ICONS Irish Music and Arts Festival 2008

ICONS Finale: Friends old and new

2008-09-19T11:25:00.014-04:00

Really, was there any better way to close out ICONS?
Liam Clancy has done this sort of thing how-many-thousands of times for decades, and for all that at the Compass Stage Sunday night he was clearly relishing the chance to once again sing songs and spin yarns -- which he did as if he was sitting in an easy chair in the parlor with just a few close friends, instead of in front of several thousand people on a good-sized stage in the middle of a field south of Boston.
There was a surprise or two along the way, like his rendition of The Pogues' "The Majestic Shannon." But no, Liam wasn't about to transmogrify into Shane McGowan before our eyes.
It's sometimes easy to forget that Liam had a pretty good grounding in theater before this whole Irish music revival took off, and he used that background very effectively at one point, telling about the sinking of a ship that took more than lives -- it also meant another loss to the eroding knowledge, expertise and experience of sea-faring. But instead of launching into a lament, Liam used his introduction as a point of departure: Out came "The Mary Ellen Carter," Stan Rogers' classic tribute to perseverance and solidarity in the face of certain disaster.

Rise again, rise again
Though your heart it be broken or life about to end
No matter what you've lost
Be it a home, a love, a friend
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again

There was a certain poignancy at work here, because Liam had indeed lost a friend, and a dear one at that, the year before: Tommy Makem. But Liam honored his memory the way Tommy no doubt would've loved, reminiscing about their days of yore in 1960s Greenwich Village, and their unlikely friendship with one Robert Zimmerman, AKA Bob Dylan, who was wont to fashion a song or two from the folk tradition. Accordingly, Liam brought on his son Donal and Robbie O'Connell to do "Rambling Gambling Willie," with Liam doing a side-splitting Dylan imitation for a verse.

Next was another Makem-Clancy standard, "The Wild Colonial Boy," and an encore with "Those Were the Days," sung with just the right amount of winking-eye humor to keep it from getting way too sentimental.
Liam et al temporarily made way for a huge contingent of festival performers, including members of Crooked Still, Solas, Lunasa and Footworks. Taken as a whole, this was one impressive spectacle.

But if you narrowed your focus here and there among the assembled multitude, you could catch some other diverting scenes, like Sean Smyth (Lunasa) and Winifred Horan (Solas) having a fiddle-off:

Or Crooked Still's Aoife O'Donovan, obviously enjoying herself far too much, alongside hot-picking Alison Brown.

Or fellow Crooked Stiller Corey DiMario and John Doyle, who had that whole "we-be-getting-down-with-our-bad-selves" head-bobbing thing going on with each other.

Liam, Robbie, Aoife Clancy and just about everyone else came out for the finale of the finale, "Wild Mountain Thyme."

...and Liam made sure to compliment the audience on their singing of the chorus.

The last "Will you go, lassie, will you go?" resounded in the misty air, there were hugs all around on stage, and the audience gathered up jackets, umbrellas, back packs and other belongings, ready -- if not entirely willing -- to trek back out to the parking lot and begin the drive home.

The Littlest Postcript

That young lady in the pink shirt and galoshes in the photo below is Alison Brown's daughter Hannah, who during the weekend showed herself to be lacking little in stage presence: On Saturday, she made a cameo appearance in her mom's set and belted out "California, Here I Come," and then at the finale joined Liam Harney and some of the Footworks folk for a bit of hoofing.

After "Wild Mountain Thyme" was over, Hannah could be seen (barely) amidst a Redwood Forest of grown-ups as they mingled on stage before going off to pack away instruments, check messages and relax -- or in some cases, head to the airport and their next gig.

I don't know how many festivals or concerts Hannah goes to with her mom, whether any of them stand out in some way, shape or form, or if it just becomes routine after a while -- but hopefully she enjoyed herself at ICONS at least as much as the grown-ups did.

--Sean Smith

(Note: Honestly not trying to be self-aggrandizing here, but I'll mention that the above photo was an honest-to-goodness happy accident. I was standing near one of the rear stage entrances, and just held up and pointed my camera toward the crowd on stage without looking through the viewfinder. It wasn't until later that I saw the photo I'd taken. I think the only similar experience I had was at the 2004 Red Sox victory parade, when as the cavalcade passed by I snapped a picture of Curt Schilling and wound up including unofficial Sox mascot Nelson de la Rosa in the shot.)

ICONS Day 3: Not hard to get through a "soft day"

2008-09-18T11:58:00.021-04:00

Early Sunday evening, ICONS Director/Grand Poobah Brian O'Donovan looked out from the stage at the misty dusk and told the audience, "As you can see, we imported some soft Irish weather just for the occasion."

Although somewhat warmer and more humid than one might usually expect in Ireland, the last installment of ICONS 2008 did indeed have the feel of a "soft day" in the Auld Sod. Fortunately, Footworks had the appropriate footwear.

Of course, ICONS seeks to recreate aspects of various Irish life, history and culture, such as offering tea and various goodies:

Or displaying documents and exhibits and providing expertise on Irish ancestry in the Genealogy Tent:

Or inviting four-footed friends with Irish connections:

Not to mention other kinds of creatures:

* * *

While Sunday still felt somewhat summery, the drive to Canton revealed more than a few leaves beginning to change their colors. So it was quite appropriate for ICONS to feature a program of songs, dances, stories and other customs related to harvest time from American, Irish and Breton traditions, presented by Revels Repertory Co.

Revels is well-known for its annual Christmas show in Harvard University's Sanders Theater, but in recent years has become quite the movable feast: They also put on events to commemorate the arrival of spring and summer, and their autumnal "River Sing" will be this Sunday (Sept. 21). Revels Repertory Co., or "Revels Rep," brings Revels programs to public venues and schools throughout southern New England.

* * *

Besides featuring individual acts in the conventional stage manner, the festival also is in the habit of organizing once-in-a-lifetime-type events that pull together various performers. These include "summits" for various instruments: banjo (Alison Brown, Louis McCarthy, Solas' Seamus Egan and Crooked Still's Greg Lizst); guitar (Tony McManus, John Doyle, Donal Clancy -- that's him in the photo below -- and Lunasa's Paul Meehan) and fiddle (including Tommy McCarthy, Solas' Winifred Horan and Sean Smyth of Lunasa).

One of the most anticipated of these was the pairing of Cape Breton fiddle legend Jerry Holland (a native of nearby Brockton) and John Doyle. Holland's battle with cancer over the past few years has been a point of great concern for his many friends and fans, but by all accounts he seemed fit as always – and enjoyed himself immensely.

John looked like he was having a good time as well.
(Disclaimer: I wasn't able to attend the Jerry-John duet; this photo was taken by Paul Wells.)

* * *

For me (and I suspect I'm not alone), a good music festival needs a really wide-ranging volume control. It can't always go up to 11. Yes, I love the pulse-pounding stuff that a Lunasa or Le Vent du Nord offers up.

Le Vent du Nord, staying dry

(L-R) Cillian Vallely, Sean Smyth and Paul Meehan of Lunasa

But I also like the more "middle-range" spectrum inhabited by the likes of say, Liadan (particularly when all of them sing together), or Chulrua.

And for quiet intensity, it's hard to beat Tony McManus, or a tentful of harps, AKA Harpalooza, one of ICONS' perennial favorites.

So, with all due respect to Nigel Tufnel: No, not everything needs to go up to 11.

(Coming up next: The ICONS Finale)

ICONS Day 2: As a matter of fact, we are having fun

2008-09-14T10:05:00.045-04:00

(NOTE: Sorry for the odd text-photo combinations further down; a bit of a formatting problem which I'll try to resolve as soon as possible.)

You know, this business of playing music -- especially of the folk/acoustic variety -- can be awfully serious, what with traditions to maintain and preserve, artistic style to develop and, yes, CDs to sell. Fortunately, there are seem to be plenty of people who have fun when they play music, and ICONS had a bunch of them in sight on Saturday.
For starters, there's the fine people in Boston's Hanafin-Cooley branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann under the benevolent leadership of Larry Reynolds (in photo below right), who keep the ceilidh fire burning bright inside their tent practically all day long, and a good portion of the night, too. They certainly have fun.

Scotland's Tannahill Weavers have been having fun for way too many years, but just try and stop them. Especially Roy Gullane (below right), YouTube's No. 1 NSFW cult favorite.

Cara Dillon certainly seemed to have fun. She and her husband and fellow band member Sam Lakeman brought along their 20-month-old twins on tour; this day they sported matching red t-shirts that read "Thing 1" and "Thing 2."
(Incidentally, she'll be back in Boston -- along with her entourage -- for the Christmas Celtic Sojourn show in December.)

Of course Crooked Still was having fun: This was their first visit to ICONS with their new line-up, featuring Brittney Haas (fiddle) and Tristan Clarridge (cello). They get into one of their justly famous grooves, like with Nathan Taylor's "Did You Sleep Well?," no way they don't have fun.

Seamus Connolly seems to have as much fun talking about music as playing it. He noted that at a gig in Portland, Me., the other week, his accompanist Barbara Magone played a piano whose most recent user had been none other than Sir Paul McCartney. "So now," said Seamus, "Sir Paul can say that he played the same piano as Barbara Magone."

OK, here we go: The David Munnelly Band. How can they not have fun, churning out the tunes in that wild West Mayo style?

And their guest step dancer Nic Gareiss? He has more fun than any three people put together.

Well, almost any three people. After all, these are three people who know how to have fun: Robbie O'Connell, Aoife Clancy and Donal Clancy, performing as The Clancy Legacy.

Footworks (below left) and the Harney School of Dance. Fun? Fun.

Certainly the acts performing at the Boston Celtic Music Fest Showcase were having fun, like The New Tyme Sisters.

And Laura Cortese, who at various times brought up guest stars such as Kristin Andreassen, Hannah Read and that one-man fun machine Nic Gareiss.

Annalivia had great fun closing the BCMFest Showcase, mainly because they trotted out their newest member, New Tyme Sister Emerald Rae, as well as special guest John Whelan, who is absolutely incapable of not having fun.

It must be fun to be Luka Bloom, when you can listen to your audience sing the chorus to "Sunny Sailor Boy" -- and you don't have to do anything but keep playing your guitar.

When you come down right to it, of course, most people have fun when they play music. Or they should, anyway -- why do it otherwise? But it's always a treat when you have so many of them enjoying themselves in one place...like at ICONS.

ICONS Day 1: That voice

2008-09-13T07:20:00.006-04:00

Yes, it rained. Not, however, in torrents -- just a persistent drizzle that later on became a fine mist, visible against the lights yet somehow not felt.

Sean Keane's voice isn't exactly visible, and yet when he sings you find yourself visualizing it: as a soft, glowing fire in the hearth, perhaps. And you can certainly feel the warmth emanating from the man, as did the appreciative audience who came to see his end-of-the-night set at the Compass Stage. (I missed the first 15 minutes or so of it, as I was ensconced for the evening at The Burren Stage playing with the BCMFest Bard Squad.)
Sean's never made any bones about genres or categories. His repertoire ranges from the traditional Irish songs he's been singing since his childhood, to contemporary material, blues, country -- well, just about anything he wants. And that voice of his, imbued through and through with the flavor of his native Galway, makes it all work. He's got other talents, too: He can play a pretty mean flute (as he demonstrated on a fine set of reels), and is a master lilter -- at one point he did an amazing duet with his fiddle player Sean Regan, who supplied all kinds of vocal effects underneath Sean's rapid-fire "deedle-lee."
In the end, though, it was all about the songs. Love songs, gently comical songs, others with a sweep of history -- including "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears," Brendan Graham's moving piece about Annie Moore, a 15-year-old Irish girl who was the first passenger to be registered at the Ellis Island immigration station in 1892.
Sean had wrapped up his set and said a cheery "Good night" when two young women rushed toward the stage and begged him to do "There Were Roses," Tommy Sands' based-in-fact lament about the awful, tragically ironic toll The Troubles inflicted on a neighborhood whose residents had tried to move beyond sectarian divisions. As Sean remarked in his introduction, it's a song that is now about "a different Ireland" -- one that thankfully seems to be receding further into memory.
As he and his accompanists eased into "Roses," one of the women who had made the request swayed to the soft rhythm, holding up a cell phone for the benefit of an absent Sean Keane fan, who no doubt was joining the rest of the crowd in that evocative chorus, bespeaking a solidarity built on mourning and hope.

There were roses

There were roses

And the tears of the people

Ran together

(I'm working on a story about Sean for the October Boston Irish Reporter -- lots to talk about, obviously.)
And what do you know: The sun's just now trying to peek through the morning clouds.

--Sean Smith

Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go (more or less)

2008-09-11T16:10:00.003-04:00

It's almost time.
Fiddles, guitars and banjos are in tune (well, close enough, anyway), dance shoes are buffed and sporting a new set of laces, vocal cords are being readied for a weekend of singing, chatting and cheering.
ICONS starts up tomorrow evening.
Weather looks like it'll be decent enough, and who's afraid of a few stray raindrops anyway? We're all hardy New England folk, after all (by adaptation if not by birth). Might be a bit of a chill come evening, so perhaps a sweater or jacket might be in order; of course, if you really want to keep warm, you can always join in the dancing at the Comhaltas tent.
It's almost time.

BCMFest@ICONS preview this Monday

2008-09-05T20:22:00.004-04:00

You want a little taste of what you'll see at ICONS next weekend? (Wow, not that far away, is it?)
Then check out the Sept. 8 edition of the Boston Celtic Music Fest's "Celtic Music Monday," the monthly series BCMFest cosponsors with Club Passim in Harvard Square. (BCMFest, in case you're not familiar with it, is Greater Boston's grassroots, community-oriented annual festival that showcases the Boston area's great resources in Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic and Celtic-influenced music.)

Appearing at "Celtic Music Monday" will be The New Tyme Sisters (in photo at left) -- serving up Appalachian/old-timey music in a whole new way -- who'll be part of the BCMFest Showcase at ICONS (along with Annalivia and Laura Cortese). And you can also get a first look at the BCMFest Bard Squad, a group of area musicians, singers and dancers who will be leading a session at the ICONS' Burren tent the festival's opening night and popping up throughout the weekend at various places.
Admission is only $12, $6 if you're a member of Club Passim, WGBH or WUMB. You can reserve tickets online or call 617-492-7679.

BCMFest and ICONS. A festival within a festival.

Reminder: special ICONS ticket deal ends Sept. 6

2008-09-02T11:32:00.002-04:00

The ICONS Festival special advance ticket sale ends Saturday, Sept. 6. Remember, one day passes are just $15, and three-day passes only $35, if purchased in advance. Go to iconsfestival.com and get yours before it's too late.

Family-friendly ICONS

2008-09-02T11:26:00.005-04:00

Families will find plenty to like about ICONS, especially in the festival’s Tir na Nog area. “Tir na Nog” is Gaelic for “Land of the Young,” and at ICONS’ Tir na Nog children and adults can enjoy events and activities that appeal across the generations:

*"Sidewalk Sam," (in photo at left) the popular street artist, will once again visit ICONS and encourage festival-goers to create spontaneous art that inspires and enriches.

*Experience the unique charm of marionettes made by professional actor-puppeteer Charlotte Anne Dore, below, who will use her creations to spin tales of dragons, kings, princesses, mermaids and ghosts who sing and dance.

*Magician and author Debbie O’Carroll, left, presents stage magic with a decidedly Irish flavor, combined with the lively music of Tom O’Carroll and lots of audience participation.

*Visual storyteller Dean Morrissey, illustrator for children’s books such as Ship of Dreams, The Moon Robbers and The Winter King, will share the love he’s nurtured for drawing since his Boston childhood days.
*Michael O’Leary, Kate Chadbourne and David de la Barre will give a sampling of their vast repertoire of songs, stories and tunes from the Irish folk tradition, guaranteed to entertain kids and parents alike.

And there’ll be carnival rides and step-dancing demonstrations aplenty to keep youthful spirits happy.

Club Passim and Celtic music

2008-08-27T10:17:00.004-04:00

Harvard Square's venerable Club Passim has a well-deserved reputation as a showcase for great singer-songwriters (think: Arlo Guthrie, Tracy Chapman, Tom Paxton, Nanci Griffith, to name a very few). But it does an awful lot to support Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic music -- and not just by providing a stage for it. Passim also offers instructional classes in various aspects of Celtic music, with some very impressive faculty members. This fall, for instance, you can explore the fiddle with Hanneke Cassel or Ellery Klein, or bodhran with Paddy League.
This weekend is one of the club's biggest events, its twice-a-year Cutting Edge of the Campfire Festival, which features several dozen folk/acoustic music acts. The Celtic domain is ably represented by such notables as Matt & Shannon Heaton, Flynn Cohen, Blue Moose & The Unbuttoned Zippers, Matching Orange and 5 AM. Complete schedule here, with links to performers' Web sites and MySpace pages.
And on Sept. 8, there'll be a little preview of some of the musicians appearing at ICONS; more on that later.

--Sean Smith

Beoga on "Woodsongs"

2008-08-24T09:53:00.003-04:00

If you want to get a small sample of the vim, vigor and virtuosity of Beoga, check out their recent appearance on the "Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour." "Woodsongs" thoughtfully makes video as well as audio recordings of their shows and archives them. Actually, you could spend a fair amount of time on the site: Other past and present ICONS performers who've appeared include Solas, Crooked Still, Cherish the Ladies and Uncle Earl. And the rest of the archive runs the gamut, such as Barra MacNeils, Ralph Stanley, Boys of the Lough, Blind Boys of Alabama, Grada, Dar Williams...aw heck, go see for yourself.

--Sean Smith

ICONS schedule now available

2008-08-24T09:49:00.002-04:00

The 2008 ICONS schedule is now online -- go here and you can print out a PDF version, all the better to start planning for the big weekend.

Tony McManus in Acoustic Guitar magazine

2008-08-20T17:10:00.001-04:00

ICONS 2008 performer Tony McManus was interviewed by Scott Nygaard (no slouch on guitar himself) for a recent issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine. There's also some video clips of Tony in full picking glory.
My favorite out-of-context quote: "The mid-’70s is kind of written off as the pinnacle of naff."
Here's the URL for the article.

--Sean Smith

Milwaukee Irish Fest

2008-08-18T13:59:00.013-04:00

Milwaukee is known as the city of cheese and beer, but one other defining feature should be added- festivals. The Milwaukee Irish Fest is possibly the biggest Irish fest in the country and one of the most impressive. Representatives of ICONS attended this year's festival that took place from Aug 14-17th (including myself) and witnessed the magic of Milwaukee's festival grounds. The fest is on the same grounds as Summ erfest and the many other festivals that take place in the summertime. The grounds are about a mile long and stages appear around every corner. More than 100,000 people attend the festival and I have never seen so many people in green and Irish paraphernalia.

The lineup at Milwaukee was diverse and featured some amazing talents. The Scottish Arts Council helped sponsor the festival and brought La u, Jenna Reid, The Anna Massie Band, Bodega, and The Peatbog Faeries over to perform. Each band delivered fantastic shows, but I think my favorite was Anna Massie's show on Friday night. Check out their album 'The Missing Gift.'

(Photos top to bottom: Lau, Jenna Reid, Anna Massie Band, Bodega, Peatbog Faeries)

Other highlights of the weekend were Solas with their new singer Mairead Phelan (who will also be at ICONS), John Skelton with Kieran O'Hare and Liz Knowles, and Troy MacGillivray with Allan Dewar and Brent Chiasson. Troy had the whole crowd on their feet with his fiddle (and dancing!) skills. On Saturday night, he brought Liz Knowles up to play with him and they played one of the longest sets I have ever heard. I lost track after 30 minutes.

(Photos top to bottom: Solas, Troy MacGillivray)

Each night ended with roof-top tunes and to top it all off, it was perfect weather. Couldn't have asked for better!

Ronnie Drew: The voice we adored

2008-08-16T14:17:00.004-04:00

Sadly, Irish music lost another icon today: Ronnie Drew, founder of The Dubliners and a major figure in the Irish folk revival, passed away at 73, having battled throat cancer for the past two years. He was as striking in appearance, with that big bushy beard and those piercing eyes, as he was in voice -- all guts and gravel and unapologetically Dublin. As Ramblinghouse notes, "He lent an endearing quality to the working class Dublin accent, so often despised as 'Jakeen' by the rest of the country."
Earlier this year, Ronnie was paid tribute with "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew," a song and accompanying video that included the talents of Bono, Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Shane McGowan, Sinead O’Connor, Damien Dempsey, Glen Hansard, Mary Coughlan, Bob Geldof, Gavin Friday, Paddy Casey, Moya Brennan, Ronan Keating, Mundy, Eleanor Shanley and Andrea Corr, as well as members of The Dubliners, The Chieftains, Kila and U2. The song was written Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Bono, the Edge and Simon Carmody.

Here's to the Ronnie, the voice we adore
Like coals from a coal bucket scraping the floor
Sing out his praises in music and malt
And if you're not Irish, that isn't your fault

You can watch the video here -- which will likely be impossible to do without choking up.

--Sean Smith

Luka Bloom: He still believes

2008-08-15T16:40:00.003-04:00

"Cynicism just isn't an option for me,'' Luka Bloom tells Steve Morse in the latest installment of the "Morse's Corner" series on ICONS 2008 performers. "I find cynicism almost boring, actually. It's an easy way out. It's easy to look at the whole scenario and just say, 'You know what? (Bleep) it.' But, no. There are a lot of great people in this world who are really trying to make it a better place – and who want to live simple, creative, beautiful lives. And I can choose which way I want to be. Do I want to hide? Do I want to just not bother? Or do I want to participate? I'm choosing in my own personal little way to participate by writing these songs and coming at people to offer another way of looking at all of this."
Read Steve's complete profile of Luka Bloom.

In the flesh

2008-08-13T11:14:00.002-04:00

The Tannahill Weavers' Roy Gullane demonstrates a, shall we say, less-than-conventional promotional technique. The thudding sounds you hear are marketing consultants everywhere hitting the floor in shock.

We're not sure if Roy will be quite so bold when the band performs at ICONS, but he's certainly not the shy, retiring type.

--Sean Smith

Morse's Corner: Lúnasa and Solas

2008-08-10T10:36:00.003-04:00

Former Boston Globe critic Steve Morse, who's now writing features for ICONS, checks in on two of this year's acts, Lúnasa and Solas.

Happy campers

2008-08-07T10:09:00.005-04:00

If you're a Scottish/Cape Breton music enthusiast, and you play the fiddle, it's got to be one of your favorite things, ever: The Annual Boston Harbor Fiddle Camp, which is taking place for the sixth year on Thompson Island from Aug. 9-16.
The camp is one of those countless examples that abound in the Boston folk/acoustic music community of tireless efforts by the relative few benefiting the many. In this case, credit goes to Barbara McOwen, a teacher and mentor to Scottish-style fiddlers everywhere, and Marcie Van Cleave, executive director of the Folk Arts Center of New England and a well-regarded folk dance caller (during the summer she runs a popular weekly open-air dance in Copley Square).
Think of it as a very desirable turn on the "What if you were stranded on a desert island?" bit: Classes are available in all levels for fiddle and other instruments, including piano, cello and pipes; the camp's faculty has included the likes of Jerry Holland, Laura Cortese, Kimberley Fraser, Troy MacGillivray, Hanneke Cassel, Laura Risk and Janine Randall.

PHOTO: A welcome for Visitor's Day guests at the 2006 Boston Harbor Fiddle Camp (Photo from the BHFC Web site)

Disclaimer: I've never actually been there. But people I know who've attended swear by it, and if you look at the photos on the camp Web site you can see why. The setting is picturesque and secluded, all the better to immerse yourself in the music, enjoy yourself, make new friends and learn a ton. They also have a "Visitor's Day" for non-campers which includes an afternoon concert, dinner and (of course) jam session. One of these years...

Scott Alarik interviewed Hanneke Cassel about the importance of such camps in this 2004 Boston Globe article.

--Sean Smith

If I go 10,000 miles

2008-08-01T13:35:00.002-04:00

ICONS isn't looking to foster competition, mind you, but we've noted that The David Munnelly Band estimates that they traveled more than 10,000 miles during 2007. So we're just wondering who among the other ICONS 2008 performers have met or exceeded that standard in the course of the past year? Send in your guesses.
Below, you can see for yourself just why David Munnelly and crew rack up all that mileage -- because people everywhere want to see their wildly energetic playing.

(Anyone know who's playing fiddle with them? He looks as if he's traveling a fair distance all by himself.)

--Sean Smith

"Hanging with the Heatons"

2008-07-29T09:12:00.005-04:00

Boston-based husband-and-wife duo Matt & Shannon Heaton (who performed at ICONS last year) are profiled in a short documentary, "Hanging with the Heatons," produced as part of a school project by Justin Bell and Christine Giordano. The film includes interviews with Matt and Shannon about their musical roots and the challenge (and joy) of sharing both lives and careers, as well as footage from their "Fine Winter's Night" CD release concert last December in Club Passim.
If you know the Heatons at all, or even if you don't, the film offers a terrific, and very charming, portrait of a couple who have quite deservedly become one of the more popular Irish-American acts to arrive on the scene during the past several years. You can view the film here.

--Sean Smith

Falling dollar: Will it make US festivals sing the blues?

2008-07-29T08:58:00.004-04:00

Give thanks that ICONS has a great lineup this year. Booking a festival is hard – and it's getting harder now that the dollar is losing ground to the euro. It's something that not everyone wants to talk about, but it's an increasing concern.

"There's definitely an issue there,'' says Cillian Vallely of Lunasa, which is playing ICONS. "And I think it's not just about festivals. I think a lot of bands find it tough to tour the States. A lot of tours are marginal enough and then with the currency so much lower and the music business maybe not going as well here (the U.S.) as it was a few years back, there are acts that are not coming at all. For bands starting out, it's a hard time to get going. There are visa issues and if you go through a lawyer, it's very expensive. It's sort of prohibitive for a new band to get in. But in terms of Lunasa, what we generally do is tour the U.S. in the spring and fall – maybe do Sanders Theatre [at Harvard University] in the spring, then in the fall maybe do a festival in September. But we'll go to Europe in the summer because one thing about Europe is that in a lot of the countries, there's no kind of touring circuit, so the opportunity to go to these countries is in July or August when they have outdoor concerts.''

Aoife O'Donovan of Crooked Still (another ICONS 2008 act) agrees. "A lot of acts from Europe don't want to come here,'' she says, "because [what they get paid] is worth nothing to them when they get home. It's hard. But you can go to Europe and get paid X amount for a festival. And when you convert it back into dollars, it's worth way more. Plus, you can sell CDs for $23 over there. But, yes, hotels are expensive. You can't get a Super 8 or Motel 6. The concept doesn't exist.''

* * *

Speaking of Crooked Still, they're still talking about one of the their most unusual gigs this summer – the Orkney Folk Festival, which occurs on a very remote stretch of land overseas.

"The Orkney Islands are Scotch. They used to be Norwegian,'' says Aoife O'Donovan. "They're not as far out as the Shetland Islands, but they're in between Scotland and Norway, a little closer to the Scottish mainland. But they're remote islands and it didn't get dark and there was this crazy, wild folk festival. That was the highlight of our European trip … The concerts start at 7 and go until 11, then you get out and it's still not dark. You're driving home and the sun is barely going down and then it comes up at 2:30 in the morning. And people are up all night playing music. It's pretty crazy. And it was the first festival with our new band!''

-- Steve Morse

NOTE: Crooked Still's intrepid double bass player Corey DiMario offers a flavor of the band's travels through Orkney, and elsewhere, via his blog "Play the Bass, Drive the Bus."

Steve's in our corner

2008-07-25T13:42:00.002-04:00

When you go to the ICONS Web site (and you should, really), make sure you check out "Morse's Corner" -- it's a series of exclusive feature stories by Steve Morse, who for years covered the length and breadth of the music scene for the Boston Globe. In addition to his recap of the 2007 ICONS Festival, you can read Steve's profiles of Lunasa and Crooked Still; and there'll be pieces on Liam Clancy and Solas coming soon.
Here's the link.

Falcon Ridge takes flight

2008-07-23T10:10:00.006-04:00

It's not a "Celtic" music festival, per se, but is a very popular, highly anticipated annual event: The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, which takes place this coming weekend in New York's Hudson Valley. While the festival tends to focus on singer-songwriter acts (like Dar Williams, Chris Smither, The Nields and Janis Ian, to name a few), it does have a pretty healthy representation of music with traditional (and New England) roots.
In addition to Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul -- a fascinating combination of Irish, American, African and Latino styles -- and Boston-based ICONS 2008 performer Crooked Still (whose new CD, by the way, is phenomenal) Falcon Ridge this year will once again have a roster of top-flight bands for its contra dances, including: Vermont's Nightingale, the trio of Becky Tracy, Keith Murphy and Jeremiah McLane that appeared at ICONS last year; The Sevens, including Flynn Cohen and Stuart Kenney of Annalivia, another New England-based act appearing at ICONS this year; and the legendary Western Massachusetts ensemble Wild Asparagus.

Another Boston act of note at Falcon Ridge this year is Blue Moose & the Unbuttoned Zippers, who are appearing at the festival's Emerging Artist Showcase. "BMUZ" plays an extremely creative and often mesmerizing blend of Appalachian, Scandinavian and Celtic music fused with hip-hop and funk, using instruments such as the Hardanger fiddle, nyckelharpa, octave fiddle, accordion, mandolin and guitar. What's more, the individual band members (all current or former Berklee College of Music students) have cool names: Mariel Vandersteel, Bronwyn Bird, Stash Wyslouch and Andy Reiner.

(Yes, I'm sure there's an interesting story behind their name -- I just haven't gotten around to asking them yet.)

--Sean Smith

CCE Boston fall classes announced

2008-07-21T17:53:00.003-04:00

Is it too early to think about school?
Certainly not if you're talking about the music school run by Boston's Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Hanifin-Cooley branch. Here's the faculty for the fall semester, which begins Sept. 6 at Harvard University (the spring semester classes are at Boston College):
Oísin McAuley (ceilidh band)
George Keith (fiddle)
Tina Lech (fiddle)
Carol McIntyre (harp)
Chris Stevens (concertina)
Shannon Heaton (flute, whistle)
James Hamilton (flute, whistle)
Andrea Mori (flute, whistle)
Mike Reynolds (accordion)
Patrick Murray (Uilleann pipes)
Matt Heaton (guitar)
Steve Brown (bodhran)

Not bad, eh?
For more information, go here.

--Sean Smith

Wait, what?

2008-07-19T10:24:00.003-04:00

Boston's own Laura Cortese (Halali, Uncle Earl, Jolly Bankers) playing fiddle with Jeremy Irons? Yes, that Jeremy Irons -- "Damage," "Lion King," "Brideshead Revisited," etc.

Full story here.

--Sean Smith

Globe: "Crooked Still's new line-up stirs it up"

2008-07-19T10:18:00.003-04:00

Joan Anderman of the Boston Globe reports on the Boston-area debut of the new Crooked Still line-up at Club Passim: "Crooked Still - a smart, funny, and exceptionally attractive bunch - played a quietly brash set at Club Passim on Thursday, as rousing as it was elegant." Full story

--Sean Smith

Kieran Jordan: A jolly good "fellow"

2008-07-14T09:37:00.002-04:00

If you've ever seen Kieran Jordan perform -- whether at ICONS, "Christmas Celtic Sojourn" or the Boston Celtic Music Fest, to name a few -- then you know she is one terrific dancer, choreographer and innovator, continually finding ways to bring a contemporary sensibility to the Irish dance tradition while maintaining a deep respect for its roots.
So it's nice to hear that Kieran's been selected as an "Artist Fellow" by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, in the category of Traditional Arts. Artist Fellowships provide assistance to individual artists "to recognize excellence and creative ability and to support further development of their talents."

(Photo: Kieran Jordan and Niall O'Leary at ICONS 2007)

By the way, Kieran is getting set to release her first self-produced DVD, a mini-documentary about old style Irish step dancing, featuring Kevin Doyle and Aidan Vaughan, two of her longstanding collaborators, teachers, mentors and friends. The DVD, "Secrets of the Sole: Irish Dance Steps and Stories," has very much of a home-spun feel to it, she notes: Interviews and performances were filmed in her living room, in the presence of a 10-person "studio audience." Boston-based musicians Geroge Keith (fiddle) and Sean Gannon (accordion) provided the music.
Kieran says she hopes to have copies ready for release by September -- be sure to check her Web site for updates.

--Sean Smith

ICONS adds Alison Brown, Derrane-Connolly-McGann trio, Boston Kiltics, BCMFest showcase

2008-07-11T09:34:00.005-04:00

There'll be more details on this to come, but ICONS has added yet more excitement to an already stellar performer line-up:

*Alison Brown Quartet -- Alison is a true innovator of the five-string banjo, bringing different musical influences and styles to bear on her bluegrass roots.

*Joe Derrane, Seamus Connolly & John McGann--Three immensely talented and popular musicians, blithe spirits all, and one amazing trio.

*Boston Kiltics--They're not just a band, they're a full-blown Cape Breton kitchen party -- high-driving tunes and lively step-dancing.

*Boston Celtic Music Fest Showcase--You can get a sampling of Boston's grassroots, performer-run festival at ICONS, with a special showcase featuring some of the area's best Celtic musicians, singers and dancers, plus the BCMFest "Bard Squad," who'll be causing all kinds of wonderful music mayhem during the course of the weekend.

Hello and New Bedford Summerfest

2008-07-07T12:12:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! Abbie here. This is my first blog so please be kind! I returned from my second year of studying at University of Edinburgh a few weeks ago and I am so excited to be working for ICONS again this year.

This fourth of July weekend marked the 13th anniversary of the New Bedford Summerfest. The festival showcased some memorable acts such as Boston fav Laura Cortese, Scottish song quintet Malinky, and Quebecois legend Benoit Bourque.

(Photos top to bottom) Laura Cortese, Malinky, Benoit Bourque

Although the artists do solo shows throughout the weekend, one of the features of the Summerfest is the main stage 'workshops.' Unlike the traditional idea of a workshop, the organisers pair three or more performance acts together to do a show together. This is the first time many of these performers have met, but they all join in one each other's numbers. Some of my favorite highlights were Benoit and Laura doing a Quebecois waltz together, and Malinky, Benoit and the Kennedys doing a Djano Reinhardt minor swing number.

Malinky is no stranger to the folk scene. The band will celebrate their tenth anniversary this winter. Founder Steve Byrne is from Arbroath on the northeast coast of Scotland, and is equally skilled at cittern, bouzouki, guitar, and song. The other original member Mark Dunlop is from Antrim, Ireland and plays the bodhran, whistles, and contributes vocals. Fiona Hunter, vocals and cello, hails from Glasgow, and her beautiful voice leads the band on many numbers. The two newest members are David Wood, from Derbyshire, on guitar and bouzouki and Mike Vass, from Nairn, on fiddle.

This new lineup was debuted this weekend (it being Mike's second and third days with the band), but their performances were as sublime as ever. The band is equally at home with tune sets as with songs, and their repertoire pulls from Scotland, Ireland, England, Brittany, and even Sweden. Although I know the band from Scotland, this was my first time to see the new lineup, and I was very impressed. Look out for their new CD in the upcoming months.

In Praise of Andy

2008-07-02T09:52:00.003-04:00

One doesn't like to throw the phrase "living legend" around too much, but it's awfully hard to resist applying it to Andy Irvine.
Andy performed at last weekend's Old Songs Festival in upstate New York, starting on the last leg of his North American solo tour (he'll be at The Waldo Theater in Waldaboro, Me., tonight and finish up at the Stan Rogers Festival in Nova Scotia this weekend).
In addition to performing at the Old Songs Saturday evening concert, Andy participated in a couple of special in-the-round type of shows, sharing the stage with the likes of Malinky, Liz Carroll & John Doyle and Priscilla Herdman, among others. He also led a "bouzouki jam" and a workshop on song accompaniment for bouzouki, mandola and mandolin, both of which were open to all comers.
The latter of the two afforded an opportunity to gain some insight into Andy, personally as well as musically. About 10 zouk/mando players (and a small crowd of onlookers) gathered at the far end of the festival grounds to watch Andy demonstrate his playing of "The Dream," the lead-in tune to his reverse-immigration song "Indiana" (from the first Patrick Street album). Andy explained that he tends not to think about the exact nomenclature for the chords he plays, e.g. A minor suspended 7 or the like, just simply puts together whatever seems to work; accordingly, as he went through the tune, he referred to one chord as "Peter" and another as "Oliver."
This is quite the year for Andy: In January he and Paul Brady reunited at Celtic Connections to perform the tracks from their classic late-1970s album that gave us songs like "The Jolly Soldier," "Plains of Kildare," "Mary and the Soldier" and, of course, "Arthur McBride." That album, happily, was re-released just last month on Compass/Green Linnet.
He is nowadays part of an intriguing band called Mozaik, which includes his old Planxty chum Donal Lunny, as well as American roots musician Bruce Molsky, one-man Balkan band Nikola Parov and Dutch multi-instrumentalist Rans Van Der Zalm. Mozaik blends seemingly disparate genres of Irish, Eastern European and American music traditions -- often in the same song or tune set -- and somehow it all makes sense; even more importantly, it sounds just great.
Their recently released second album, "Changing Trains," opens with a particularly distinctive track, "O'Donoghue's," penned by Andy. It's basically a capsule summary of the 1960s Irish folk music revival, with references aplenty to the people, places, events, songs and tunes of that era -- full of sly wit, fond remembrance and not a little wistfulness. You can regard "O'Donoghue's" as a sort of companion piece to Andy's "My Heart's Tonight in Ireland" and a prelude to "Lisdoonvarna," Christy Moore's salute to the famous, and possibly notorious, festival in Clare that launched a thousand tales, some of which may be true.
In a similar vein, Andy has on his Web site a fairly exhaustive autobiography that traces his musical involvement from childhood to present times: Sweeney's Men, the sojourn in the Balkans, Planxty, Paul Brady...all this and more. It's first and foremost a great read, as well as an enlightening portrait of an era whose legacy we still enjoy and no doubt will for some time.

--Sean Smith

John, Jerry & Le Vent

2008-06-30T09:12:00.007-04:00

OK, first the news:
We all know John Doyle is a pretty fair guitarist, and over the years he's played with more than a few damn good musicians (Liz Carroll among them).
So, what would you say if John Doyle were to perform at ICONS 2008?
And what would you say if he was performing at ICONS with Jerry Holland? Yes, that Jerry Holland -- one of the most important figures in Cape Breton music.
Well, you can officially add them to the roster.

(Photo at right) Jerry Holland

This comes as good news for any number of reasons, especially given Jerry's battle with cancer over the past couple of years. But in the last few months, he's gradually (and cautiously) taken up performing again, including a stop in the Boston area back in April: "I'm doing better — having more good days than bad," he told the Boston Irish Reporter in March.

To put it mildly, John Doyle is looking forward to the occasion.
"It'll be a great time -- so glad to have the opportunity to play with Jerry," said John, during a break at the Old Songs Festival this past weekend.
This will not be the first time the two have appeared together, but as John says, "It's like a world premiere whenever we perform -- you never know what's going to happen next."

(Photo) John Doyle and Liz Carroll at
the Old Songs Festival.

Another ICONS 2008 act appearing at Old Songs this year was the phenomenal Quebecois band Le Vent du Nord. If you've seen them in the past, you may have known that one of their original members, Benoit Bourque, left the band a while back. Besides being an excellent musician, Benoit is as charismatic and full of joie de vivre as they come. But the good news is, Le Vent has lost none of its energy and spark: Nicolas Boulerice (hurdy gurdy, piano, accordion, vocals) is a wellspring of good humor and cheer, and fiddler Olivier Demers provides that trademark Quebecois foot percussion which gives the music its drive and ebullience. And don't overlook guitarist Simon Beaudry or accordionist/bassist Réjean Brunet.

Nicolas Boulerice and Olivier Demers of Le Vent du Nord at Old Songs.

One of the "classic" Le Vent moments came when the quartet invited the audience to join in on an a cappella call-and-response song in French. Seeking to provide encouragement, Nicolas said the band had heard that "audiences in New York sing choruses very well," while Olivier whipped out a digital camera and proceeded to film the crowd so as to "document the experience."
No way to know, of course, whether Le Vent might do a similar videographic turn at ICONS, but one thing's for sure: Nobody will leave their concert feeling anything but invigorated.

--Sean Smith

Local favorites Annalivia, Emerald Rae join forces

2008-06-24T15:22:00.005-04:00

If Boston sports fans are celebrating these days -- what with three pro teams of championship pedigree -- then the area's Celtic music aficionados have equal, if not greater, cause for cheer. A recent concert at Harvard Square's Club Passim showed (yet again) how well-off Boston is when you measure its wealth in musicians.

The event was in celebration of the long-awaited CD release by Annalivia, a splendid quartet comprising Flynn Cohen (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Liz Simmons (vocals, guitar), Brendan Carey Block (fiddle) and Stuart Kenney (string bass, banjo), all with solid Boston/New England connections. Celtic-Appalachian crossover has become quite the popular trend these days in the trad music scene, but Annalivia does it in a way that is seamless, completely natural and unforced.
Cohen is an obvious focal point, since he is so obviously at home in both genres: If you encounter him at a session or house party, you'll find he's as likely to pick out an old-timey tune on his mandolin as he is to give prodigious backing to an Irish reel or jig. But he by no means overshadows the other Annalivians: Simmons, who counts Karan Casey and Aoife Clancy among her mentors and is the daughter of two talented musician parents; Block, a former US National Junior Scottish Fiddle Champion who can churn out Cape Breton tunes with the best of 'em; and Kenney, a mainstay of the contra dance circuit with bands such as Wild Asparagus and The Sevens.
All those assets were on display at their Passim concert as they performed selections from the CD -- highlights included "A Sailor Being Tired," featuring a thrilling fiddle break; an instrumental set that included a jig composed by Block in honor of the weekly Irish music session up in Groton; and, to the delight of all, "Lazy John," a humorous, infectious song from the repertoire of Kentucky fiddler Clyde Davenport. Annalivia also has strong ties to the late 20th-century folk music revival, as evidenced by their renditions of "Sailor Boy" (a nod to the Bothy Band) and "When I Was in My Prime" (a Pentangle standard), and the Richard Thompson composition "Walking On a Wire." Happily, the band affirms its local ties with a cover of "The Wind Is an Angry Friend," by local songwriter and tunesmith Mark Simos.

Prior to the Annalivia set, Cohen provided accompaniment for opening act Emerald Rae, who last fall returned to the Boston area after completing her graduate studies in Scotland. Rae, all of 22, is an astonishingly accomplished and poised fiddler in the Cape Breton/Scottish style, as she showed to great effect. To complement her singing talents, Rae has lately ventured into songwriting territory, and trotted out two of her compositions during the set, one of them a maritime tale of love and desperation (inspired by her family's move back to Gloucester earlier this year) that is built on a complex, shifting rhythmic foundation. Oh yes, she can dance, too.
Rae's presence on the bill was no coincidence: She is about to become a full-fledged member of Annalivia -- Simmons noted that this concert was "the last when Emerald and Annalivia perform as separate entities -- and at the end joined the band for a couple of instrumental medleys that offered a most enticing preview of further joys to come.
In fact, odds are very good that ICONS will see the debut of the "new" Annalivia -- not that there was anything lacking in the "old" Annalivia.

--Sean Smith

Hello from Brian O'Donovan, Producer

2008-06-08T18:23:00.011-04:00

Hello. This is my very first blog ever! So bear with me.

Can't believe we are at that time of year again when we need to get ready for the Icons Irish Arts and Music festival. We have a new web site - which you know about if you are on this - and a whole lot of great musicians - and then some - coming to be part of the weekend with us.

I would like to keep these pages casual in terms of my own writing and to generate some conversation with fans of Irish and Irish-connected music out there.

Generally, as a philosophy, we try to program ICONS to be an unusual Festival where the un-familiar is as comfortable as the well known. To that end, I look carefully at the world of traditional Irish music today. I am fascinated by the vital, vibrant state that music is in, and particularly fascinated with the connections the music has made in so many genres, so many countries.

I travel extensively to see bands in performance, as I am often convinced that a good sounding CD is just not enough to tell you about a singer or instrumentalist. So what you will see on that weekend in September, will be a curated selection of the best, simply the best. You may not love everything you see or hear, but it will be high quality and compelling.

So, soon, our web site will be fully functional with audio and video for each of the artists we have lined up for you. Check back often at http://www.iconsfestival.com/. And comment back on what you think.

Of course, its not just music at this festival. This year we have really stepped up the support of our genealogy programs where you can start your search or look up a passenger list of a boat that might have arrived here a century ago. We have literature and drama, history, artistic demonstrations, Gaelic athletic games, wolfhounds; the list goes on.

But again, with the Irish Cultural Centre of New England and the Festival, we are only keepers of a public trust, that is the wealth of Irish culture as it thrives here in New England and beyond.

What would you like to see more of?

How can you connect us with something we might not be aware of?

How can you get more involved?

How can we improve on every aspect of what we do?

We are looking to create a lively discussion point here and you may see postings from a few different people involved in the Festival's organization. So, stay reading and stay active in the blog. And thanks....

Brian O'Donovan, Festival Producer

PRESS RELEASE 6.4.08

2008-06-06T14:46:00.000-04:00

Irish culture will once again take center stage as the 2008 ICONS (Irish Connections) Festival celebrates the Irish heritage, with a focus on Irish and Celtic music and arts. The festival will take place from September 12-14, 2008 at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, Massachusetts. Tickets for the festival are on sale now at www.iconsfestival.com or by phone at 617/508-931-2000.

From storytelling to step dancing, music, literature, sporting demonstrations, genealogy, history, and workshops, the festival now in its 17th year, will once again be one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in the US.

“The 2008 ICONS Festival will once again be a celebration of the wealth of Irish culture and its connections to other cultures around the world,” said Sean Grant, Executive Director of the Irish Cultural Centre of New England.

This year’s musical line-up features some of the true ICONS of the music, as well as some of Ireland’s newest stars. Some of this year’s highlights include:

Liam Clancy, the youngest and last surviving member of the famed Clancy Brothers.
Lúnasa, one of the most sought-after bands on the international Irish music scene, steering Irish acoustic music into surprising new territory
Solas, proclaimed as the most popular, influential, and exciting Celtic band to ever emerge from the United States, will showcase a blend of Celtic traditional, folk and country melodies, bluesy, jazz-inspired improvisations and global rhythms
Recognized as one of Irelands foremost singer-songwriters, this will be Luka Bloom’s first appearance at the ICONS festival
Irish music has influenced many genres of music around the globe, including Bluegrass. ICONS looks to celebrate this musical kinship with the inclusion of Crooked Still, the hot young alternative bluegrass/old-time group on a mission to bend the boundaries of traditional music.
Beoga returns to ICONS after an amazing performance at last year’s festival. A five-piece traditional band, they were nominated by Irish Music Magazine for the best traditional newcomer’s award in 2005.
And the expanding world of traditional dance will be again a big component of the festival, with non-stop participatory dancing and instruction, and performances by Footworks, a dance performance group based in Maryland . Footworks traces in dramatic fashion, the history of step dancing from Ireland through Canada to New England and Appalachia.

Also at the 2008 ICONS Festival Cara Dillon, The Clancy Legacy, David Munnelly Band, Le Vent Du Nord, Joe Derrane, Seamus Connolly and John McGann, Liadan, Chulrua with Paddy O’Brien, Annalivia with John Whelan, Gadelle, Grainne Hambly and Billy Jackson, Revels Repertory, and The Tannahill Weavers, and some very special surprises to be added soon.

“In 2008, we are once again celebrating the best of Irish music in our line-up,” said ICONS producer Brian O’Donovan. “From the traditional ballads of Liam Clancy to some of the hottest new Irish bands on the scene, we are showcasing the wide diversity of Irish music and dance. We look at the festival as a continuum, a way to showcase the best of Irish culture and the arts to New England.”

That celebration continues through all aspects of the festival which includes a spotlight on Irish arts & crafts, step dancing, sports, literature, genealogy and much more. Some of the highlights will include:

Harpapalooza, a fan favorite, this stage featuring performances from harp orchestras and solo performers as well as traditional Irish dancers.
Genealogy has become one of the most popular elements of the festival. The Irish Cultural Center, in conjunction with Tiara, an organization dedicated to assisting individuals in genealogical research, will once again provide workshops on exploring family names and the roots of one’s heritage
Gaelic Sports. The American branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) will stage demonstrations of Hurling and Gaelic Football throughout the weekend.
Literature, an opportunity to celebrate Ireland's rich and diverse literary tradition. A highlight of this year’s festival will be Shay Duffin's portrayal of writer Brendan Behan, whose salty pen, and pure Dublin wit, entertained - and upset! - Irish society for decades.
An Ghaeltacht –Gaelic, the Irish language is one of the oldest and richest languages in the world. From spoken word to old-style singing and dancing, ICONS will celebrate the language in an authentic replica of an Irish Thatched Cottage on the site of the Festival
Dance- The world of traditional dance has always been an intrinsic part of Irish culture and recently has made its appearance into popular culture. Amongst the highlights, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is (The Organization of Irish Traditional Musicians) will once again have its own area dedicated to participatory ceili and set dancing.
Tir na nOg, - Land of the Young. From story-telling to musical performances, educational activities, crafts and workshops, Tir na nOg will be the ultimate destination for those under the age of 10.

Tickets
Advance tickets for the ICONS Festival are available at www.iconsfestival.com
or charge by phone at 617/508-931-2000.

3-day discounted festival passes can be purchased for $35 before August 31, providing a full weekend of entertainment at a great value.
Single day tickets are available for $15 before August 31 and for $25 at the gate day of show.

All tickets give you full access to all parts of the festival grounds and all performances. Children under 12 are admitted FREE if accompanied by an adult. For more information, visit www.iconsfestival.com

The ICONS Festival takes place September 12, 13 and 14 at the Irish Cultural Center of New England, located at 200 New Boston Drive off Rte. 138 South in Canton, MA.

WWW.ICONSFESTIVAL.COM

ICONS Irish Music and Arts Festival 2008

ICONS Finale: Friends old and new

ICONS Day 3: Not hard to get through a "soft day"

ICONS Day 2: As a matter of fact, we are having fun

ICONS Day 1: That voice

Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go (more or less)

BCMFest@ICONS preview this Monday

Reminder: special ICONS ticket deal ends Sept. 6

Family-friendly ICONS

Club Passim and Celtic music

Beoga on "Woodsongs"

ICONS schedule now available

Tony McManus in Acoustic Guitar magazine

Milwaukee Irish Fest

Ronnie Drew: The voice we adored

Luka Bloom: He still believes

In the flesh

Morse's Corner: Lúnasa and Solas

Happy campers

If I go 10,000 miles

"Hanging with the Heatons"

Falling dollar: Will it make US festivals sing the blues?

Steve's in our corner

Falcon Ridge takes flight

CCE Boston fall classes announced

Wait, what?

Globe: "Crooked Still's new line-up stirs it up"

Kieran Jordan: A jolly good "fellow"

ICONS adds Alison Brown, Derrane-Connolly-McGann trio, Boston Kiltics, BCMFest showcase

Hello and New Bedford Summerfest

In Praise of Andy

John, Jerry & Le Vent

(Photo at right) Jerry Holland

(Photo) John Doyle and Liz Carroll atthe Old Songs Festival.

Local favorites Annalivia, Emerald Rae join forces

Hello from Brian O'Donovan, Producer

PRESS RELEASE 6.4.08

(Photo) John Doyle and Liz Carroll at
the Old Songs Festival.