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Makem & Spain Brothers @ Johnny D’s

Sometimes it’s nice to take a night off and enjoy being part of the audience…especially when the group you’re seeing really knows their stuff. That was definitely the case last night when I went to Trad Tuesday at Johnny D’s and caught The Makem and Spain Brothers.

The Makem and Spain Brothers

The Makem and Spain Brothers

Two words: Great. Show.

I’ve sat-in a few times with Liam and Mick Spain at their song session at The Shaskeen in Manchester, and they’ve always been warm and welcoming…great craic. But last night was the first time I had the chance to see them perform on stage with Rory, Shane and Conor Makem. I’m glad I made the 15-minute drive to Somerville, ‘cuz it was a fun night of great songs and stories. Both sets of siblings did a fine job of representing the musical traditions of their families.

As local guys, you’d think that you could see the five of them perform regularly around here, but apparently the full contingent isn’t always here. So my advice is if you get a chance to catch them at full strength, take it. (Or you can order their concert DVD at makem.com.)

Now…if anyone can confirm that Liam actually wrote the lizard story that Mick shared last night, it’d be nice to know. Liam may need help.


New: Trad Night at Johnny D’s

Johnny D'sIt’s worth noting that one of my favorite spots to see live music in the Boston area, Johnny D’s in Davis Square, Somerville, has a new “Tuesday Trad Night” starting next month.  The schedule opens with Malinky, the Scottish band that played at the Elysium Arts Folk Club in Rollingsford, NH recently…and the band where Dave got “Follow the Heron Home.”

If you have a chance to check them out, it would be a great way to support trad music at a great spot.

Oh, and the Sunday jazz brunch at Johnny D’s rocks as well!