Shamrock Fest 2007
recommended beverage:
Since the alternative was Bud, I went with water.
(someone please explain to me the logic of no Irish beer at a Shamrock Fest)
Since the alternative was Bud, I went with water.
(someone please explain to me the logic of no Irish beer at a Shamrock Fest)
The luck of the Irish brought unseasonably warm weather today, with temperatures near 70--the perfect day to celebrate St. Patty's Day outside, though a week early. Tens of thousands of people descended upon the RFK parking lot for live music, dj tents, rides, games, food, and drunken debauchery. Upon my arrival, the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, of the DC Fire Department, were marching and playing patriotic songs on the bagpipes, which put me in the spirit of the day. Here are some thoughts on the bands I saw:
The Connells:
It would appear age has taken a toll on this band, that and the lead singer was a bit trashed and his mic wasn't turned up enough. Still, it was good to see the reunion of this North Carolina alt-rock band so named for two Connell brothers, bassist and guitarist, who formed this band back in the mid-80s. Some of their ballads have a Celtic flavor though most are simply good pop rock. But one had to be very close to the stage today to make out any of Doug MacMillan's mumbled singing.
Kelly Bell Band:
Always entertaining, Kelly hails from Baltimore and plays frequently in the DC metro area so it was no surprise a large crowd had assembled to check him out. It was surprising, though, that he played on a tiny stage and a crappy cover band would get to play the much larger stage next to it. Kelly engages the crowd with a combination of humor and dynamic vocals. His business is phat blues music and he delivered today, as usual. At one point, Kelly got a visit on stage from the singer of the cover band, Mr. Greengenes, and they dabbled in a few bars of a few covers for fun, then Kelly stressed he does original music but that the crowd should be impressed that 4 1/2 black men knew the lyrics to a Journey song. He also changed up the chorus of "My Girl" to "White Girls," which got a crowd chuckle. Most amusing was his bluesy rendition of Sponge Bob's Square Pants. Kelly is one homegrown phat cat.
Carbon Leaf:
Outstanding. This band has a big sound and the sound techs got it right. This Richmond-based band has Irish-tinged rock and rock-tinged Celtic in their repertoire, complete with fiddle, accordion, and lute. And the lead vocalist sounded silky smooth. These guys got some good airplay about five years ago with their song, "The Boxer," from Echo Echo but their real breakthrough onto the national scene occurred with "Life Less Ordinary" from their 2004 album, Indian Summer. I remember their small-town bar days and am happy to see them gaining well-deserved exposure and popularity. Yay for Virginia.
Emmet Swimming:
This was a great set, heavy on the early stuff, all up-tempo, and no trace of that annoying song, Sunblock, which they normally play at every gig. It's great to see Tamer Eid back on drums and the boys really working, and goofing, off each other to create their great sound. It's so hard to find words to describe my love for this band, but here ya go.
My article on them in On Tap is here.
Also, check out this blog from April and June 2006 for my coverage.
And, lastly, I only caught a few minutes of Flogging Molly who, unfortunately, played in the same time slot as emmet swimming. Amazing stuff.
A Happy St. Patty's Day to all.
The Connells:
It would appear age has taken a toll on this band, that and the lead singer was a bit trashed and his mic wasn't turned up enough. Still, it was good to see the reunion of this North Carolina alt-rock band so named for two Connell brothers, bassist and guitarist, who formed this band back in the mid-80s. Some of their ballads have a Celtic flavor though most are simply good pop rock. But one had to be very close to the stage today to make out any of Doug MacMillan's mumbled singing.
Kelly Bell Band:
Always entertaining, Kelly hails from Baltimore and plays frequently in the DC metro area so it was no surprise a large crowd had assembled to check him out. It was surprising, though, that he played on a tiny stage and a crappy cover band would get to play the much larger stage next to it. Kelly engages the crowd with a combination of humor and dynamic vocals. His business is phat blues music and he delivered today, as usual. At one point, Kelly got a visit on stage from the singer of the cover band, Mr. Greengenes, and they dabbled in a few bars of a few covers for fun, then Kelly stressed he does original music but that the crowd should be impressed that 4 1/2 black men knew the lyrics to a Journey song. He also changed up the chorus of "My Girl" to "White Girls," which got a crowd chuckle. Most amusing was his bluesy rendition of Sponge Bob's Square Pants. Kelly is one homegrown phat cat.
Carbon Leaf:
Outstanding. This band has a big sound and the sound techs got it right. This Richmond-based band has Irish-tinged rock and rock-tinged Celtic in their repertoire, complete with fiddle, accordion, and lute. And the lead vocalist sounded silky smooth. These guys got some good airplay about five years ago with their song, "The Boxer," from Echo Echo but their real breakthrough onto the national scene occurred with "Life Less Ordinary" from their 2004 album, Indian Summer. I remember their small-town bar days and am happy to see them gaining well-deserved exposure and popularity. Yay for Virginia.
Emmet Swimming:
This was a great set, heavy on the early stuff, all up-tempo, and no trace of that annoying song, Sunblock, which they normally play at every gig. It's great to see Tamer Eid back on drums and the boys really working, and goofing, off each other to create their great sound. It's so hard to find words to describe my love for this band, but here ya go.
My article on them in On Tap is here.
Also, check out this blog from April and June 2006 for my coverage.
And, lastly, I only caught a few minutes of Flogging Molly who, unfortunately, played in the same time slot as emmet swimming. Amazing stuff.
A Happy St. Patty's Day to all.
posted by Dana @ 11:38 PM
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