Today I thought back to when I first picked up a whistle and the influences that drove me to keep at it during those first few months. I found my first whistle shortly after I was first introduced to the music of Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphy’s and those were the first influences on my playing. The first songs I learned were by those two groups and Dropkick Murphy’s transitioned me into more of the traditional Irish music with songs like The Rocky Road to Dublin and The Fields of Athenry. Since then my musical interests have expanded quite a bit but I still listen to those groups and play their songs sometimes.
This has left me wondering, What other non-traditional groups have influenced other whistle players and inspired you to pick up the instrument or learn some new tunes?
I’m not sure if this fits the thread as The McDades do a lot of trad music. However, their version of Rocky Road to Dublin isn’t trad at all. This song kicks ass.
That certainly wasn’t traditional at all, but it was really good. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of them before. I love the style of their whistle player.
While far from causing me to pick up a whistle (that happened decades ago) Afro Celt Sound System with James McNally on whistles did inspire me to rethink the music and take it in new directions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTTDsD9DDBc
My kids are Haggis Heads. They have been quite popular around here for some time.
My older Brother (65 years young) is a Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphy camp follower. Of course he had his Pogues phase too. We grew up on the Clancys, Dubliners, etc. and this is what it has come to.
When I picked up the whistle I was absolutely addicted to the playing of Brian Finnegan because this man played what I felt.
His playing has influenced my whistle style very much and I spend many month practising.
Later I’ve started to play the irish flute and new, more traditional influences came through many workshops, trough being a member of our local session for a few years now and through listening to players like Matt Molloy, Kevin Crawford, Seamus Egan, Mike Rafferty, Seamus Tansey, Catherine McEvoy, Steph Geremia - just to name a few of them.
Flogging Molly was actually the complete reason I discovered what a whistle was.
Now I’ve listened to the Clancy brothers since I was a kid but had not heard much whistle playing from them, and if I did it wasn’t what stuck out in my mind. Their lyrics and liveliness are why I enjoyed them, but in Flogging Molly’s Devil’s Dance Floor I just loved the sound of what I thought was a flute.
Eventually I tried to find flute tabs for it and guess what I found? A video of a pretty lady playing what looked like some sort of recorder( ) and decided I wanted it.
I really never got into Dropkick Murphy’s because around here there are a lot of ‘punk’ kids who love shoving their interests in your face to prove they are somehow better fans than you. It stifled a lot of interest that could’ve turned into like because if you’re a new fan you’re kind of looked down on for not being a ‘real’ fan.
Needless to say I hang out with a different crowd now. I think I’ll give all these bands a listen.
I really enjoy a band called Finntroll but they aren’t irish and, as far as I know, don’t incorporate tin whistle. They sing in Finnish as well. I don’t know why I brought them up. I think they’re good though and if you like metal/folk metal then you might like them. Norther is in that category as well, I think. And possibly Wintersun.
Edit: Actually Finntroll sings in Swedish, sorry. They are Finnish though. You would think I could tell after studying Swedish and Finnish separately, eh?
I’m learning about a lot of new groups I’ll have to start listening to to. I do like Enter the Haggis. Their version of Minstrel Boy made that my favorite tune for quite a while. I’ve heard of Neil Anderson. I love his playing but I don’t think I’ll ever get to be that good.
Quite a few of the other names mentioned are new to me and I have a feeling that I’ll spend a lot of time next weekend looking up youtube videos of them.
One group that I feel I must mention is Connemara Stone Company. I think they’re German. I don’t remember just now. I want to learn to play flute because of them and a few other non Irish groups I’ve heard.
This is one of the few places I can find other people who know and listen to the same kind of music I enjoy so it’s nice to be able to get suggestions of other groups I might like and maybe pick up a few tunes from.
The first group that really grabbed my attention and made me want to pick up the whistle was the Christian group: “Eden’s Bridge”. Then, a couple years ago, I stumbled onto “McPeake” in Grand Central Station in New York at an Irish Tourism event in one of the side halls. I bought their CD and along with Eden’s Bridge CDs, they get lots of playtime! Finding them was one of the highlights of my trip to New York! They both keep me inspired to keep learning!
I got into folk music when I was a child - I spent hours listening to anything I could get hold of by Steeleye Span.
When I was in my teens I discovered the Oysterband (who are folk/rock GODS) and more recently, I’ve discovered a couple of groups called 3 Daft Monkeys and Blackbeard’s Tea Party. I veer more towards the rockier side of folk, but ever since those earlier days with Steeleye Span I’ve loved jigs and reels.
I learned fiddle at school, but I never had the opportunity to learn any of those types of music. If I had, I might have stuck with it, but I gave it up before I left school. Now as an adult I’ve taken it up again, along with the tin whistle, and I love them both! (plus the varnish on my fiddle smells mmm lovely )
) and decided I wanted it.
)