Central Missouri Celtic Arts Association Newsletter, March 18, 2003
www.moceltic.orgIn this issue:
*Andy Irvine events in Columbia this week:
- Song workshop Wednesday evening
- Guest lecture for MU History Dept, Thursday 2 p.m. (free & open to public)
- Concert Thursday 7:30 p.m.
* Thanks goes out to Congressman Hulshof's office
* Andy Irvine in St. Louis Friday
* St. Louis Tionol is coming right up! March 28-30
* Bohola & BCFD pipers at The Big Muddy, April 4-5
* Dougie MacLean at UMR April 12
* Illinois Celtic events newsletterNewsletter archive:
February 26, 2003
January 17, 2003
December 5, 2002
November 7, 2002
October 18, 2002
October 8, 2002
September 15, 2002
August 5, 2002
July 25, 2002
July 8, 2002
June 22, 2002
May 16, 2002
I hope you all had a lovely St. Patrick's Day and are enjoying this excellent weather!
Andy Irvine, Irish icon of folk music and songs of social justice, is in Columbia this week. The following events will happen as scheduled whether or not war begins.
In Ireland, Andy Irvine is a legend and inspiration as recognizable as Woody Guthrie is to American folk singers. To U.S. audiences, Irvine is best known as the voice of Patrick Street, the renowned Irish band that has been touring American since 1987. His bands Planxty and Sweeney's Men were forefront in the Irish folk revival of the 60s and 70s.
- SONG WORKSHOP, Wednesday, March 19, 7:30 p.m. $25
- E-mail kakers@chivalry.com to register. (reservations required)
- A unique opportunity to learn a few songs and a bit about the Irish song tradition from one of the all-time masters!
- LECTURE for the MU History Dept,
- Thursday, Mar 20, 2 - 3:15 pm. Jesse Wrench Aud, Memorial Union on the MU campus for the MU history department. Musical narrative exploring the relationship between Irish history and Irish music.
- FREE admission. Open to the public.
- Map of Memorial Union location: http://map.missouri.edu/memorial_union_area.html
- ANDY IRVINE IN CONCERT Thursday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church Activity Building
- Admission: $10 CMCAA members/$12 public
- Kids 14 & under admitted free, high school and college students 1/2 price.
- Map of Sacred Heart location: http://www.moceltic.org/sacred-heart-location.html
Andy has been hugely influential in traditional music, in the often credited for gaining acceptance of the bouzouki in Irish music and for bringing Balkan and Eastern European musical influences into modern Celtic music. Bill Whelan produced Andy's album of Balkan music "East Wind", and was inspired by the Eastern and Celtic blendings to use them as major themes when he wrote the score to Riverdance. The dedication for the Riverdance album reads, "To Andy Irvine, whose pioneering enthusiasm for and love of Eastern European music became totally infectious to any of us lucky enough to come into his line of fire."
Typical of Irvine, he wouldn't tout that connection, preferring instead to stand on the merit of his own music. The trademarks of his repertoire include self-penned songs that document the unsung heroes of history, obscure traditional Irish songs that are poignant or humorous, and dance tunes from the far east and west of Europe.
In an evening with Andy Irvine...
What might you expect in an evening with a living legend? For all of Andy's years playing in bands where the stage chemistry is based on the interplay of personalities, at heart he loves being a solo performer. Him, his bouzouki, mandolin and a microphone are all he needs to captivate an audience. It's not flashy showmanship that holds your attention, but the authentic and heartfelt sincerity that comes through in his music.
Through the course of a concert with Andy, you can expect to hear a few traditional Irish songs, of course, but that's far from all. You can count on a lyrical lesson in social history, lively tunes from east and west of Europe, interesting and often (very) humorous stories, superb vocals and amazingly dexterous picking.
Thanks goes out.... to Congressman Kenny Hulshof's office
It's been a long wait!
Well, Andy is REALLY performing in Columbia this week -- in fact, he's already in town. Last May we had him scheduled to perform in Columbia, but the INS saw fit to delay approval of his temporary work visa until it was too late for him to get to the states in time to start his tour. It was a nerve-wracking week, not knowing if the show was on or off until the last minute.Visa processing problems have plagued international performing artists for the last year and a half, even artists like Andy who have been in the states many, many times over the years and are internationally renowned. The new requirements for background checks have caused huge backlogs at INS and made the visa approval process very arduous. Our experience last May led the St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts to send out a newsletter about visa processing problems to all the arts organizations they work with in Missouri and Illinois. You can read it here: http://www.vlaa.org/documents/_Visa.pdf
Congressman Kenny Hulshof's office has been exceptionally helpful in assisting me with visa issues. Bringing international musicians to perform in Columbia has had many challenges, but through all of them the Congressman's staff, particularly Tracey Magyar, have been wonderful to work with. I just want to extend public thanks to Congressman Hulshof's office and let everyone know that they've been such a great help.
Andy Irvine in St. Louis on Friday
If you can't make it to Andy's show in Columbia, he'll also be performing in St. Louis Friday evening. This will be a house concert presented by Mike Mullins, coordinator of the St. Louis Tionol (more on that event below). Reservations are required and you can make yours by calling 636-926-9192.
St. Louis Tionol is just ten days away! www.tionol.org
Registration for a full day of workshops AND the evening concert is just $65. (Additional concert tickets are $24.) You can pick up a registration form at the Andy Irvine concert on Thursday evening in Columbia, or get one here:
http://www.tionol.org/registration.htmlWorkshops include beginning to advanced levels for fiddle, Uilleann pipes, whistle and bodhran.
All-Ireland champion Eileen Gannon will be teaching harp, Patrick Street member Ged Foley will be teaching guitar, Bohola singer Pat Broaders will be teaching ballads, and Bernie Nau, member of Kevin Burke's All-Star Ceili Band will be teaching piano backup.Christine Harker, our own Set dance instructor will be calling dances for a ceilidh at The Tap Room at Schlafly's on Friday night. Bohola will provide music for the dancers.
A great weekend of music and dance!
The Big Muddy Folk Festival, April 4-5 in Booneville MO
www.bigmuddy.orgBohola, Irish traditional band from the Chicago area, and the Boone County Fire District Pipe and Drum Band will both perform during the Saturday evening concert. See the web site for descriptions of these performers and all the other great acts that will be part of the festival.
Tickets: $16 for either Friday or Saturday evening, or $26 for both shows.
To order tickets, call 888-588-1477
Dougie MacLean, Scottish singer/songwriter, will give a concert on the campus of University of Missouri-Rolla on Saturday, April 12. For ticket information call 573 341 4219. Dougie's web site is www.dougiemaclean.com
Celtic events in Illinois
Interested in knowing what Celtic events are happening over in Illinois? Lisa Boucher of Champaign sends out a similar newsletter highlighting current happenings in Central Illinois. To get on the e-mail list, go to http://www.fpmrecords.com/ceol/ for instructions.