July has been a busy month for concerts. On the 21st I had the pleasure of seeing the Young Dubliners (only two of the members are actually from Ireland). They may not be looking young any more, but on stage their behavior and their music exhibit all the youthful exuberance that matched any of the upstarts in their twenties. Singer Keith Roberts played an electric/acoustic the entire time and exuded charm non-stop.
Chaz Waltz, the jack of all trades when it came to playing instruments, played mainly violin with occasional stints on mandolin, keyboard and harmonica. His violin playing was so fierce I was surprised his strings didn’t melt.
The Young Dubliners don’t just play Celtic music, though that is their primary sound. Often they played punk infused power pop,and even some blues mixed in. Though they played an eclectic range of songs, the music all blended together perfectly.
Guitarist Bob Boulding was also no slouch when it came to playing multiple instruments as he also proved a pro on mandolin.
My favorite part was their rendition of the old Irish song Tell Me Ma, which practically everyone sang along to.
For the finale Cormac Pope from openers the Bog Hoppers joined YD on stage for harmonies and wild dance moves. He quite nearly stole their thunder too as he danced about the stage and shared the mic with different members.
I was disheartened that so few were in attendance at this show. The club was practically empty. I guess people in Seattle just don’t like going out on a week night. Pity that. I have to get up at six in the morning and drag my sorry butt to work. What’s your excuse, everybody? You missed a good show.
As previously mentioned, Seattle’s Bog Hoppers played just prior to the Dubliners. I’ve seen Bog Hoppers before and have always been blown away by them. This time they’d added washboard player Heather Iverson, who exuded charm and seemed to be having the time of her life. The entire band played wearing rubber wader boots and played a very Celtic flavored music with a good punk edge thrown in. Singer Cormac Pope sang with a growl and wore an Anti Nowhere League t-shirt, asserting the band’s punk influences. BH also possess a very animated bass player (Dave Dickerson) who picked up a Rainier beer bottle to use as a slide on his bass. Add Meahgan Ayers: fiddle,back up vocals ( she also exuded massive charm), Kevin Newton on drums, and Eric Jones on accordion (the quiet but cute one) and you can picture what the Bog Hoppers sound like. Then throw in their endless energy and endless charm and voila! Any fan of Celtic music or Celtic punk should definitely check them out.
Before the Bog Hoppers was another Seattle band, Ockham’s Razor. These guys had the sound and look of a hundreds years old Celtic band. Though their music was largely traditional Celtic, there was also a definitive punk edge to their music. Kris Clements, vocalist, whistles and accordion player, had his head shaved on the sides with a tousled mane of dark hair roaming down his back. This band played very lively, danceable music and were a ton of fun to watch. The rest of Ockham’s Razor is, Dan Lile drums, Kitty Steetle, fiddle, Daniel McManus bass, and Tommy Atwell on acoustic guitar.
Opening the whole night was yet another Seattle band, The Stout Pounders. When I arrived they had just started their set and were in the middle of a powerful version of Rocky Road to Dublin (coincidentally I had just been listening to the Dropkick Murphys version of that song as I drove to the club). I was immediately entranced by this band. Darin Wallace sang lead vocals and played the whistle and Bodhran,. When he wasn’t singing he was dancing all over the stage, usually an Irish jig. This band also included a bagpiper (Jimmy McKnight) who also played whistles and accordion. The rest of Stout Pounders are John Moen on banjo, bass and harmonica, Christian Hoffman on fiddle and bouzouki, and Marc Wallace on guitar, mandolin and bass. Stout Pounders are a very talented and fun band.
So once again I went to a show with multiple bands and all the bands were outstanding. This was one fun Celtic fest.
– These Young Dubliners photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
