sign in sign up
<<
Home , Paddy Moloney, The Chieftains

$ March 11 - March 18, 2020 Vol. 3 -69 NEWSSTAND PRICE: 2.00

JONATHAN WILSON DUSTBOWL REVIVAL Blurred Roots Songwriting & Storytelling

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from THE C HIE FTAINS

$$22..000 Plus: OZZY OSBOURNE — BUSH TETRAS GREEN LEAF RUSTLERS — BRITISH LION and PHISH Feel the Bern in Vermont while JOE BIDEN becomes the new Comeback Kid

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANITA DALY/ e r u t a e f

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from THE C HIE FTAINS

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANITA DALY/THE CHIEFTAINS by Katherine Yeske Taylor This is titled “The Irish dodge any talk of retirement, three nights with the Pittsburgh shies away from taking direct “I’m looking out at a very Goodbye” tour, which seems to even Moloney seems a bit Symphony Orchestra, and it credit. “We came in at the right sunny garden here at the worry fans, judging by their amazed that he’s kept The was just hilarious : I had a broken time,” is all he’ll say about it. But moment,” says , speculation in online forums. Chieftains going so well for this ankle! I didn’t know whether I this modesty might be calling from his home in , But when asked if this really will long. “It’s a bit of magic, was going to be up to doing it, misplaced, as The Chieftains . “There’s a bunch of be the band’s final excursion, somehow. It’s very unusual [to to be honest, but they wheeled are generally credited with flowers in front of me here. Just Moloney is cheerfully cagey, be] my age and going for all me out and plopped me down helping to popularize traditional beautiful.” Soon, though, he will “Well, I don’t know what the hell these years. It’s not easy with and there I was. At the end of Irish music more than any other swap this idyllic scene for a that’s about. That’s all I can say the travel and hotels these days. the show it was 150 people on band. rigorous U.S. tour with The The Chieftains are so well- Chieftains, the band he founded regarded, in fact, that other in 1962 and has fronted ever superstars have clamored to since. He has earned worldwide "We get a tremendous welcome in New perform with them. As a result, fame as one of the most over the decades, they have legendary Irish musicians of all shared the stage and made time, but this exalted status York.... We do absolutely love playing the recordings with such luminaries hasn’t made him snobby—he as , The Rolling is warm and exuberant as he Town Hall because we just love the Stones, Sinéad O’Connor, Tom nimbly darts from topic to topic, Jones, , , fairly bubbling over with , , and enthusiasm for everything. atmosphere there. You feel you're in Granny's even Richard Harris, to name Although The Chieftains have only a few. This upcoming tour circled the world many times, parlor back home, having a good time." will be no different, though this upcoming tour will be Moloney declines to specify particularly special because exactly who they’ve invited to the shows are meant as a perform with them this time out, celebratory career overview. about it!” When gently pressed I wish somebody would sponsor stage, a full symphony preferring to keep that a surprise “I’m going to be touching on, a little bit more, he laughs and a helicopter or a private plane orchestra, dancers, and a choir. for the audiences. more so than usual, some of exclaims, “Have a look at the for us!” Oh my goodness, it was just Moloney is more forthcoming the music from our 50-odd Rolling Stones and see how But even when Moloney has amazing .” with other details about these albums that we have recorded,” they do it! They’re six months faced difficulties, he has Although Moloney’s admirable upcoming shows, though. “We Moloney says. “There’s lots of younger than we are. Six persevered with good humor. work ethic and upbeat attitude always get a full pipe band, excitement and no time to blink. months. I mean, they’ve had He recalls a particularly undoubtedly helped him which can often have about 25 The show just goes bang bang many a goodbye tour.” problematic show in Pittsburgh successfully lead The Chieftains pipers and drummers, so you bang —that’s it!” But as careful as he is to three years ago. “We played to international stardom, he can imagine,” he says, delighted.

THE CHIEFTAINS WILL PLAY AT NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY ON MARCH 15, AND AT THE TOWN HALL IN ON MARCH 17 (ST. PATRICK’S DAY).

16 ARTS WEEKLY MARCH 11, 2020 www.theaquarian.com (At their New York City show last year, the “In 1959, 1960, I was playing and winning 1.2 million people we played for,” Moloney www.bitterend.com large guest piping band caused a minor competitions, but what I really wanted to do says. “We were the opening act, of course, Paul Colby’s ruckus when, as he recalls, “they were tuning was get into the real depth of Irish music, he was the headliner! Things like that were up outside the theater and I think they turned which is a great, great folk art,” he explains. great.” T E I T off the traffic lights and closed the streets!”) Moloney came by his musical talent Moloney says it is gratifying to watch H B T ER END He also promises that local choirs will join naturally. “I’ve got this God-given gift of being people around the world learn to appreciate each show. And as if all that isn’t enough to able to pick up on a tune if I hear it once traditional Irish music, just as he’d hoped wrangle into place, he adds, “I think also or twice. Pieces of music that would be on they would when he first formed the band. KRITTIKAWED MAR 11TH there’s a television crew going to be following the radio, classical pieces, and I’d be whistling This music has become particularly popular (6:30) us around the States.” But what would likely them after. That’s when I was six or seven. in Japan, he says. “We’ve been going there RYAN MCCURDY & KATRIEN VAN RIEL seem like a chaotic logistical nightmare to That’s when my mother bought me a tin 30, 40 years. They just love the music. So EDWIN VASQUEZ • CLAIRE HINKLE someone else is, judging by Moloney’s glee, whistle. But my grandfather was a flute player. much so that there’s a group called The DANNY P • TROY just one more adventure to anticipate. My mother played. Other uncles played the Lady Chieftains—they’re in their 20s, 30s, According to Moloney, the band members bagpipes. Every one of them played the playing flute, whistles, pipes, that kind of TRINA HAMLINTHUR MARM 12THARILYN D'AMATO expect that the Newark, New Jersey and squeezebox, the . So there was thing. We had them play with us onstage (7PM) • New York City shows will be standouts on music in the house all the time.” the last time; it was just terrific. So there (Buy Advance SPAGHETTITix For Marilyn EASTERN D'Amato 3& Trina Hamlin) this tour. The New York show is actually The Chieftains released their self-titled was lots of tears [from them], my shirt was on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17 at The Town debut album in 1964. It took them some time wet with tears! Crying and crying, ‘Don’t ST. CODY & THE CULT FOR TAX PURPOSES Hall), with the Newark show just before (on to convince critics and audiences to give go!’ So sweet of them.” March 15 at New Jersey Performing Arts them proper consideration, as it was still Speculating on why Irish music is so RAZOR BOYFRI MARMUSIC 13TH BOBO & THE BLUE AND LONESOMEPRESENTS: TWO LUCID LIP (7PM) THE BREAKS • SONIC REBELLION SPRINKLE MAGIC • X-RAY LOVE

ACOUSTIC OPENSAT MAR MIC 14TH RAZOR BOY MUSIC (1-3PM)CYNTHIA ---PLUS--- SOL CHANGINGPRESENTS: MODES (7PM) UNCLE FUNKY AND THE MYSTIC MONKEY LINDSAY BROCKINGTON NATALIE FARRELL AFRO DOMINICANO

THE BILLY---PLUS--- HECTOR BAND $5 ADMISSION • SHOWS BEGIN AT 7 pm (unless stated) 147 BLEECKER ST., N.Y.C. BTWN THOMPSON & LAGUARDIA “THE HEART OF GREENWICH VILLAGE” FOR BOOKING INFORMATION CALL PAUL RIZZO 212-673-7030

THE SECOND SATURDAY $1OFF RECORD & CD SHOW $6 ADMISSION Firehouse #1 WITH THIS AD 97 Parish Dr (@ Rt. 23 & 202s) (10am-4pm) Wayne, NJ 07470 The Second Saturday of EVERY Month Mar 14 NJ’s Longest Running Record Show UPCOMING DATES www.showsandexpos.com Apr 11 • May 9 • Jun 13 [email protected] Jul 11 • Aug 8 • Sep 12 973-209-6067 Oct 10 • Nov 14 • Dec 12 facebook.com/SecondSaturdayRecordShow Center). “We get a tremendous welcome in relatively rare for a band to perform traditional universally beloved, Moloney says that there New York,” Moloney says. “We do absolutely Irish music with such ambition. But by the is “something about the music that touches love playing the Town Hall because we just mid-seventies, things were going well enough the hearts of everybody, and I’m so delighted love the atmosphere there. You feel you’re that the band members finally quit the ir day it’s you ng people these da ys that really get HAND TO HAND FLYERING BANNERS in Granny’s parlor back home, having a good jobs and became professional musicians. turned on to the music. I wo uldn’t like to go COLLEGE FLYERING MALL DISTROS time. For New Jersey, that theater has magic But it wasn’t an easy to make that leap, into competition anymore! They’re just acoustics that we love playing.” Moloney recalls. “Everybody had governm ent am azing, the stuf f that’s comin g out is terrific. RETAIL STORE DROPS TOWN DISTROS Moloney admits that when he gets off this jobs, civil servants, that kind of stuff. And And genuine . Particularly the soloists.” BANNERS STREET TEAMING FLAGS call, he’ll finally start working on putting we all had families. And we were not spri ng F or his part, Moloney is still eagerly SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PRINTING together the specific program for these chickens at that time, even—we were getting exploring new musica l la ndscapes, even GRAPHIC DESIGN STEP & REPEATS shows. Leaving this until less than a month on! So it was a big decision to break the now. “I’m not finished ye t! I’m recording LAMINATES/CREDENTIALS BANNERS before the tour begins is, he says with a link. Pensions went out the window.” tomo rro w, in fact,” he says. “Some Breton T-SHIRTS STEP & REPEATS FLYERING chuckle, “terrifying everybody else: ‘Where The gamble paid off when they were music, from Brittany, the no rthwest of France, HAND TO HAND FLYERING BANNERS is the program?’ Sometimes I only do it just nominated for an Oscar for their wo rk on which is a Celtic region. ” He chose to do MALL DISTROS COLLEGE FLYERING before a show, and it can change the soundtrack for the 1975 Stanley Kub rick thi s recording “because of the great RETAIL STORE DROPS TOWN DISTROS dramatically.” He is clearly not worried about film Barry Lydon . By 1976, they were selling association of Irish music and Breton BANNERS STREET TEAMING FLAGS the other musicians’ ability to keep up with out prestigious venues like the Royal Alb ert mus ic—it’s all Celtic stuff.” SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PRINTING his ever-shifting plans, though—especially Hall in London and in New Give n Molon ey’s endless en thusiasm, Get The “All-Access” his bandmates, flute player and York City. Since then, they’ve gone on to fans probably should n’t worry too much GRAPHIC DESIGN STEP & REPEATS vocalist and drummer , both release more than 50 albums, winning tha t he’ll decide to retire an ytime soon. “To BANNERSTreatment LAMINATES/CREDENTIALS And Let Us of whom have been his bandmates since six Grammys along the way (and they have me, mus ic is body and soul,” Moloney says. T-SHIRTSHelp STEP With & REPEATS All Of YourFLYERING the seventies. received 22 Grammy nominations “It’s ess entia l, music is . I would be lost BANNERS HAND TO HAND FLYERING Moloney’s own history with The Chieftains altogether). without it. If I didn’t have mu sic, I don’t know COLLEGELaminates FLYERING And CredenMALL DISTROS als. goes all the way back to 1962, when he Even with so much success, Molo ney wh at I’d be. I me an, I was g oing to be an RETAIL STORE DROPS TOWN DISTROS founded the band in his native Dublin. By says that some honors stand out, in accountant— but thank God, I just love the BANNERS STREET TEAMING FLAGS then, he was already well-respected for his particular, as when The Chieftains were music. One can only say it’s been a skills playing the and the Uilleann invited to perform for Pope John Pau l II trem endous musical journe y. I would never SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PRINTING pipes (a type of traditional Irish bagpipe). when he visited Ireland in 1979. “That was change it for anything , the way it’s been.” GRAPHIC DESIGN STEP & REPEATS LAMINATES/CREDENTIALSCall Michelle or Chris 973.812.6766 BANNERS T-SHIRTS STEP & REPEATS FLYERING www.theaquarian.com ARTS WEEKLY MARCH 11, 2020 17 H