Máirtín and Jimmy in the middle.
If there’s a distinguishing musical form in Irish folk tunes, it’s probably this: The ballad.
Of course, there are balladeers, and then there are balladeers. Some are more equal than others.
Enter Máirtín de Cógáin and Jimmy Crowley, two inspired Corkmen who truly know their way around a ballad. Máirtín, a founding member of The Fuchsia Band, is a highly regarded teller of tales; Jimmy has been described as “an icon in Irish music.”
Happily for Philadelphia music audiences, the two of them are together in the form of Captain Mackey’s Goatskin & Stringband. They’ll be appearing Thursday, October 8, at 8 p.m., at the Philadelphia Irish Center, in a concert sponsored by Rambling House Productions.
We chatted with Jimmy recently about the band, its music and what Philly audiences can expect to hear.
Q. How long has Captain Mackey’s been together?
A. “It’s only just been a year. We started the band in the States. We did a couple of major festivals: We did Milwaukee and we did Muskegon, and also Monroe, La., and Jackson, Miss., among others.
Q. Who was Captain Mackey?
A. He was a very mysterious figure. He was an Irish-American Fenian of the 19th century. He belonged to a very early version of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He had connections with Cork. He inspired many a good song. Mackey was a code name for him, a secret name.
Q. The band also takes its name from a Cork folk band from the ‘sixties, Paddy’s Goatskin & Stringband. Why them? How did they inspire you?
A. I heard Paddy’s Goatskin & Stringband, actually, at Captain Mackey’s Folk Club—so you see, Captain Mackey’s always been in my life. They were just an amazing band. They had an amazing span of music. They played Jacobite songs and English working songs and American folks songs. They were very eclectic. I became great friends with those fellows. They had an effect on me. They had a lovely sound.
Q. What kinds of tunes is the Philadelphia Irish Center audience going to hear?
A. What were doing mostly is championing the songs we like. We sometimes think of Irish music as being highjacked by dancers. It’s lovely music, of course. But we play mostly ballads, historic ballads. We don’t do anything you’d recognize. (He laughs.) We do songs that are unique and forgotten. We do a lot of songs about soldiers—the First World War, the Spanish civil war.
Q. You’re known for pushing the envelope, creatively—which is a good thing for an artist. Your band Stokers Lodge is fondly remembered. What inspires you?
A. I just like the element of surprise on every album. I keep doing interesting projects. I think you need to challenge yourself and not follow the code. If you’re going to be a creator, you have to challenge things, you know. We’re not interested in the next trend. We don’t want to be boring.