Upcoming Shows For The NYC ST. Patrick’s Day!

Wow the year is moving so fast. I am reminded by two movies I watched today: Passengers and The Space Between Us. Although I have something to say about both films, this isn’t the right place! And hey Asa Butterfield reminds me of my  singer-songwriter friend Layne Greene.

Saint Patrick’s Day Season is just a few days away and Anita Daly (who runs the amazing Daly Communications) is involved with these shows. So if you are around NYC, check these wonderful artists.

I am a huge fan of The Chieftains for decades and it is great to know that they are touring again. Also, Canadian couple Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster will thrill their American fans with their own brand of Celtic music. I posted a review of their holiday album a few months ago and you can tell it was a great listening pleasure for me!

March 4th, the legendary Chieftains bring their 55th Anniversary Tour to Kupferberg Center at Queens College, Flushing NY @ 8:00pm 

 

“55 years, wow, where have they gone as we’re still going strong”, says Paddy Moloney, leader of the six-time Grammy Award winners, The Chieftains.  The Chieftains have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale.  The Chieftains were formed in Ireland in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, one of the top traditional folk musicians in Ireland and around the world. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has notably hailed them as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day. After more than fifty five years of making some of the most beautiful music in the world, The Chieftains’ music remains as fresh and relevant as when they first began.  Paddy Moloney says, “This tour will have all the musical force of what we’ve accumulated and achieved over the last 55 years, with a few extra gems thrown in for good measure”.

For Tickets Visit: www.ticketmaster.com  Discount Code CHIEFS

March 17, Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy bring their family of fiddlers to Webster Hall, NYC for a special ST. PATRICK’S DAY performance of their ‘From Ireland to Cape Breton & Beyond’ tour @8:00pm

 

The first family of Celtic fiddlers, The husband and wife duo, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, command the stage with an explosive celebration of raw energy and passion that infuses their traditional heritage with their taste for the contemporary. With this show Natalie and Donnell will blend the legendary musical traditions of Ireland with that of their hometowns of Lakefield Ontario and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The show is a family affair including special performances with their children and highlights the unique talents, influences and stories of this amazing, growing clan through dancing, singing and, of course, world-class music making.  The couple is touring after their recent album release of ‘ONE’, possibly the best fiddle album ever recorded. 

 

For Tickets Visit: http://www.websterhall.com/

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I love instrumental music! I feel that… it just goes into your subconscious smoothly. Without the distraction of the lyrics, there is no room for intellectualized things. You just go for the cheese in the sandwich right away. Check this dude out. He’s based in Wales and he plays a hot guitar! I attached the link below where you can listen to his music. His name is Bedwyr Morgan.

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Have you heard of  McPEAKE ? www.facebook.com/mcpeakemusic and they have just released a new EP – Gypsies in the Wood. They put a fresh contemporary spin to traditional songs. For instance, Wild Mountain has that pop vibe with an almost R & B rendering. But it still manages to evoke that traditional vibe.

Their songs can be heard via their website: http://www.mcpeakemusic.com

A brief bio I got from their website:

Ask Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, or Bono about the roots of Irish Music, and they will point you to the McPeake Family!

The four generations of the McPeake Family are one of those rare Irish gems that have been whispered as ‘folk-royalty.’  Their beloved song “Wild Mountain Thyme” has been on the lips of music lovers across the globe – in Irish pubs, concert halls, and music festivals worldwide – since it was first performed in the late 1940s.  This hauntingly beautiful folk anthem has been covered by music superstars such as Glen Frey (The Eagles), Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan and Judy Collins, to name but a very few.

Francis McPeake I penned “Wild Mountain Thyme;” Francis McPeake II influenced Van Morrison, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan; Francis McPeake III taught John Lennon the Uilleann Pipes; and now Francis McPeake IV – who has worked with iconic Hollywood film companies, such as Walden Media, and Academy Award-winning actors – has formed the vibrant new band McPEAKE.

Figuring prominently in the EMMY Award-winning PBS Special “Music of Ireland,” McPEAKE is now taking the world of Celtic music by storm with its own contemporary brand of self-penned songs and compositions. Since their initial tour of USA in 2009, McPEAKE are now on the main stages of the USA festival circuit, performing regularly to audiences in excess 10,000 people. The new generation of this legendary family has developed a distinctive sound that is totally immersed in the popular culture of today, while maintaining a firm anchor in the influences of past generations.

McPEAKE’s unique blend of Indie, Country, Folk and Irish music attracts widely diverse audiences that might not otherwise commingle. Fans consistently use superlatives such as fresh, authentic, original, and dazzling to describe the experience that is – McPEAKE!