Festival 2010
HEADLINING BANDS FOR THE FESTIVAL

Friday, July 23, 2010

Celtic Cross

Celtic Cross is pop/folk with a strong Celtic traditional influence from the heart of New York City.  Growing up with immigrant parents, the band was immersed in Irish music, dance, and tradition.  But like all kids, also heavily influenced by music on the radio, playing Irish tunes with a pop flare. 

The seven-piece band is lead by lead vocalist Kathleen Fee, a talented singer-songwriter.   The lively band features a solid bass-drums-guitar rhythm section, and a talented Irish accordion, fiddle, banjo/mandolin traditional section.  Like many successful acts, the heart of Celtic Cross is family; singer Kathleen’s brothers John and Kenny are also in the band.  

Catch them both Friday and Saturday night!

 

Finn's Fury

New York's celtic rockers Finn's Fury add blues, punk, as well as lyrical vocals to a hard rock wall of sound creating... "Urban Celtic Fusion Rock". What makes this band unique is it's improvising ability. Instrumental jams with a raw edge of unpredictability are a trademark. With well over a decade of experience in touring and concerts behind them, the members of Finn's Fury come from a diverse collection of experiences. From the Waldorf Astoria and Irish Festivals all over the country to Broadway and television, the members bring an exciting and ecclectic mix to create a high energy to performances.

 

Black 47

Black 47 espouses an unblinkingly political and thoroughly Irish form of rock 'n' roll, with songs covering topics from the Northern Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest in contemporary New York. Black 47 earned their chops playing the pub scene in Manhattan and self-producing their first indie record, Black 47, before converting The Cars' Ric Ocasek to the cause and gaining mainstream attention with their second album. The band celebrates their 20th year on the road with their latest album "Bankers and Gangsters"

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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Colm O'Brien

Colm O'Brien was born, bred & buttered in Dublin.  As a child he was surrounded by music.  His father, grandfather, grand uncles and great granddad were all members of the famed Fintan Lalor Pipe Band.  His grandmother, May Keogh "Mayday" O'Brien was a legendary fiddler in Irish music circles and played at the All-Ireland dancing championships for 50 consecutive years and at most of the world dancing championships in that period.  Colm cut his teeth playing with numerous Dublin bands and at sessions from Dublin to Achill and everywhere in between.

He first moved to the US in 1999 as a member of "Fatal Flower".  After the group disbanded he played with the ballad group "Uncle Arthur" and then with "Hiring Fair".  Colm was recruited by the famed celtic rockers "The Prodigals" and spent a year and a half as their front-man touring the states, playing at some of the country's largest festivals and recording the group's fourth album produced by Howie Beno of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame.

 

Flynn529

Formed in February 2006, Flynn529 evolved from some of the musicians at the legendary Eamonn’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Loudonville, NY. Gaining new fans each time  they crank it up,  Flynn529 has performed in a variety of venues around the "Great Northeast" from small intimate pub settings to festival stages with the likes of Greenwhich Meantime, Rathkeltair, BarleyJuice and Hair-Of-The-Dog (how's THAT for some shameless name-dropping?!).

Their music is a stew--- with healthy proportions of Celtic and American folk tradition, a teaspoon of the blues, and a few dashes of those 60s and 70s AM/FM radio chestnuts you find yourself humming on the way to work.  Expect to hear original compositions and covers of anything from the Clancy Brothers to Johnny Cash to John Hiatt. These guys love to play any song they get their hands on and wouldn’t mind you hooligans coming out to party, drink, sing, and laugh all night with them.

 

The Rising

"The Rising combines the most progressive modes of Irish Music to create a new and inspiring form of Irish Trad-Rock. The Rising have not only the traditional musicians who have helped to form the scene, but the new blood that drives the music to it's unique potential.  The heart of Ireland lives in the music of the Rising in a new and thrilling way." 

The members of The Rising found each other the old fashioned way - out on the road. The Rising plays upwards of two hundred shows every year nationally, internationally, and in the New England area. The band's chemistry and new take on Irish traditionals is both rousing and refreshing. The band is most at home on stage, and their performances are as fun for the band as they are for their audiences.

Celtic Cross

Back again for a second performance.

 

Barleyjuice

We were only scuffling down the road one day - the road being in County Bucks near the high city of Philadelic, and one of us - aye can't remember who now - pulls out a bag o' pipes and starts playing music like. Wow, say the others, we had no idea you could wail them things, let alone carry em around without us noticing em, to which the person whom aye can't remember of us says yeah, nether did aye but well look at me. And lo, the angel of the gourd come down and says yo, boy, this what you just done sounds damn good. So we were all soon filled with wonder and begat to wonder if this wasn't one o' them Signs o' God that you read about. Well aye do, anyway, so aye pipes up and says Hey, I'm all try this. And aye does and Lo and Behave, out from nowhere (practically) pops an aged set of them Pipes and aye goes and plays and it sound dreadful-like and the other of us (who aye remember now was the one they call Swami) says Well look now then, let me show you how I done it before you kill someone. And so he does, and then aye do, and soon we turn around and the other ones of us are picking up chaff off the side of the road and making music with it. Some of it being filthy and all and so we called it tradiginal neobilly brit-scot-sham rock. And so Mary Mack, (being grape with child anyway) did that day bear a new tradiginal rock sensation in the form of a lowly whisky and did call it the Barelyjuiced. And let me tell y'all it's been some good shit. and well there ye go.

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Sunday, July 25, 2010

 

Highland Rovers

Drawing from the diverse New York Metro music scene, the Highland Rovers Band fuses popular rock percussive rhythms, bagpipes, and vocal harmonies to create an intricate and fresh sound. HRB's multi-layered, upbeat, and danceable music showcases their universal, appeal to both mainstream modern rock lovers and culturally diverse audiences searching for a distinct celtic flavor.

Over the years, the band paid its dues playing Irish pubs throughout the New York Metropolitan area and along the eastern seaboard.  

Today, the HRB’s resume includes performances across the United States at venues ranging from well-known Irish pubs to larger arenas such as Shea Stadium.  The band has performed with top Irish artists including the Saw Doctors, the Young Dubliners, and The Prodigals.  HRB has also performed numerous shows with their longtime friends and mentors, the Marshall Tucker Band. 

The band has produced five albums to date. The current CD, “Live... From County Fairfield”, was released in March of 2007.

 

 

New York Show Band

 

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