Posted on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 07:55 AM
Helping hands for fire damaged Blackthorne Resort of East Durham
You always hear plenty of stories
about Irish grit and determination, but you don’t actually feel it until you rub
your hands through the ash of the main hall of the Blackthorne Resort of East
Durham. The Handel family has been running the place for a couple of decades
before a fire consumed one of their main buildings last month.
When I caught
up with Dale Handel, a stained glass manufacturer by trade, he was fashioning
the red hand of Ulster into a glass piece to go into the bar he plans on
replacing.
He will be getting help this weekend as a number of Irish
musicians stage a reunion concert at Blackthorne to help the family get on its
feet.
Black 47, Kilrush,
MacCana, the
Kitty Kelly Band,
Brother Moon, Jimmy Gallagher, Peter McKiernan and more will lend their support
to the cause. The pavilion out by the swimming pool has already been converted
into a temporary dining hall/restaurant/bar/performing space.
“Black 47
has played every
Memorial Day/Labor
Day weekend in the Blackthorne for the last 15 or 16 years -- no one remembers
exactly,” jokes Larry Kirwan, the principal organizer of the event.
“That's part of the charm of the East Durham area. I've been going up
there since the 1970s and have always treasured the 33rd County. There's a
certain ‘do whatever the hell you like -- just look out for your neighbors’
attitude up there.
“And that leaks over to the Handel family and their
attitude to music. I don't recall them ever making a suggestion as to what we --
or any other band -- should play. The only unwritten rule is that you keep it
exciting.”
“Of all the bad that has come of this, there have been some
fantastic, wonderful people that stepped up to bat for us,” says Dale Handel
during an interview with the
Irish Voice.
“In a real time of misery, which has been beyond terrible, this has been
heartbreaking. Guys like Peter Walsh from the Gobshites and Larry Kirwan have
seen it, know what we have been doing for the last 19 years, know what we’re
about. We are trying to get the building up to keep this scene alive
here.
“People are up for the holidays and want to let their hair down, so
the music should reflect that. The area has hit some hard times and the
Blackthorne -- along with some of the other resorts such as Gavins, and too many
others to be named -- is part of the revival and are putting on innovative
shows. 38 Special were playing in the festival area as the Blackthorne was
burning -- and the show went on. That's the spirit up there.”
Handel is
heartbroken over the wonderful heirlooms that his customers have entrusted him
with that hung behind the old bar that have now been lost. Though in pain, his
customers are fueling his resolve to rebuild the legendary Tara Bar in this
resort.
“We will make the Tara Bar greater than ever,” Handel says.
“Although we will be renaming the place the
Phoenix because it will
rise from these ashes.”
To Handel and many others, a lot more than a
structure was lost. For a generation of Irish Americans like myself, weekends in
the
Catskills were
a welcome respite from the sweaty streets of the city.
Memories can
never burn away, which is a sentiment that Handel is reminded of every time
someone drove up to survey the damage in the first few weeks after the fire.
“I met my wife there, proposed to her there and married her there,”
Handel says. “I have had a thousand people come up to me with stories of their
memories there. You take it for granted living in the building every day.
“I bartended here every day and I really loved that bar. I had some of
the coolest stuff in there over the years. Pat Roper played his first gig in
America here and
this was where his last gig was, and we had pictures of both gigs. All those
pictures are lost.
“My brother and I took on second jobs this summer to
make sure we can reopen for these people as soon as possible. We are going to
rebuild and make it real nice. We want everyone to know we are not going
away.”
Unfortunately, reservation books and computer files containing
mailing lists of over 6,000 people were also lost in the fire. If you want to
reserve for the weekend, you are encouraged to call 518-634-2541.
Even if
you can’t make it up on such short notice, you are encouraged to call the number
anyway and put yourself on the mailing list if your plans call for a trip to the
green Irish Catskills this summer.
One thing that you won’t be asked for
when you call is a donation.
“I’m not so much looking for donations;
we’d rather earn it,” Handel says. “So, if people want to help, we’d rather they
support us once we reopen. Come up this fall or in the spring and see us. We
will have something beautiful when you get there.”
When you do go up
there, have a drink at the Phoenix, which will be rising from the ashes thanks
to good old-fashioned Irish determination!
"Phoenix From the Flames"
Blackthorne t-shirts will be available. Contact info@blackthorneresort.com or
518-634-2541.
Two Door Cinema Club If you
remember a time in the eighties when day-glow passion for music consisted of
taut bass lines, caffeinated beats and addictive guitar hooks, then Two Door
Cinema Club is right up your alley. The band of young-uns hails from Bangor and
Donaghadee,
Northern Ireland.
![](images/2-door-cinema-club.jpg)
They have been hard at work amassing new fans
in
Ireland and the
U.K. with a string
of EPs and tours. Alex Trimble (lead vocals, guitars, synth beats), Sam Halliday
(guitar) and Kevin Baird (bass) make pleasing pop that straddles two decades --
the eighties and today. You can hear elements of Talking Heads and
Vampire Weekend,
often in the same song.
The
tinny, echoed guitar riff might remind you of
U2’s early aggression, but the
sped up drums sound crisp and modern on “Cigarettes in the Theatre,” the track
that they did on
Jimmy Kimmel’s late
night talk show not long ago.
Though the beats sound manufactured by a
computer, Trimble’s voice is earnest and appealing, giving the music a tension
that exists between the man and the machine. Their debut album, Tourist History,
is a sugar rush of riffs and catchy choruses that is worth a spin!
Two
Door Cinema Club will play Webster Hall in
New York on Thursday,
October 21, and
Washington,
D.C.’s Black Cat the following night.
The ScriptBe
prepared for a second read of the Script! The lads from
Dublin have
readied a new single, “For the First Time,” which recently debuted on AOL
Music.
Danny O'Donoghue described the meaning the song to AOL. "We got
home (from tour) and realized there's a stark reality out there, the recession
has hit, people are losing their jobs and their valuable things," he said. "We
thought, this almost pales in comparison to our news."
Upon first
listen, “For the First Time,” which premiered at the top of the Irish charts, is
a heart-wrenching song. The first lines read, "She's all laid up in bed with a
broken heart / While I'm drinking Jack all alone in my local bar." O'Donoghue's
emotional vocals further lend to the song's sad and serious manner.
But
this is the Script, who ruled the charts last year with a catchy blend of pop
and soul that can be heard on their amazing hit “Break Even.”
Although
the song has a somber essence, the Script delivers a message of hope in the
anthematic single.
"The Irish are being stripped of all these things we used
to have and we’re realizing what's really important," O'Donoghue explained.
"It's all about going back to basics, drinking cheap wine, eating your
dinner off the floor. That's when you meet each other for the first time, when
you have nothing."
If you want to escape economic turmoil, why not join
the band along with Lifehouse, Colbie Caillat and more for the
VH1 Best
Cruise Ever this spring! From April 28 to May 2, the boys will be on board and
sailing from
Tampa,
Florida to
Cozumel,
Mexico on the Carnival
Inspiration.
Visit www.vh1.com for more information.