Music is served … - Irish American News

20 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS January 2006Tradition In ReviewWe expect you had a greatChristmas, and so did we! As yousee elsewhere in the paper, NationalPublic Radio has asked us tojoin partner, Shay Clarke to host aweekly Irish music program. Thefun begins Monday, January 2ndon WDCB, 90.9 fm. from 7-9:00p.m., and every Monday from thenon. We’re going to feature the fullrange of real Celtic music. Therewill be a full score of artists andstyles, as we continue our decades-longeffort to enlighten andeducate Shay on this music. Theshow will be called, Blarney on theAir. Some of the readers rememberwhen we hosted a show by thesame name about 12 or 13 yearsago. This is all lost in the sands oftime. It was during that era whenShay’s Mother (a Saint, to be sure) admitted to us that, yes, his upbringingin Dublin had very littleto do with music, and what therewas in terms of musical appreciationwas quite limited. We know.But, the journey continues.By Bill MargesonWe’ll be featuring the sameartists you read about here. Theshow will follow in the footstepsof our late friend, Mike Fleischer,and his show, Treasures FromThe Isles. It can’t replace Mike’spopular program in any way. Wewon’t try that particular impossibility.It will be different fromhis show, but we know he’ll bethere every week with his handon the throttle. When Shay attemptsto fob some of his favsoff as the “ real deal “, we’ll justview ourselves as the “TruthSquad. “ We will most definitelyhave a ball. And, so will you. Wepromise you’re going to hearthe very best each week. Maybe,you’ll learn something aboutthe music. We know we will! Itwill most definitely have a tradfeeling, but that is a very widewaterfront today, and we’ll becovering it in detail. If you lovegreat Irish/Celtic music, and agood laugh as well, join us everyMonday night! And, there’sno one in the world we’d ratherbe doing this with more thanShay, painful as that is to admit.Irish Fest in Milwaukee has announcedmost of its acts for the2006 get together. Looks likeanother mega winner. Highlightswill most definitely include areturn of last year’s hit of theFest, The Bridies. People are stilltalking about the most populargroup in Ireland now--and oneof the more controversial. Welove ‘em! Also, joining the Festwill be the hottest act in tradnow, The Dave Munnelly Band.Munnelly is already one of thegreats in the history of the buttonbox. Guitarist Galvin Ralston,Dave’s brother Kieran on fluteand bodhran, plus keyboardist,will join vocalist, Andrew Murray.Bet on it now, this will be ahuge hit in the band’s premierappearance at Fest. This groupis hot, Hot, HOT! Those few ofyou who saw them at the endof last September’s Celtic Festin Chicago’s Grant Park knowjust what a coup for Irish Festthis is in landing Munnelly. UpMayo!!! Wow!! Then, comes areal treat worthy of the Fest atits best! Nova Scotia KitchenParty!! There is going to be adaily recreation of what would33rd Annual Snowflake Ballto take place on February 11Tickets are now on sale forthe Beverly Area Planning Association’s(BAPA) 33rd annualSnowflake Ball on Sat., Feb. 11,2006, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., at theShannon Center, Saint XavierUniversity, 3700 W. 103rd St.,Chicago. Performing dancemusic that night will be LynnJordan and the Shivers, and theSXU Jazz Band. Tickets are $30in advance or $35 at the door.They can be reserved by calling773-233-3100, or during businesshours at BAPA, 10233 S.Wood St., Chicago.be the all-time, all-heavy NovaScotian party that somehowalways begins and ends in thekitchen---with some of the planet’sbest musicians--- a partiallisting including the likes ofThe Cottars, Jerry Holland andJ.P.Cormier. This will truly be aball, and all salutes to the gangat Fest for bringing this one in!!It’ll all be August 17th throughthe 20th, 2006. Do you realizethat the decade is more than halfover? Good Lord.Okay, we admit it. We are notreviewing new albums this month.We are swamped preparing forChristmas as we write this. EditorCliff Carlson (known among thestaff as the ‘Joseph Goebbels ofpublishing’) has pulled his usualNazi trick of threatening any latecolumns with the scrap pile. And,we wanted you all to know aboutthe new show. The good news isthat there are some wonderfulnew albums we’ll be coveringnext month including one fromthe greatest, Eilis Kennedy fromDingle, with her new vocal masterpiece,One Sweet Kiss. Fiddlerand musical maestro, NollaigCasey checks in with a wonderfulnew piece of business. Manyconsider Noel Hill as the greatestconcertina player in the history ofIrish music, and he has his firstnew album out in something like18 years (we wouldn’t want torush things). It is fab. And, therewill be the usual new artists tointro. Great stuff, altogether.Take a look at this month’sLiveIreland.com on yer’ ‘puter. Asthe regular reader knows, we alsoserve as the Irish music writer forDublin-based LiveIreland.com,which is far and away the web’smost popular and successful Irishmusic site. This month, we’re announcingthe winners of The Livies.These are the best of the tradrecordings released in 2005. Lotsof surprises. We’ll be in Dublin asyou read this promoting The Livies.These Awards will be joinedby our paper’s, Top TIR Awardsthis March. Proper recognition forthe best artists in the biz.Whew!! * Ta!The Snowflake Ball is hostedby the Beverly Area PlanningAssociation with the generoussupport of co-host and presentingsponsor Saint Xavier Universityand Grande Snowflake SponsorGilhooley’s Grande Saloon atSaint Xaivier University. TheSnowflake Ball is BAPA’s majorannual fundraiser. BAPA is anot-for-profit community basedorganizations founded in 1947 toserve the Beverly Hills/MorganPark neighborhood of Chicago.For more information, call 773-233-3100.Jim White, Pat and Conor Cunneen, John Devens, and Julia Dusek-Devens enjoying the fundraiser held for Irish Rep Theatre at O’Brien’sRestaurant last month.White, and the Devens are with the band, Dyed in the Wool, and JohnDevens owns World Folk Music Co., on the southside of Chicago.Conor is the author of the book, “Why Ireland Never Invaded America.”and a popular public speaker.