Friday July 30, 2010
BENNINGTON -- Music born on the Emerald Isle will
send sweet sounds soaring over Bennington Vermont’s lush
Green Mountains this Labor Day weekend as an impressive
list of top Irish performers launch the first annual
Bennington Irish Music Festival.
Reels, jigs, Irish ballads and rock and roll music
will keep toes tappin’ and hands clappin’ on Sept. 4 and
5 at Colgate Park [1545 West Road] on Route 9.
Performances begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 9 p.m.
both days.
"We’re very excited about bringing this wonderful
festival to Southern Vermont," co-organizer Laura Moore
said. "We’re thrilled to be able to bring top performers
to the area and we expect a sell out crowd."
Among the internationally renowned headlining
performers are New York’s own Irish rock band Black 47,
Shana Morrison (daughter of legendary Van Morrison),
vocalist Maura O’Connell, the Young Dubliners, Belfast
natives McPeake, and 10-time Irish National Fiddle
Champion Seamus Connolly.
Top O’ The Line Talent Black 47 found their gritty,
rock sound while playing Manhattan pubs. During their
20-year history, the band has released several albums,
with "Bankers and Gangsters" being the most recent
release. Shana Morrison blends Irish with blues, rock,
country, rhythm and blues and jazz to deliver a powerful
sound all her own. A review in Rolling Stone describes
the band as "Usually most comfortable playing
loud and live with upraised fists and chunky
guitar riffs in local hangouts - explodes with
declarations of gnashing street poetry punctuated with
wailing uilleann pipes, Joe Strummer-style chord chops
and Bourbon Street sax sojourns."
Vocalist Maura O’Connell is a native of County Clare,
Ireland. She was the third of four singing sisters who
grew up listening to their singing mother’s collection
of light opera, opera, and parlor song records. "I’m
sure that those [years] have something to do with how I
approach singing," O’Connell says now. "I was aware of
singing as an art form in itself." Unaccompanied singing
has been a part of O’Connell’s music since her earliest
days of performing in the folk clubs of her native
Ireland. "When I first started, I had minimal skills on
the guitar -- I still do, really," she says, laughing.
"So I’d throw in an unaccompanied song. That’s when I
started singing Joan Armatrading’s ‘The Weakness In
Me.’"
Even before she began performing formally, singing
was a simple joy for O’Connell, an elemental pleasure
that didn’t require instrumental accompaniment. "It was
just the most natural thing in the world," she reflects.
Growing up in a culture with a rich social tradition of
unaccompanied singing further freed her, and the vast
Irish repertoire is well represented on her lastest
album Naked With Friends.
Shana Morrison’s musical style has been called pop
with a side of blues and a side of rock. She has also
been known to blend in other ingredients, like
contemporary Irish melodies, country, R&B, and jazz
into the mix. Her material seems to be ever-changing and
hard to pin down categorically. What always remains the
same is Shana’s unique and wide-ranging voice. For
generations of folk music enthusiasts the name of the
McPeake Family of Belfast has stood for one of the most
distinctive sounds in Irish music.
Francis McPeake IV, the fourth generation of this
world-famous musical dynasty and one of the few
authentic uilleann pipers in the world today, has put
together a revived band, ‘McPeake’, which is unique in
the world of music with its fusion of original Celtic
compositions and contemporary rhythms and styles.
Seamlessly blending their rock and Celtic influences
into a high energy, anthemic and lyrically poignant mix,
the Young Dubliners music jumps energetically from
ballad to barn burner, documenting as they go the
vibrant yet chaotic world they find themselves in.
From edgy political tunes to the travails of life in
an internationally touring band, their latest album,
Saints and Sinners, chronicles and tackles it all with
joy, wit, enthusiasm and a profound belief that things
can get better. Seamus Connolly, native of Killaloe,
County Clare, 0-time Irish National Fiddle Champion and
an endowed Chair at Boston College has been featured on
the NBC network’s "Today" morning show. He was profiled
on Boston’s WCVB-TV5 "Chronicle" program and has
performed at music festivals including the National Folk
Festival and American Roots Fourth of July Celebration
at the Washington Monument. Seamus Connolly is one of
the world’s most respected master Irish traditional
musicians and teachers.
He was also the winner of the internationally
acclaimed "Fiddler of Dooney" Competition. Seamus
directed the highly acclaimed Gaelic Roots Summer School
and Festival at Boston College from 1993 - 2003. He now
coordinates a Gaelic Roots Series of free concerts and
lectures by visiting artists throughout the academic
year. Music, Dance and More Music Jerry O’Sullivan,
Laurel Martin Trio, Hair of the Dog, Kevin McKrell, St.
James Gate, Rakish Paddy, the Highland Rovers and Irish
dancer Kieran Jordan are also among the lineup as are
pipe bands and dance troupes from throughout New
England.
Jerry O’Sullivan is renowned as America’s premier
uillean piper. His musical resume includes performances
with Don Henley, Dolly Parton, the Boston Pops
orchestra, and many other musicians. He performed at the
2009 William Kennedy Music Festival in Armagh and
recently returned from participating at the 2010 Annual
Willy Clancy Summer School in Miltown-Malbay, Ireland.
Laurel Martin’s musical journey began in
Massachusetts as a young adult when she first heard
Irish traditional music played by local fiddle player
Joe Gerhard. Laurel was immediately drawn to the music,
being fascinated by its rhythmic and ornamental
subtleties, and what she refers to as its "undercurrent
of sorrow." She then set about learning to play the
fiddle in the traditional style of the old masters.
Laurel taught fiddle playing at Boston College.
Boston based Kieran Jordan, is an internationally
recognized performer, teacher and choreographer of Irish
dance. With more than 25 years of dance experience, her
unique approach to the dance marries deep-rooted
traditions with contemporary innovations. Winner of an
Artist Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural
Council, Kieran is a dedicated artist and
entrepreneurial spirit with boundless enthusiasm for
Irish dance. She holds a BA in English and Irish Studies
from Boston College, a Master’s Degree in Contemporary
Dance Performance from the University of Limerick, and
the TCRG certificate for teaching Irish dance. She
brings intelligence, creativity, and a warm spirit to
her dance projects in Boston and beyond. In addition to
her main stage performance, Kieran will be conducting a
free dance workshop both days.
Together since 1993, Hair Of The Dog has entertained
countless fans of all ages with their unique blend of
Celtic folk/rock. Their high energy sound, intricate
vocal harmonies and tight instrumental attack has made
them one of the top Irish acts in the world.
Hair Of The Dog has shared the stage on numerous
occasions with many legendary Celtic groups such as The
Clancy Brothers, The Wolfe Tones, Cherish The Ladies,
Donal Lunny’s Coolfin, Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul,
Black 47, Gaelic Storm, Solas, Seven Nations, The
Prodigals, Off Kilter, Glengarry Bhoys and the Late
Tommy Makem.
Kevin McKrell has been working national and
international music scene for about 30 years. He has
been a member of Donnybrook Fair, The Fabulous Newports,
Hard Times, and The McKrells. His songs have been
recorded and or performed by The Kingston Trio, The
Fureys Brothers and Davey Arthur,North Sea Gas, Woods
Tea Company, Hair of The Dog, Pat McKernan, Seamus
Kennedy.
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.
And a Wee Somethin’ For the Kiddies, Mam and Pap
Families with children will find a full slate of
festival fun with activities including a dedicated
Celtic Kids Zone featuring storytelling, games, and
other cultural venues. Irish step dancers, pipe bands,
instrumental workshops, face painting and little Irish
magic are included in the festival’s roster. Specialty
vendors will provide food and beverages. Irish and
Celtic crafts, jewelry, art and garments will be
available for purchase. And of course there’ll be plenty
of Guiness and other imported Irish and domestic beers
and wines on tap.
A portion of the proceeds will support the
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, the Center for
Communication in Medicine, and Sacred Heart St. Francis
de Sales School.
To purchase ticket or for more information, visit the
festival Website at
http://www.benningtonirishmusicfestival.com/,
where you can also enter a weekly ticket giveaway by
downloading free MP3s. Admission for children ages 12
and under is free.