No Irish music at Irish festivals anymore

Poststructural Pub
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A local small town on the Delta has their annual “Scottish Renaissance Festival” every summer. It’s ye olde, it’s celtic, it’s renaissance! Who can resist? It’s because a few of the locals are regulars at “Seltic” festivals around the area (like Pleasanton Scottish Games) who dress up in animal skin belts and carry maces and stuff and purport to be ancient Highlanders. Guess they pitched it to the town council or something.

I kid you not. Even in hip Calaforny. Having not gone, I can’t even tell you what music acts they book.

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“What’s in your wallet?” :wink:

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We have that age old symbol of trouble-making, Boston, for the whole “Seltic” thing.

My cousin has a CD of a bluegrass festival and it has all this crap that’s not even close to bluegrass. I can feel your pain.

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Not so. I am told that in Scotland it is usually pronounced “Seltic”, and the same in Chicago. The problem is in keeping a letter like “C” in our alphabet that has too many sounds attributed to it. Its no wonder people get confused or misled as to its pronunciation in any given word.

djm

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No, ‘Celtic’ is pronounced ‘Keltic’ in Scotland except in the case of the
football (soccer) club called Glasgow Celtic where it is ‘Seltic’.
I had it explained to me many pints ago why sports teams like Boston
Celtics, or Cork Celtic or Glasgow Celtic are pronounced that way but I
have no recollection of that explanation …

Colin ( as in Kolin )

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It’s all Greek to me…

(Get it? Get it?!?!?!?!)

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http://www.theworldfleadh.com/artists.html

Holy cr*p, what a line-up!! Unfrigging believable.

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Heya Tommy!

Back to the topic as posted… I too have noticed this disturbing trend, there is not enough Irish Traditional Music at the so-called Irish Festivals.

Milwaukee IrishFest is a very good example, your observations are correct in that there are too many rock bands that may try to play a reel or a jig as a song break, not enough of the North Creggs or Kilfenora Ceili Bands.

There should be way way more Irish traditional acts of all configurations, not only a band with 5 or 6 members, but trios, duets and the solo players.

Why should the Gaeltacht Tent at the Cultural Village be the ONLY place for these types of acts, they are not putting them on other stages?


Nano, if you know any of the organizers, do you happen to know if they are familiar with the genre or do they want to book the “reel and roll” acts going into the future?

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They’re familiar all right. Enough of them, anyway. There’s no doubt about it. The main force seems to want to focus on the pop stuff, and the rest don’t seem to care or have little say. The trad stuff remains marginalised. But, after all, these are the appearances of things: I’m not in on the nitty-gritty (and I’m pretty sure I’d not want to be), so I only know what I see and what hearsay has to tell about it.

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Why should the Gaeltacht Tent at the Cultural Village be the ONLY place for these types of acts, they are not putting them on other stages?

Great point there Karen. A group like Teada or Bohola or whoever should be on the same stage as the likes of the Elders, Gaelic Storm or who ever. Then folks will get a chance to see, hear and compare them all. Hopefully enjoy them all too.


The trad stuff remains marginalised

Unfortunatly, I think this may not be the case now it very well be in the future.
I’m trying to be objective and not just say those rock bands are all crap. They’re not all bad. I saw the Elders at the Kansas City Festival last year and thought they put on a superb show! Very entertaining!
There bands like that who, if called me for some gigs, I’d play with them no bother.
Then if the price was right so would Liam O’Flynn or Paddy Moloney. Thats what pays the bills.

But mind you some of the celtic rock bands out there are terrible. Well, maybe not terrible but very average.
And I say that, not that I’m a purist, but I think some of those bands just aren’t very well equipped with decent musicians.

Look at the Pogues. They had a solid bass and drum section, Phil Chevron is a great acoustic and electric guitarist, Terry Woods is a super bouzouki player. So the body of the band was musicly tight.
On the other hand the accordionist was average and the whistle player was brutal and the singer was always hammered but it worked.
Some of these newer bands don’t just have the people to pull it off, just some though.

Anyway, I’m side stepping.



Here’s a theory on a different point.
One thing I have encountered is ill-informed, biased behavour on the part of some festival organisers. I have seen it where a touring band from Ireland will get preferences over and equally good if not better band playing great Irish music but born and raised in the US.
Some festival people will percieve a band to be better or maybe attracting a better crowd because they “from Ireland” and they talk funny.
Anyone else noticed or experienced this?




I haven’t encountered this sort of problem in the UK.

I just got the latest copy of Living Tradition where there are adds for festivals throught the UK. Now most of these are advertised as “Folk Festivals” where as in the US it usually a “Celtic Festival” or an “Irish Festival”
I suppose that can clarify content. But in the UK festivals there are Irishbands, British, Welsh, Scottish, Bluegrass, Skiffle, Country, Cajun, Breton, Flamenco but no rock or very, very few.

Mind you, on a positive note. In the US there seems to be a lot more and bigger workshop weeks and Tionoil that cater for just Irish traditional music. But unless you already play an instrument your kinda left out.

All just my 2c or 2p.
Tommy.

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Hmmm fascinating responses to a great question.

Me-thinks that like the Rock/Blues era Irtrad has run its course and is on the wane, while other genres - here its World Music - are now experiencing sudden popularity. Often these folks aren’t ready for the fame and attention so they don’t follow through and burn out, others fare better.

I think the Guitar players have the last laugh after all those years of slagging by the rest. Today the shoe is on the other foot and its Whistle/Flute/Box/Pipers that are lucky if they know a Guitarist who can find them a gig.

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Nice fishing attempt, U! :wink:

No troubles here finding gigs, don’t need to ask “the guitarist”. :smiley:

Thanks for the comments, Tommy… I have noticed that Irish bands from Ireland can get preferential treatment, especially at big festivals like Milwaukee IrishFest, even if they are just average.

Maybe some of the promoters and bookers at the events need to hear from those of us that may prefer a more traditional sound, to suggest booking specific folks and enhance the bookings in that direction?

IrishFest has booked acts like Tommy Keane and Jacqueline McCarthy, Mike Rafferty, Altan, bohola, Tommy Peoples, Jerry O’Sullivan (with Green Fields of America), Charlie Piggott, Fintan Vallely, Sliabh Notes and the previously mentioned North Cregg and Kilfenora bands. There just needs to be more of it, IMHO! :party:

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Imagine that!

In that case you are as well off. In the meantime, you might want to share you artistry on some common ground, like for example Mr Laban did or like the many other talented Irish people ARE doing on Youtube, so as we know you are telling it like it is.

Nudge nudge, wink wiink

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Sarcasm and challenges like that are uncalled-for. Karen is a fine fiddler and well-versed.

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I went to the Slainte Irish Festival in Pachogue NY about a month ago. It’s a relatively small festival which I like. They had some top acts too like the Makem and Spain Brothers, and Cherish The Ladies but there was an awful lot of Celtic Rock and some of that dansband stuff. I don’t really go for it, but it seems to be a big draw and the people who run the festivals have to think of the bottom line at the end of the day.

I would go back to Slainte or go to other festivals for that matter but I realise that I will most likely have to find other things to do between the good traditional acts. If they’re good enough it’s worth it.

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In that case you are as well off. In the meantime, you might want to share you artistry on some common ground, like for example Mr Laban did or like the many other talented Irish people ARE doing on Youtube, so as we know you are telling it like it is.

I’m not really sure what your point was initially, but if you are questioning our (Karens, Peters and mine) musicianship, you can hear some of me here www.myspace.com/tomuilleann

make your own mind up then.

I can’t wait to hear you…

If you want to hear any more of my music you have to pay for it.

Tommy