òran mór

Saturday night was a great treat, as both Dave and I saw the legendary Andy Irvine at The Elysium Folk Club in Rollinsford, NH. Great show, great player and, as I’ve mentioned before, all in a great room. And, as you can see from the camera phone, my seat wasn’t too bad either.

The legendary Andy Irvine

Dave has been lucky enough to see Andy play a few times – either as a solo, with Patrick Street or the band Mozaik. This was my first time seeing him live, and he didn’t disappoint. He did a fine mix of songs from his new album — including The Spirit of Mother Jones, Emptyhanded, and Oslo — and classics from earlier in his career like Arthur McBride, My Heart’s Tonight in Ireland and Never Tired of the Road.

One song that stood out for me was O’Donoghue’s – his ode to the days when he first got started in music by hanging out at the famous Dublin pub with the boys from The Dubliners and the lads that Andy would soon join to form Sweeney’s Men. Kinda reminds me of my experience coming to The Press Room — getting to know all the other musicians, forming deep friendships and, eventually, creating this duo with Dave, and our maritime group Mudhook with our friends Alan Eaton and Mike Jeanneau (the biggest Andy Irvine fan I know). As the song says: “This is what life was all about.”

If you made it to the show, or his performance at Blue in Portland, what did ya think? What was your favorite song?

We’ve mentioned both The Elysium Folk Club of Rollinsford, NH and our friend Jim Prendergast of Mill Pond Music in Portsmouth, NH. Well, like a musical Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, those two great tastes are getting together this weekend.

Jim will be playing with Ken Perlman this Saturday night (2/12) at 8 pm. You can get details about the show here.

Believe me when I tell you — if you’re looking for a great show at a great venue, be sure to step out this weekend to catch this performance. You’ll not only get a treat, you’ll be keeping live music live.

Cross-pollination of tunes and songs is key to keeping the tradition alive, and entails traveling, listening, experiencing other players and singers, bringing new tunes and songs to others, and getting some new ones in return.  òran mór is certainly no exception.

I play at a seisiún in Concord, NH each week with these folks, and they are wonderful! Réagánta has just issued a new CD titled “Cup O’ Tea”, and it’s well worth a listen.  I was fortunate to have attended their CD release concert/party last night at the Elysium Arts Folk Club in Rollinsford, NH.   They presented a lovely mix of songs and tunes, some meancholy, some lively, in various simple and complex arrangements featuring harp, whistle, guitar and bodhrán.

For their last set, they invited all the musicians present to join them, then hosted a little party afterward.  If the reaction of the standing-room-only crowd was any indication, Réagánta (“easygoing” in Irish) will be brewing a strong cup ‘o tea for a long time to come!