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Celtic Music to share and buy!
IN THIS
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• Listen
to my "Celtic Collection"
• Shows
& Events
Hello
Friends & Fans--
Pinching!!
That's what I remember about St. Patrick's Day as a kid. But
living under the O'Leary's completely changed my take on
the American Irish experience.
I
moved to Boston in my early 20's from California, and
after a few roommate situations, I found my own apartment
in
one
of
the ubiquitous
two-family homes in Somerville, outside Cambridge. There,
for 18 years I shared a ceiling with the Rambunctious
O'Leary's
who celebrated St. Patrick's day annually. And by that
I mean all year long. I should also say that the ceiling
we shared
was their floor.
On
St. Patrick's day the O'Leary's flew the Irish Flag, their
grandchildren performed Irish stepdance and Mary Lou begged
me to stuff her into my suitcase when I went to record
a PBS
Special
in Ireland. "I'm small. I'll fit!" she said.
 The
O'Leary's
were Irish through and through. And for
me, living below them was perfect. I
loved Mary Lou and Charlie, and they treated me like I
belonged
there.
In the rare times
they raised
my rent over 18 years, it was always with a written
apology. And I loved living close to a family — but
not actually in one. It was perfect for
me as a composer, too: The O'Leary's were noisy,
but never
played the stereo, so no
matter how much noise they made, I could still keep
my musical thoughts straight – and by setting my
music studio up under their laundry room I could practice
or
compose all
night, and no complaints from them.
Only once in nearly two decades did they
complain about my noise, and
it wasn't so much a complaint as a cry of alarm.
That was
when I was learning Mexican Foot-Dancing for a concerto project.
And I only complained once too, during an indoor
O'Leary-Boys
soccer game. I didn't
mind the noise - or even the house shaking - it wasn't
any worse than a medium-grade California earthquake.
But if the boys actually crashed through the
ceiling, I
wouldn't make my deadline.
In
those years under the O'Leary's my life completely changed.
I started touring to Europe, got a record contract, started
soloing with orchestras ... and spent a lot of time with
Celtic musicians, learning about the music and the culture
of the many Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany,
Cornwall, Isle of Man, Galicia and Asturia.
When
I finally bought my own house, I
couldn't bear to leave the O'Leary's and
I kept the apartment for nearly a year, even though
I lived two miles down
the road.
When Charlie died, I played "Danny Boy" at
the funeral - a song I'd never liked as a kid (it only
takes one tenor to ruin that song for someone forever). But
playing it for Charlie was completely different. I suddenly
heard the tenderness.
And
when I started spending time with Celtic musicians, I
discovered how much we have in
common: the love of mixing story with song, the thrill
of rhythm, the sense of music as an expression of
individual spirit - but also of people as a community.
I
don't consider myself a "Celtic Musician" but
the influence of the music, the culture and the
ethic on my work has
been profound. This month we created
a Celtic Download Collection in honor of St.
Patrick's Day. It
includes all the cuts from my "Celtic Album,"
plus cuts from
two
other
albums
and
a live,
unreleased
version of "Danny Boy" --
so check it out. You can buy it and download
on the spot, or listen to the whole album for
free. Let me know what you think!
And
for anyone wondering what exactly I'm doing
right now, you can now join my Facebook
fan
page, follow me
on Twitter (I'm
easy to follow - I'm moving slowly), or
watch me quiver with Cyber-stagefright as
I step out into the blogosphere.
And I hope to see you soon, live from the stage!
p.m.
that image above, on the cover of "The Celtic
Album"
is me at Castle Something-or-Other, in Ireland. The
castle's up in to my left, but very high, so it's
not in the photo. Very beautiful! Though I can't
say as the food was particularly
great. But ... wait! Who cares! If music is the food
of love ... then... uh... no wonder there's such
great music in Ireland.
UPCOMING
SHOWS and EVENTS!
• Chamber
Music in Wales:
April 9 - Caernarfon Wales - a full evening of my original
music, both solo and Chamber Music -- with soloists Amanda
Whiting, Eleanor Turner, and me! Plus - it's my conducting
debut!
• Mother's Day Shows in Massachusetts:
Shows at Tupelo Music Hall & TCAN Center for Arts in
Natick
• Summer
Performance Workshop in Maine: for
all musicians - from amateurs to professionals
More on these and other shows at my TOUR
PAGE |
