Off The Record
by Mike FarragherRSS 
Recent Posts
- A thrilling good time with The Alarm in Asbury Park
- Paul McCartney back and better than ever at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center - VIDEO
- Moya Brennan and Cormac De Barra has a great “Affinity”
- No more room for the Irish mother’s wooden spoon - parenting has changed since our day
- Sound the alarm - Big Country is back with “The Journey” - VIDEO
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“We do a wide variety of things,” explains guitarist/bassist Tom Canny when asked about the variety of sounds on the CD.
“The first part of our show is acoustic and the second part is electric. We do some traditional stuff, rock stuff and originals. Our basic influences are folk.
Galway girl Julie Feeney will make her New York debut headline show at Joe's Pub on March 9 (www.joespub.org.)
Using an orchestra that includes trumpets, French horns, bassoons, violins, and a whole bunch of other instruments, the result sounds like the illegitimate child of Eleanor Rigby and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.
She tells woozy tales over dreamy soundscapes that create another world of music that is unlike anything you’ve heard before, and this reviewer is completely hooked!
Black 47 have certainly revolutionized Irish American rock with their political anthems, but I’ve always liked the more playful side of the band.
A Funky Ceili gathers 18 party songs from all stages of their raucous career ranging from MTV favorites “Maria's Wedding” and “Funky Ceili” to such hidden gems as “Oh Maureen” and the autobiographical “Uncle Jim.”
Last St. Patrick’s Day was a bit of a sick affair and there was no doctor to be had. Tuam’s favorite sons decided to mix things up a bit, and instead of making their annual trip to America in March, the Saw Doctors headed to Australia to visit the many ex-pat fans they have there.
All is right with the world for 2011, as the Saw Doctors resume their Paddy’s Day tradition and are rewarding fans for the wait with The Further Adventures of the Saw Doctors, their excellent new album.
The band previewed bits of it a couple of weeks ago in Maryland, where they rocked the inauguration of Governor Martin O’Malley.
Yet every once in a while a young Irish singer makes it all worthwhile.
From the first note George Murphy sings on The Ballads of Archie Thompson, there is an instant connection to Liam Clancy, Luke Kelly and the best balladeers of our culture.
