The Fureys

[Jam]

I had the pleasure of seeing The Fureys at the weekend, and I must say it was one of the best gigs I've been to in ages. There's one song in particular that I've not been able to stop listening to since, and here it is:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psVCsnDXVA0[/media]

I have a Bodhran somewhere, and a mandolin I'm getting repaired, and this makes me want to play so much!

Bass player was very good, also played the keyboard and tin whistle in certain songs, though I did wonder why he wore his bass round his neck like that, it looks very uncomfortable.

Any other Fureys fans here? I'm looking to try and get into more Irish music, other than the Fureys and the Dubliners, where's a good place to start?

Edited April 30, 2012 by Jam

[Mog]

Jaysus its a bit of a minefield really. Depends on what you want. Ballads, songs for voice or songs for dance.
Personally I hate most of the stuff but can recommend Planxty highly.
Others worth a look are The Chieftains and the Clancy brothers band.

Its not the best genre for bass. There's very little in trad TBH and the natives don't take too kindly to deviations from the main theme. Some of the 12/8 and 9/8 jigs are fun to stick a slap line over though.

[Jam]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check those groups out.

Personally, I prefer the more up-tempo songs, the instrumental jigs and reels rather than the ballads, which can be quite saccharine.

[Leon Transaxle]

I'm a big fan of Christy Moore (who usually has Declan Sinnott in tow) who was one of Planxty.

...And the Pogues when I'm in an up-tempo fight in an Irish pub kind of mood.

For up tempo instrumentals you could also give Fairport a go too. Not Irish but some of their jigs are heading in that direction but in a more rock type setting

[oggiesnr]

From left field so to speak check out the first two Horslips albums "Happy to meet...sorry to part" and "The Tain".

Horslips broke the mold. They are slightly after Planxty but at the time Irish music was either very traditional, ballad based or showbands (showbands played the hits of the time in a sub Radio Two sort of way and were excrutiating) Horslips arrived a couple of years before punk and were prg-rock irish for want of a better description. Trad instruments plus drums, bass and keyboards and playing and looking like a rock band. Far more influential than their commercial success becaaus ethey showed that music could be done different. Bob Geldof cites them as an inspiration.

Steve

[thunderbird13]

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1335870845' post='1637175']
From left field so to speak check out the first two Horslips albums "Happy to meet...sorry to part" and "The Tain".

Horslips broke the mold. They are slightly after Planxty but at the time Irish music was either very traditional, ballad based or showbands (showbands played the hits of the time in a sub Radio Two sort of way and were excrutiating) Horslips arrived a couple of years before punk and were prg-rock irish for want of a better description. Trad instruments plus drums, bass and keyboards and playing and looking like a rock band. Far more influential than their commercial success becaaus ethey showed that music could be done different. [b]Bob Geldof cites them as an inspiration.[/b]

Steve
[/quote]

That was all going so well up to that point

[thunderbird13]

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1335826872' post='1636785']
Jaysus its a bit of a minefield really. Depends on what you want. Ballads, songs for voice or songs for dance.
Personally I hate most of the stuff but can recommend Planxty highly.
Others worth a look are The Chieftains and the Clancy brothers band.
[/quote]

I have to agree with this , I would love to like more Irish folk but there is a lot of stuff which I really cant get on with ( Foster and Allen anyone ? )
Its also worth listening punk / folk crossover as it can be interesting - check out Flogging Molly

[oggiesnr]

[quote name='thunderbird13' timestamp='1335872034' post='1637213']
That was all going so well up to that point
[/quote]

Fair enough but the "inspiration" was that you could play the music in a different way with a different look.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5G8AJf4Xzw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5G8AJf4Xzw[/url]

Steve

[pete.young]

Dropkick Murphy's might be worth a listen too if you're more into the electric side of things.

[icastle]

Like English folk music, there are some distinct 'family trees'.

Planxty, Christy Moore, Moving Hearts (check out the Dublin live gig recordings on you tube)
DeDannan and Altan are vaguely connected and well worth a listen.

The Bothy Band are particular favourites of mine and well worth checking out if you're after a more trad feel.

The thing with 'Irish music' is not to be too picky about the actual locations - there are some fab Scottish folk bands and, as there's just a wee bit of water seperating Ireland from Scotland, there are a lot of points where the two musical cultures criss cross and become pretty much indistinguishable (unless you know the history of the song) from each other.
And before anyone takes offence to that observation - it is meant as a compliment to both countries.

[icastle]

[quote name='Leon Transaxle' timestamp='1335868512' post='1637110']
I'm a big fan of Christy Moore (who usually has Declan Sinnott in tow) who was one of Planxty.
[/quote]
Absolutely.
'Ride On' was a massive album back in the 80's (?) and is one of those albums where there's not a single weak track.

[quote name='Leon Transaxle' timestamp='1335868512' post='1637110']
For up tempo instrumentals you could also give Fairport a go too. Not Irish but some of their jigs are heading in that direction but in a more rock type setting
[/quote]

Oddly, I'm just back from a concert night where I guested as bass player on a rather nice version of Matty Groves.

[fatback]

You want Irish trad? Check this. Move over the pogues.



[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2aZg5Y3Yzc&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2aZg5Y3Yzc&feature=related[/url]

[Hodge]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1335917135' post='1638175']
The Bothy Band are particular favourites of mine and well worth checking out if you're after a more trad feel.
[/quote]

Have to second the Bothy Band. They always seemed to retain the energy and life without leaving the traditional setting.
Personally I learned alot about bass in this style of music from Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill's left hand on the clavinet, and as someone who occasionally dabbles in a bit of bouzouki, I could listen to Donal Lunny all day.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgXwIIHAmaw[/media]

[fatback]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1335917135' post='1638175']
Like English folk music, there are some distinct 'family trees'.

The thing with 'Irish music' is not to be too picky about the actual locations - there are some fab Scottish folk bands and, as there's just a wee bit of water seperating Ireland from Scotland, there are a lot of points where the two musical cultures criss cross and become pretty much indistinguishable (unless you know the history of the song) from each other.
And before anyone takes offence to that observation - it is meant as a compliment to both countries.
[/quote]

+1 It's essentially the same, gaelic, culture. Some things are unique to the scottish though, like group singing (those wonderful waulking songs from the islands). Also, piobaireachd piping. Maybe an acquired taste, but awesome when you get into it.

Interestingly, bass seemed to find a place in scottish folk that it hasn't in Irish. No idea why.

As well as the shared tradition, there have been shared occupations as well. lots of soldiers and sailors songs are common.

Edited June 4, 2012 by fatback

[blamelouis]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D1vJJKFjm0[/media]

Love Christys version of this.

[icastle]

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1338812620' post='1679504']
Interestingly, bass seemed to find a place in scottish folk that it hasn't in Irish. No idea why.
[/quote]

I was thinking about this not so long back.
The only thing that I can put my finger on is that folk music was based around the available instruments.
Perhaps double basses were more easily available on the UK mainland than over in Ireland?

[oggiesnr]

Maybe traditionally the uillean pipes with their regulators and the bass end of the harp fullfilled the bass function.

It is also possible that we see the bass in Scottish music coming from the more formal dance band tradition (think Jimmy Shand) which came from the Dance Hall tradition whilst the equivilent bands in Ireland (Kilfenora Ceili Band etc) came from a more informal, domestic setting.

Just speculating

Steve

[icastle]

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1338837763' post='1679911']
It is also possible that we see the bass in Scottish music coming from the more formal dance band tradition (think Jimmy Shand) which came from the Dance Hall tradition whilst the equivilent bands in Ireland (Kilfenora Ceili Band etc) came from a more informal, domestic setting.

Just speculating
[/quote]

Interesting speculation and sounds perfectly plausible to me.

[fatback]

That sounds right. Maybe the ubiquitous piano accordion did the job too. We didn't much do drum kits either.

I'd like to know why piobaireachd never got here. It's an amazing form.

Edited June 4, 2012 by fatback

[icastle]

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1338842228' post='1679996']
I'd like to know why piobaireachd never got here. It's an amazing form.
[/quote]

As much as I like piobaireachd, it is a bit of an oddity.
A bit too regimented to be classed as folk, although it has traditional roots and seems to have originated in the Hebrides, which would make it Irish, but it's not.

I can only surmise that it's come from a different planet with a sense of humour too sophisticated for us to understand.

[fatback]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1338843372' post='1680026']
As much as I like piobaireachd, it is a bit of an oddity.
A bit too regimented to be classed as folk, although it has traditional roots and seems to have originated in the Hebrides, which would make it Irish, but it's not.

I can only surmise that it's come from a different planet with a sense of humour too sophisticated for us to understand.
[/quote]

It's classical rather than folk, I think. Somewhere i got the idea that it's related to medieval welsh harping, a kind of sequencing with variations approach, but i've no idea where. Makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, i have to say.