#tionol

[hortushorrei]

They are here in Meave's Room and it sounds like the wind is blowing over from Ireland! 😍☘ #tionol #irishmusic #uilleannpipes #gregoriobellodi #maeveclancy #weekendcourse #associazioneculturalereadingretreatsinruralitaly #lamacchinafissa #musicintheair🎶 (presso La Macchina Fissa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcIFsSKoMcs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[theloniousbach]

Tionol Concert at the Sheldon, May 16, 2011

April 18, 2011 at 7:38am     Going back to the days when I transported pre-drivers licensed Sam so that he could help Eric Stein do sound, I have been hanging around the Mississippi River Celtic Music Festival as a gofer, musician herder, and roadie.  I'm sure I'm generally useful, but it's mostly just fun to catch the little rehearsals, the cross-pollinating musician conversations, and watch things unfold from the Green Room.     In the earlier days, there were long hours of set up and learning the room (once with a white noise machine for some purpose that Eric certainly and Sam too it seemed understood but I didn't).  I'm sure Eric was there earlier than I but on all fronts, the process was smoother.  For Eric, Hillary from Troy, NY, was excellent help.  She's a musician and a sound person and so could handle mic placements and adjustments with knowledgeable precision.     Similarly, the catering process is simpler and well in hand.  Musicians know the town better and tend to have dinner out rather than rely on the back stage spread.  But it is still ample and I, at least, can make a meal of it.  But, again, the set up/clean up tasks are routinized  by now.     So, we really didn't have much sustained work to do until load out.  That made it possible to enjoy the first set in its entirety.  John Skelton opened with a fine set, including tunes on a rich low flute and a Breton showstopper (bomard included) for which Sandy Brown and Ged Foley joined in.  Ed Miller, the token Scot, sang his and Brian McNeill's anthemic "Prince of Darkness" (And when they asked if I was poor, I'd tell them, "Aye, sure,"/But they never had to teach me how to dream.).  Roger Landes did a wonderful selection of pipe tunes on solo bouzouki and then Tony Linane/Mary McNamara/Ged Foley did a fine set, marred only by the obligatory Irish dancers.  I stayed backstage for the first part of the second set, but came out for most of a fiddle/harp duet that we got to see rehearse on the couch in the Green Room.  The finale with Michael Cooney was extremely disappointing  as he even had trouble getting set up, bumped into mics, and played sluggishly.     Even having a scold backstage wouldn't have helped as the tone would have to be set at the recruitment/contract stage or in reorganizing the catering.  But the party is fun, even for a teetotaler.  I always make a point of swapping jokes with John Skelton and take satisfaction that my gleanings from Old Jews Telling Jokes are so successful with him.  We fell into helping Ed Miller with the Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle which frequently can be communal effort anyway.     So much fun.

[theloniousbach]

Tionol/Mississippi River Celtic Music Festival, Sheldon Concert Hall/McGurks, 20-21 April 2013

April 21, 2013 at 6:34pm St. Louis is such a great town for Irish music, with McGurk's serving as a key entry point by providing musicians virtual residencies.  Our community radio station had a show called "Ireland in America" founded by Joe Burke who was succeeded by Michael Cooney, then Bernie McDonald, and finally Tommy Martin (I am very proud to say that I filled in for Bernie several times and so am in that august company because I could play CDs which they could do as well as playing this music so wonderfully).  Focal Point too has been a concert home for Celtic music over its long tenure--and I have seen Patrick Street, Kevin Burke, Paddy Keenan, the House Band, and many others over the years.     Reliable legend has it that after some show and certainly over pints Michael Cooney, Judy Stein, and, most importantly, Mike Mullins conceived the idea of a festival with teaching--and Mike has pulled it off for over 15 years.  Sessions on Friday (and now a concert) at the Schlafly Tap Room, all day classes at Nerinx Hall High School, a concert at the Sheldon, and celebratory sessions at McGurks, both after the show and in the bleary afternoon have become the formula.     My personal formula goes back to when Sam was in high school and helping out around KDHX and Focal Point for the Steins.  He helped Eric with concert sound a couple of years, maybe even before he could drive.  In any case, I was there as chauffeur and, then, fill in for Sam and assistant stage manager to Judy even after Sam left town.  Except last year when she was studying in London, Katie has been along to pitch in and soak up the atmosphere.      Last night and today were my chances to hear this great music at close range.  We got there in time to help unload and set up the catering, help Eric a tiny bit with the sound, and do some backstage herding (though far less than in years past).  We were rewarded with hearing Michael Cooney plan and rehearse his contribution to the first set, recruiting Albert Alfonso to play bodhran in the process, and watch Kevin Crawford, Colin Farrell, and John Doyle rehearse their show closing set.  We saw reunions among musicians and musicians with Tionol staff.     Mostly we saw the program, starting with one quick witted, funny flute/whistle player (John Skelton) and ending with Kevin Crawford (equally witty and funny and flauty) with Doyle and Farrell.  In between was Cooney, John Carty, and Ed Miller (a Scotsman from Texas who pointed out that he followed an Englishmen from Kentucky, Skelton, who opened the show), and Cooney with Alfonso and later with Mary Walsh.  Good stuff all around.  It was a treat to see Doyle at such close range and wish that I could absorb more of his Drop D Guitar accompaniment DVD.     Today at McGurk's, I wasn't around for the all star session if it happened, but was quite happy to see Jesse and Katie with some of their Wednesday night pals from Riley's and others hold forth at a better time of day for me and smokelessly.     I guess I had my own session of jokes with Skelton and Ed Miller (whom I'm tickled to note jotted down "Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theater" to follow up with).  And joking with Skelton is perhaps my favorite part of the tradition.

    Great stuff.  Thanks, Mike and Judy.