I may have correctly picked the Celtic Cross show at Joe's Pub as the place to be on St. Patrick's night in my column last week, but even I underestimated the rejuvenate powers of the music! I hopped off the train a wounded man after a beer soaked pub crawl that began before noon, but I soon perked up once the exuberant jigs and reels hit my nervous system!
The joy of the trad-laced Irish rock music might have been in sharp contrast with the dark gothic stylings of the hipper-than-thou Joe's Pub, but the room is such a perfect place to perform that no one seemed to notice. Celtic Cross was particularly thrilled to be playing there.
"The new album is opening doors and breaking down barriers," says fiddler Ken Vesey. "It separates us from the run of the mill trad cover band.
"People are listening to the music and we are booking great venues like Joe's Pub. This room is a place for serious musicians, and we are thrilled to be playing."
The band roared through a set that included tracks from their CDs, Last Call and the brand new Shores of America. Packed with friends, family, firefighters and visiting Irish, the crowd was full of the same characters that are in the band's songs.
"Who I Am" is a touching ballad that offered a perfect sentiment on St. Patrick's Day. "Drink my whiskey straight up/mugs of tea, not in a cup/they say we laugh a little loud/march down Fifth Avenue a little proud," sang Fee as the band played an alt-country arrangement behind her.
Shores of America, is chock full of musical snapshots of the Irish American experience. The new songs rang particularly true during the most Irish week in New York, where green pride hits fever pitch during the month of March.
Fee even high stepped it with an Irish dancer. With back straight and her red ringlets bobbing around her face, she danced the jig to thunderous applause. She told stories behind the songs that included crushes she had on the visiting Irish that worked the shores of Montauk for the summer, a scenario that most of us in the audience could clearly identify with!
"Those Were the Days" is the Irish American equivalent of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire," with its references to WFUV's Ceol na Gael program, partying at Iona College, Woodside rashers, visiting the cousins in Ireland who called her narrowback, and the Bainbridge bars. It's one of the many songs an Irish American can point to on the album before exclaiming, "Ohmigod, they're singing about me!"
"We set out to tell a story of us, which is uniquely Irish American," says Fee. "There are so many stories of Irish immigration and the Famine, but very few people tell the story of what it's like once you live out here with Irish parents."
Her brothers played a fast and furious racket behind her. Accordionist John Vesey and his fiddling brother Ken propelled the band through their set with a feisty interplay between their two instruments. Guitarists Dave Barckow and Walter Ensor, Frankie McCormick on mandolin/banjo, and bassist Pat Dineen round out this sharp band.
Confined by the small stage, John Vesey took to the tabletops for his accordion solos, much to the delight of the rowdy audience.
"I'm a bit of a nut when I put the accordion on," he said. "I am pretty level-headed when I am down to earth. I strap that accordion on and it's like Superman's cape. I get such life out of playing music. The energy just comes out. I've even been known to body surf with the accordion."
Ken may not be the showman of his brother or sister, but his fiddle stole the spotlight in many instances. He is an All-Ireland champion and eight time North American champion fiddle player, studying under the likes of Martin Mulvihill, Mary Mahon and Eileen Ivers.
The rest of the band displayed their musical chops with the funk and jazz stylings of "22 Days" and many of the instrumentals that punctuated the set.
"When the instrumentals come around, it's the fiddle, accordion, and banjo up front," says Ken. "We grew up listening to this Irish band called Stockton's Wing, which featured all those instruments, so I think that influenced our arrangements. It really informed the roots of the band."
The siblings are thrilled to report that they are onto the third pressing of Shores of America, and they thank the far reach of the Internet for this success.
"The comments on the website and Myspace are very positive," says Ken. "Our CD is being played on Midwest Radio on Ireland. For a New York band to make the leap over is really great.
" I think the Internet helps us enormously, and it takes you from being a local bar band. We played in Boston and Philadelphia and people have been singing along to the songs from the new album. It's a real rush to see people mouthing the words in geographies where you're not really well known. It's a real trip."
A trip to the Shores of America should be in your future! For more information, log onto celticcross.com.