we still are, but things changed after September 11th. There are 10 of us traveling at the same time. It takes us hours to get through the airport. We have to arrive at the airport three and a half hours in advance.

As my mother used to say, there’s no rest for the wicked.

We always do the big March tour, which we’re on right now, and then we have summer dates. Sometimes we do a fall tour, and a Christmas tour. But we decided 2014 was going to be our last American tour. We’ll be on that tour next February and March. Then on to New Zealand and Canada, to Toronto. That’s where I started the band. It’s going full circle.

Q. So the touring is taxing. What about performing?

A. The two hours at the end of the day when you’re on stage, you don’t think of those things. (The hassles.) The fans who have supported us all these ears are still coming out. They must be as demented as we are. It’s just happy music. They can tap their feet or clap their hands. It’s just a wee bit harder to get to those two hours.

Q. A lot of bands seem to peak, and they break up. You guys seem to have hit a peak a long time ago, and you’re still on it. How do you account for that?

A. You have to really like each other. Last night was a night off, so we had dinner here in the hotel. We’ve always liked to do things together.

When we first started out in Toronto, we were just playing weekends in folk clubs. We made 25 bucks a week, and we thought, we’ve got it good. It’s just quite a blessing to be able to do what you want in life. If you like what you’re doing, and you get paid for it as well, that’s a blessing. It’s not a real job at all; the fans have let us do this for all these years.

Q. What do you think you’ll miss?

A. It’ll be the stage that I’ll miss. I’m 65 now, soon to be 66. It’s all I’ve done since I’ve been 16. But the band will get together at least once a year to do some things. As tired as we are, everyone still wants to keep a hand in.

Q. Do you think you’ll have regrets?

A. There’s nothing to regret. We’ve all had such a wonderful 50 years. I can’t say enough about the people who came out to see us when they were kids and listening to us singing ‘The Unicorn.” That little unicorn gave us a nice ride for a lot of years.

___

Starting next week, the Irish Rovers will be touring the Delaware Valley, with shows Friday, March 8, at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside; Tuesday, March 12, at the ArtsQuest Centre in Bethlehem; and Wednesday, March 13, at Live on the Queen in Wilmington. You’ll have several opportunities to hear the 1966 hit “The Unicorn” and other Irish Rover standbys. (Alas, it is too far past Christmas for the band’s cover of the obscure Elmo and Patsy tune “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.”)

March 1, 2013 by