BILL BLACK'S "CAPEIRISH"
NEWS/INFO PAGE
... A LISTING OF EVENTS AND RESOURCES RELATING TO
IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC
IN THE CAPE COD AND NEARBY S.E. NEW ENGLAND AREA
email: bill@capeirish.com
(contact me if you wish to be included in our totally
non-intrusive mailing list)
updated: 5/13/19
Hope it was a Happy Mother's Day for all (in spite of the
horrible weather - snow in the "upper elevations"??
NEWS, NOTES, & COMMENTS
LOCAL SESSIONS
Please take advantage of our links to other websites to
keep current on what these and other local musicians are doing these days!
Check out my Goods and Services area - let me know
if you want me to list something for you.
(Yes, my commissions are outrageous
but hey ... we all have to make a living!)
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BB'S "NEWS, NOTES, AND COMMENT" DEPT.
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"GOLDEN LANE"
(Mark, Colin, John Mac, the Blacks)
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We have a busy summer upcoming, but it should be a fun one. Here's the current list of gigs:
CHATHAM FIDDLE CO. concerts
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A new session for those interested in the Irish Step Dance traditions will be starting in April at the Kanaley School of Irish Dance at 1481 Iyannough Rd., Hyannis MA 02601. Click here for complete details.
NEW WEBSITE FOR BOSTON AREA
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When I first started this CapeIrishNews website a few years back, I decided to limit it to "local" activities (i.e. Cape Cod and the South Coast), realizing that trying to create anything comprehensive for the Greater Boston area was beyond my capabilities.
I'm happy to announce that someone has undertaken to do what I didn't: create a website for "Celtic" activities in the Boston area. It's a very ambitious effort that will contain much more than event information - recordings, band links, education, and more. There's also a weekly bulletin that you can subscribe to.
The home page address is: greaterbostoncelticmusic.com.
Best of luck to Paul Graveline, the person in charge of all this! You can contact him at
(new address)
CAT'S MELODEON CURRENT SCHEDULE
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I'm hoping to get the occasional Saturday afternoon session going shortly. In the meantime you can be part of our music at the Thursday evening Olde Inne session (5:00 pm start). It's an upper-level session for musicians who are willing to learn new material - flexibility is the key. Mark and I have enjoyed hosting it so far and we look forward to continuing for the foreseeable future!
Great job by the Cats at the Woods Hole Trad Stroll on 4/27 - we made some fine music and raised a few dollars for Horace Thayer and his Walk for Hunger, a wonderful cause we're always happy to support.
Next gig will be Falmouth Arts Alive (Sat. 6/22, 3:00 pm on library lawn).
FIDDLING AROUND IN MAINE
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I received an email from a fiddler named Don Roy concerning what sounds like a very worthwhile endeavor he and his colleagues have put together in Maine. It's called "Fiddleicious Traditions" and offers an opportunity to share time with some fine performers - most of whom have played here on the Cape - as well as craftsmen, academics, and others involved in their particular fiddling tradition (not Irish - think more Cape Breton and contradance).
Here's a link to a flyer (2 pages) detailing what this is all about.
s&gredxmas2018
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JERRY O'SULLIVAN
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(I had the great privilege of helping put together Jerry's fine house concert on Saturday 1/26 at Chatham Fiddle. Thanks to Rose Clancy for the nice welcome. It was an excellent show and my thanks to old friend Jerry for asking me to back him on a few numbers - always a pleasure!)
"I just wanted to let you know that I am releasing a CD of Flute music entitled The Killasser Flute in which I play all the flute parts (yes, that is correct; no Uilleann Pipes on this recording). It is a celebration of the music of my maternal grandfather's parish of Killasser, County Mayo. Ten of the twenty three tracks re-create the sound of the Killasser Flute and Drum Band which was a parish institution from 1879-1957. The CD has sixty nine minutes of music and a twenty four page DVD size booklet. . .This project will also be available for physical purchase or download at <www.cdbaby.com> from August 6th onwards. Please check <www.jerryosullivan.com> for further updates."
Sounds like a great project and we wish Jerry the best of luck!
BB'S "NEWS, NOTES, AND COMMENT" DEPT.
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END OF AN ERA
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As some of you are aware, the legendary Monday night session at the Green Briar in Brighton has come to an end after thirty years.
The current owners are selling the pub and as a consequence, the session will be relocating to the Burren in Somerville.
The 1989 move to the Green Briar followed the closure of the Village Coach House in Brookline, which had hosted a session for several years. Both sessions were run by the late Larry Reynolds.
I was at the first Green Briar session and I made it a point to be at the last one. Without seeing it myself, I would never have believed that so many musicians would be in one place at one time. It was a fitting tribute to Larry, Joe Joyce, Jimmy Hogan, Pat O'Brien, Fergus Keane, Mike Connolly, and so many others who not only kept the tradition going but gladly made it available to the younger musicians who were always welcomed.
It would be hard to find better music than what could be heard nightly at the Green Briar during those great "Gaelic Roots" weeks in the 90's. But even without "superstars", the Green Briar consistently lived up to its reputation as "the" place to go in Boston for a good friendly session.
There were a lot of ghosts in the pub the other night. Being ghosts, no one could hear them (bad) but they didn't need chairs either (good). They had to be pleased that the tradition that they received and passed on to all of us is in good health and in capable hands.
Many years back I wrote a jig called "The Green Briar" as a tribute to the pub and its musicians. Click here to hear it.
From Colin Everett:
As some of you are aware, the legendary Monday night session at the Green Briar in Brighton has come to an end after thirty years.
The current owners are selling the pub and as a consequence, the session will be relocating to the Burren in Somerville.
The 1989 move to the Green Briar followed the closure of the Village Coach House in Brookline, which had hosted a session for several years. Both sessions were run by the late Larry Reynolds.
I was at the first Green Briar session and I made it a point to be at the last one. Without seeing it myself, I would never have believed that so many musicians would be in one place at one time. It was a fitting tribute to Larry, Joe Joyce, Jimmy Hogan, Pat O'Brien, Fergus Keane, Mike Connolly, and so many others who not only kept the tradition going but gladly made it available to the younger musicians who were always welcomed.
It would be hard to find better music than what could be heard nightly at the Green Briar during those great "Gaelic Roots" weeks in the 90's. But even without "superstars", the Green Briar consistently lived up to its reputation as "the" place to go in Boston for a good friendly session.
There were a lot of ghosts in the pub the other night. Being ghosts, no one could hear them (bad) but they didn't need chairs either (good). They had to be pleased that the tradition that they received and passed on to all of us is in good health and in capable hands.
Many years back I wrote a jig called "The Green Briar" as a tribute to the pub and its musicians. Click here to hear it.
From Colin Everett:
"Our
next session will be part of World Fiddle Day on Sunday May 19th at the
Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford with the Irish session starting at
4:00, but tons of great music all day."
Thanks to Colin and the local musicians who did a great job with the Mattapoisett Library sessions over the past months. Hopefully they will be resuming when the library re-opens on Sundays in the Fall.
Thanks to Colin and the local musicians who did a great job with the Mattapoisett Library sessions over the past months. Hopefully they will be resuming when the library re-opens on Sundays in the Fall.
"GOLDEN LANE"
(Mark, Colin, John Mac, the Blacks)
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
We have a busy summer upcoming, but it should be a fun one. Here's the current list of gigs:
| Sat. 7/6 | 1:00 PM | New Bedford Folk Festival | South Coast Stage | NB |
| Fri. 7/12 | 6:00 PM | TD Bank Summer Concert | Peg Noonan Park | Falmouth |
| Sun. 7/14 | 1:30 PM | Canal Cruise | mv VIKING | Onset |
| Sun. 8/25 | 1:30 PM | Canal Cruise | mv VIKING | Onset |
CHATHAM FIDDLE CO. concerts
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From Rose Clancy:
Thursday, May 16- 7:30PM Andrew Finn Magill -
A rising star in the world of traditional fiddle music. Also
appearing will be fiddler and guitarist Nathan Gourley. Click here for a flyer.
Also note that the Tuesday night concerts featuring Rose and Gene Clancy will start on June 25th and continue till the end of September.
IRISH ADULT STEP DANCE CLASS - mixed levels
Also note that the Tuesday night concerts featuring Rose and Gene Clancy will start on June 25th and continue till the end of September.
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A new session for those interested in the Irish Step Dance traditions will be starting in April at the Kanaley School of Irish Dance at 1481 Iyannough Rd., Hyannis MA 02601. Click here for complete details.
NEW WEBSITE FOR BOSTON AREA
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
When I first started this CapeIrishNews website a few years back, I decided to limit it to "local" activities (i.e. Cape Cod and the South Coast), realizing that trying to create anything comprehensive for the Greater Boston area was beyond my capabilities.
I'm happy to announce that someone has undertaken to do what I didn't: create a website for "Celtic" activities in the Boston area. It's a very ambitious effort that will contain much more than event information - recordings, band links, education, and more. There's also a weekly bulletin that you can subscribe to.
The home page address is: greaterbostoncelticmusic.com.
Best of luck to Paul Graveline, the person in charge of all this! You can contact him at
greaterbostoncelticmusic@gmail.com
CAT'S MELODEON CURRENT SCHEDULE
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I'm hoping to get the occasional Saturday afternoon session going shortly. In the meantime you can be part of our music at the Thursday evening Olde Inne session (5:00 pm start). It's an upper-level session for musicians who are willing to learn new material - flexibility is the key. Mark and I have enjoyed hosting it so far and we look forward to continuing for the foreseeable future!
Great job by the Cats at the Woods Hole Trad Stroll on 4/27 - we made some fine music and raised a few dollars for Horace Thayer and his Walk for Hunger, a wonderful cause we're always happy to support.
Next gig will be Falmouth Arts Alive (Sat. 6/22, 3:00 pm on library lawn).
FIDDLING AROUND IN MAINE
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I received an email from a fiddler named Don Roy concerning what sounds like a very worthwhile endeavor he and his colleagues have put together in Maine. It's called "Fiddleicious Traditions" and offers an opportunity to share time with some fine performers - most of whom have played here on the Cape - as well as craftsmen, academics, and others involved in their particular fiddling tradition (not Irish - think more Cape Breton and contradance).
Here's a link to a flyer (2 pages) detailing what this is all about.
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JERRY O'SULLIVAN
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
(I had the great privilege of helping put together Jerry's fine house concert on Saturday 1/26 at Chatham Fiddle. Thanks to Rose Clancy for the nice welcome. It was an excellent show and my thanks to old friend Jerry for asking me to back him on a few numbers - always a pleasure!)
"I just wanted to let you know that I am releasing a CD of Flute music entitled The Killasser Flute in which I play all the flute parts (yes, that is correct; no Uilleann Pipes on this recording). It is a celebration of the music of my maternal grandfather's parish of Killasser, County Mayo. Ten of the twenty three tracks re-create the sound of the Killasser Flute and Drum Band which was a parish institution from 1879-1957. The CD has sixty nine minutes of music and a twenty four page DVD size booklet. . .This project will also be available for physical purchase or download at <www.cdbaby.com> from August 6th onwards. Please check <www.jerryosullivan.com> for further updates."
Sounds like a great project and we wish Jerry the best of luck!