On September 21, Irish musician Tom Carroll belted out "America the Beautiful" and kicked off an evening of tunes and airs to benefit the N.Y. Firefighters Association. The event was hosted by Green Dragon Tavern owner, John Somers, ho asked for donations in lieu of a cover charge. Somers' other pub, The Grand Coral, also in Boston, was the setting for a night of Brendan … [Read more...] about Green Dragon Raises Green
Music
The Chieftains Hold
New York’s Hand
"Will you hold my hand?" asked Lauren Murphy as she braced herself to greet her husband's mourners. Lauren was speaking to Paddy Moloney, founder of The Chieftains, the Grammy award-winning musical ambassadors of Ireland. Paddy and the band had come to New York to play at the memorial service for Lauren's husband. Matthew O'Mahony, a merchant banker for Cantor Fitzgerald, had … [Read more...] about The Chieftains Hold
New York’s Hand
In-Tune Internet
With the plethora of music sites on the web today, a new one dances apart form the other. Or jigs away, rather. Launched by Irish music business veteran Gerry Dornan, Irishmusicmail.com (inactive) offers a vast selection of Irish music, traditional to contemporary, jigs to reels to pop. Designed for east navigation, the site also offers a bargain basement for their CDs, which … [Read more...] about In-Tune Internet
Music: Traditional Music Roundup
Mirth-Making Heroes There are folks who think of "Celtic" music as a gently soothing, slightly ethereal style, heavy on the harps and tin whistles. They haven't heard At the Racket, a fun-loving bunch who prefer their jigs and reels on the saxophone and tenor banjo. This "racket" is actually the sort of whoop-it-up band you might have heard at a Saturday night dance in … [Read more...] about Music: Traditional Music Roundup
Songs of the People
Tom Russell's folk-rock album bears witness to American immigrant history. Singer and songwriter Tom Russell is a man of many worlds. Born in Southern California, he has led country music bands that played honky-tonks in such far-flung locales as Vancouver, Canada's skid row and Oslo, Norway, traveled as a carnival entertainer in Puerto Rico, and taught criminology in … [Read more...] about Songs of the People