The recent death of Micheal O Domnhnaill was greeted with profound shock by fellow musicians. Almost every Irish traditional band currently performing plays a mixture of traditional tunes and folk songs inspired by the innovations of O Domnhnaill’s Bothy Band. Immensely respected by his fellow musicians, he was a bedrock of both Skara Brae and the Bothy Band.
Although he could be just as charismatic a character as the musicians with whom he shared a pivotal role in Irish music, O Domnhnaill tended to downplay that side of his personality. Still, it is hard to imagine the much-rumoured Bothy Band reunion happening now in his absence. The loss of one of the most influential figures in modern Irish music at such a young age will be felt especially hard by his sister Maighread and Triona and his brother Conall, but also by everyone in the extended Irish musical family.
Kila kick it up another gear with the release of an album they’ve recorded with their buddy Oki. They were first introduced to the virtuoso Ainu musician on a Japanese tour, and there was an immediate musical chemistry between Ronan O Snodaigh and Oki. When Kila had the chance to bring a guest musician on stage with them at last year’s Festival of World Cultures in Dun Laoghaire, Oki was the obvious choice and again there was an instant spark. Ten days in the studio with producer Karl Odlum spawned the eight tracks of this album, marking yet another forward step on the band’s musical journey.
The band are ramping up activity on the live front too, with a number of upcoming slots: at Ballyshannon Folk Festival on August 5; Leechrum Festival, Drumshanbo the following evening; the Duisigh Gig in Rush, Co. Dublin on the 11 August; the Beo Festival in the National Concert Hall on August 13; Gorey Music Festival on August 18 and the first ‘World Fleadh’ the following evening in Ballybunion.
After this busy schedule, the band are heading off to Spain for the weekend of August 25 to 28 to catch the annual batch of fiestas. They are then lined up to play a couple of UK festivals in September before taking the long haul to Japan on September 23 for the return leg of their Japanese exchange. Which all means that after their alleged ‘break’, Kila are getting back to their normal level of hyper-activity.
Dessie O’Halloran has become something of a cult figure following his collaboration with Sharon Shannon, and having a nose for a good thing he took the opportunity to re-release his Pound Road album. It recently notched up enough sales to earn him a platinum disc. In honour of this momentous occasion, Inishbofin declared July 10 to be ‘Dessie Day’, with Minister for the Galtacht Eamon O Cuiv making the trip out to present him with the disc. They even laid on an extra ferry to get the revelers back.
Apart from being the most westerly place in Clare where you can get a decent cup of coffee, Petr Pandula’s Magnetic Music Café has been running a series of bijou concerts for the last couple of years, and this year’s crop of ‘Best For The West’ shows has just been announced. The venue is tiny, so it’s a testament to the prestige of the gigs that Pandula has programmed a series of events running through August and September that features such high-profile acts as Arcanadh, Gerry ‘Banjo’ O’Connor with Brendan O’Regan, Beoga, Pauline Scanlon with Donogh Hennessey, and John Spillane.
The series also features shows by Catriona McKay with Chris Stout and Tommy O’Sullivan, Gael Sli, Winifred Horan and MIck McAuley – not to mention Triple Harp Bypass, who are giving the Red Hot Chili Pipers a run for their money in the “silly name” stakes. With space at a premium it’s wise to book in advance – it’s a long way to go to get turned away at the door.
The annual Spraoi Festival hits Waterford over the August bank holiday. For three days, the streets, squares and quays of Waterford will be transformed into an out-door stage. This Mediterranean carnival-style event has run since 1993, and this year features a folk club running nightly in the grand-stand area in the city’s Cathedral Square. Always a good bet for some quirky entertainment, the strong international contingent this year includes the Burundi Drummers whose unique drumming influenced Adam Ant’s trademark percussion style a couple of decades back.
As part of the Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland’s Stoneyport Agency has put together a programme of acoustic music at St. Bride’s for the second year running. Greatly expanded from last year, it promises to be a step-up and alongside some niche Scottish acts that won’t be very familiar, there are enough well-known names to grab your attention.
Gigs include Bert Jansch on August 21-22 and August 27, Andy Stewart on August 20 (with Gerry O’Beirne of guitar), Dick Gaughan on the 25-26, and Martin Carthy on August 20-21. Malinky put in an appearance on August 24 and taking the stage directly after them will be their erstwhile bandmate Karine Polwart. There will also be shows from Scots luminaries like Tam White, Ian Bruce, Heather McLeod, Michael Marra and Old Blind Dogs as well as a couple of shows by Deaf Shepherd (really guys, enough with the names now!). As good a reason as any for a trip to Edinburgh really.
The line-up for Belfast’s Open House festival has been announced and once again comes in a beautifully designed book stuffed with information on acts involved in the festival. It runs in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter from September 27 to October 1. With the opening of the Black Box venue the festival now has a coherent hub and isn’t as scattered as in previous years.
The festival centres this year around the Lowdown Hoedown – four frantic days of “bad-ass bluegrass and lo-fi punk blues” (their description not mine) featuring Hayseed Dixie (you can also check out their manic mesh of speed metal and bluegrass at the Roisin Dubh in Galway on July 29). Also on the bill are Jawbone, Hillstomp, Prison Love, Choral Sex, Jeff and Vida, Seasick Steve and the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, who may be agnostic but don’t come from the mountains, don’t sing gospel and aren’t a choir. These shows feature posters designed by legendary poster artist Too Bad Jim, and an exhibition of his work runs alongside the festival.