18 Arts & Entertainment
The Blarney Brothers A Fine Line Between Ambition and Delusion
http://web2airmail.net/blarney
by Ryan O’Connor
The Blarney Brothers is a six member band based out of Texas. Citing influ- ences ranging from Makem and Clancy, Garth Brooks and Stan Rogers, this group is talented not only in the vocal department but also in the fact that all six members play at least three instruments — and well! Incorporated
with the usual guitars, pennywhistle, harmonica, banjo and bass are such in- struments as the bouzouki, hammered dulcimer, and digereedoo.
There are many inter- esting things about this al- bum, first of all is that of the song selection. The twelve songs included on this album
The Cadre
could very easily fit in with the East Coast music scene — such songs as “Rocky Road To Dublin,” “Witch of the Westmoreland,” “Roddy McCorley,” and “Paddy Murphy” bring up images and sounds of our local peformers. However, the Blarney Brothers do great
° 16 March 1999
jobs of all of these songs — it’s hard to realize that they’re from Texas. Also in- cluded are their versions of Garth Brooks’ “Ireland” and Tommy Makem’s “Rambles of Spring.” The Blarney’s are definitely a fun and en- tertaining band that are worth a look, so check them out.
Dramtreeo Storm www.southernbranch.com
by Ryan O’Connor
Dramtreeo is an ener- getic folk group based out of Virgina. In their 17" year of existence, this is an excellent release, featuring the great harmonies and vibrant instru- mentation of this five mem- ber band. Just as the liner notes to this album suggests, this music is timeless, for some of the songs, such as “Sixteen Tons” and Woody
Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” date back to the 1940’s and 50’s — yet they sound just as relevant and fresh today as they must have back then. Other songs in- cluded on this album are “Aragon Mill” by Si Kahn — a song about a factory clos- ing resulting in the ghostlike appearance of a town, “Storm Comin’ On,” written by Rob
Crutchfield, “Black Velvet Band” — an old Irish tune that has never sounded bet- ter (and believe me, I’ve heard a tremendous number of different versions), and “Mbube” — a Zulu chant that was adapted by Pete Seeger and later turned into the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
As a last note, I’d like to congratulate Dramtreeo on
this CD. Not only am I pleased that they included the original, somewhat sarcastic version of “This Land” by Guthrie (which was written as a reaction to the situation during the Great Depression), but they made a fan of me. A great band with great har- monies and a fine repertoire of songs, a great formula.
various artists Joyful Noise: Celtic kavorites from Green Linnet
www.greenlinnet.com
by Ryan O’Connor
Green Linnet is a label based out of the United States that specializes in the best of Celtic music. Included on their label are such greats as Altan (seen recently at the Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton), Cherish the Ladies, Tommy Sands and
Eileen Ivers -- all of which have at least one cut on this 2 CD compilation.
Tommy Sands contri- bution to this album is his emotional song “There Were Roses,” in which the North- ern Ireland troubles are pre- sented through the eyes of
friends, and it’s a great song. Altan have two songs on this album, and Cherish the La- dies contribute “Green Grow the Rushes Oh.”
This album is must for any fan of traditional Irish and Scottish music. If you’re
interested in such, contact Green Linnet for a free cata- logue via their web page or by calling 1-800-468-6644. I would go on to de- scribe this album more, but it must suffice to say that it must be heard to be believed.
Shane MacGowan and the Popes
The Crock of Gold (ZTT Records)
Wwww.ztt.com
By Ryan O’Connor
MacGowan first rose to prominance in the 1970s following an incident at a Clash concert in London at which part of his ear was bit- ten off by another concert- goer. By the early 1980s, MacGowan was the leader of one of the period’s most in- novative and refreshing bands — the Pogues. Com-
bining MacGowan’s punkish poetry (not to mention his unique delivery), and the bands skill at Irish traditional music, they paved the way for many.
This is the second re- lease from Shane MacGowan and the Popes, and it essen- tially sticks to the formula that made the Pogues so suc-
cessful. Including excellent covers of “Spanish Lady” and “Come to the Bower” — both Irish traditional songs, MacGowan also contributed two songs that rival anything he wrote in earlier days — “Mother Mo Chroi” and “St John of Gods” (the latter of which features a wonderful chorus of “F yas all, f yas
all”).
Also of special note, this album features MacGowan at his Irish nationalist best. I’m pleased with this album, al- though I'll be the first to ad- mit that it took a listen or two before I got the hang of it (the transition from the Pogues to the Popes took a little time).
with a special irish
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