Thursday I met up with Kathy and Lauraileen again at Dublin City Hall, where there was a lunchtime concert of concertina music by Edel Fox, a young woman with amazing talent. It was just a fun concert to be at, and she was clearly having fun with it as well. The woman sitting to my left in the audience played fiddle regularly with Ms. Fox, and her little daughter kept dancing to the lilting music. Everything was light and airy and joyful. :)
Later that afternoon we met at Farrington's, a pub in Temple Bar, where what was billed as a "live Irish ballad session" turned out to be a performance of Irish ballads instead. No worries...it was nice to listen and chat with K & L, and my friend Ben joined us a bit later, had a couple of pints, and then Ben and I went to dinner at the Boxty House, where he treated me to a delicious 3-course meal of leek soup, salmon boxty (which is sort of a pancake-wrapped meal), and a light (really!) blueberry cheesecake. Mmm. Indeed.
A quick goodbye to Ben, and then off to The Button Factory to hear Cathy Jordan, a singer with the Irish group Dervish, who's just put out a solo album. She sang only stuff from the new album, and I'm going to have to buy it because there were several tunes I want to learn to sing. Her warm-up act, The Henry Girls, was a fun trio of sisters who played a whole mix of stuff on guitar, accordion, and Irish harp. Ever heard swing and honky-tonk on an Irish harp? Neither had I! :) They were a lot of fun to listen to.
Yesterday, Friday, the bored-with-this-I-want-to-go-home feeling set in, and I longed for some familiarity. It lasted most of the day, though I did get to a few pubs for some rockin' trad in the afternoon. But evening came, and after a dinner of fish and chips (I am in Ireland, after all), I went to City Hall to hear fiddle extraordinaire Frankie Gavin. Nothing like some amazing music to remind me why I came! It helped that the older Irish couple next to me were a bit chatty; sharing the experience just adds dimension to it. So be warned: I shall begin to kidnap my DC friends to go with me to trad music events when I return.
Frankie Gavin was accompanied by an amazing (and enthusiastic!) bodhran player and a laid-back, way-too-talented guitar player, whose guitar must have been rigged digitally to get double-bass notes out of the lower strings while simultaneously playing guitar licks that added new depth to old tunes. (I didn't catch their names, alas.) And Frankie. Well. He just made it look so damned easy. I guess that's a hallmark of a great master. He just sat back relaxed in his chair while he let his fingers and bow arm do the work. And what stunning work it was. I was maybe 5 rows back from the stage, and to be that close to greatness was truly a treat.
While I watched the bodhran player play, I focused on his top-end technique and deft skill. I was trying to figure out what I was feeling, and then I realized what it was: I want to do that. I want to learn how to do that and do it. I've got rhythm, I've got music...what I haven't been doing is practicing and actively seeking a top-end teacher. I need to.
After the concert, I looked for a singing session that was supposed to be going on at one of the pubs, but I couldn't find it. A guy I'd talked with online had invited me to Pantibar, a gay pub not too far from my hotel, where there was a drag show going on. I went there, found Steve and his posse, and hung out with them for a bit while we watched some lesbian burlesque (something for everyone!) and a few fun drag numbers. I can report that the hostess had her Dolly Parton down. :)
Later that afternoon we met at Farrington's, a pub in Temple Bar, where what was billed as a "live Irish ballad session" turned out to be a performance of Irish ballads instead. No worries...it was nice to listen and chat with K & L, and my friend Ben joined us a bit later, had a couple of pints, and then Ben and I went to dinner at the Boxty House, where he treated me to a delicious 3-course meal of leek soup, salmon boxty (which is sort of a pancake-wrapped meal), and a light (really!) blueberry cheesecake. Mmm. Indeed.
A quick goodbye to Ben, and then off to The Button Factory to hear Cathy Jordan, a singer with the Irish group Dervish, who's just put out a solo album. She sang only stuff from the new album, and I'm going to have to buy it because there were several tunes I want to learn to sing. Her warm-up act, The Henry Girls, was a fun trio of sisters who played a whole mix of stuff on guitar, accordion, and Irish harp. Ever heard swing and honky-tonk on an Irish harp? Neither had I! :) They were a lot of fun to listen to.
Yesterday, Friday, the bored-with-this-I-want-to-go-home feeling set in, and I longed for some familiarity. It lasted most of the day, though I did get to a few pubs for some rockin' trad in the afternoon. But evening came, and after a dinner of fish and chips (I am in Ireland, after all), I went to City Hall to hear fiddle extraordinaire Frankie Gavin. Nothing like some amazing music to remind me why I came! It helped that the older Irish couple next to me were a bit chatty; sharing the experience just adds dimension to it. So be warned: I shall begin to kidnap my DC friends to go with me to trad music events when I return.
Frankie Gavin was accompanied by an amazing (and enthusiastic!) bodhran player and a laid-back, way-too-talented guitar player, whose guitar must have been rigged digitally to get double-bass notes out of the lower strings while simultaneously playing guitar licks that added new depth to old tunes. (I didn't catch their names, alas.) And Frankie. Well. He just made it look so damned easy. I guess that's a hallmark of a great master. He just sat back relaxed in his chair while he let his fingers and bow arm do the work. And what stunning work it was. I was maybe 5 rows back from the stage, and to be that close to greatness was truly a treat.
While I watched the bodhran player play, I focused on his top-end technique and deft skill. I was trying to figure out what I was feeling, and then I realized what it was: I want to do that. I want to learn how to do that and do it. I've got rhythm, I've got music...what I haven't been doing is practicing and actively seeking a top-end teacher. I need to.
After the concert, I looked for a singing session that was supposed to be going on at one of the pubs, but I couldn't find it. A guy I'd talked with online had invited me to Pantibar, a gay pub not too far from my hotel, where there was a drag show going on. I went there, found Steve and his posse, and hung out with them for a bit while we watched some lesbian burlesque (something for everyone!) and a few fun drag numbers. I can report that the hostess had her Dolly Parton down. :)
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