February 2006

FREE SAN DIEGO ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, folk, Tblues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass music news March 2008 www.sandiegotroubadour.com Vol. 7, No. 6 what’s inside bblliinn uuttttaa DDuu Welcome Mat ………3 tt OO Mission iigghh Contributors SSttrraa Full Circle.. …………5 Tommy Sands Recordially, Lou Curtiss Front Porch... ………7 Traditional Irish Sessions Skelpin History of Irish Music Heloise Love Parlor Showcase …10 Gerard Nolan, Brian Baynes, David Page Ramblin’... …………12 Bluegrass Corner Zen of Recording Hosing Down Radio Daze Stages Highway’s Song. …15 Beoga Tour of Ireland Of Note. ……………16 Terence Blanchard East West Jorge Espinoza ee Zen Boy & Karma Girl PPaagg aavviidd Dayna Carroll •• DD nneess ‘Round About ....... …18 BBaayy BBrriiaann iego March Music Calendar •• an D oollaann e to S The Local Seen ……19 rrdd NN cam hs GGeerraa men l pat Photo Page Irish sica three ent mu ...how differ llowed and fo MARCH 2008 SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR welcome mat RSAN ODUIEGBO ADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, folk, Tblues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass music news MISSION CONTRIBUTORS To promote, encourage, and provide an FOUNDERS lternative voice for the great local music that a Ellen and Lyle Duplessie is generally overlooked by the mass media; Liz Abbott namely the genres of alternative country, Kent Johnson Americana, roots, folk, blues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass. To entertain, educate, and bring PUBLISHERS together players, writers, and lovers of these Liz Abbott Father Phil O’Harmonic Sez: forms; to explore their foundations; and to Kent Johnson expand the audience for these types of music. EDITORIAL/GRAPHICS Liz Abbott SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, the local source for Chuck Schiele alternative country, Americana, roots, folk, blues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass music news, ADVERTISING is published monthly and is free of charge. Kent Johnson When Erin first rose from the Letters to the editor must be signed and may be BUSINESS CONSULTANT edited for content. It is not, however, guaranteed Joanna Schiele that they will appear. DISTRIBUTION dark-swelling flood. All opinions expressed in SAN DIEGO Kent Johnson TROUBADOUR are solely the opinion of the Dave Sawyer writer and do not represent the opinions of the Mark Jackson staff or management. All rights reserved. God blessed the green island, Indian Joe Stewart ADVERTISING INFORMATION Dan Long For advertising rates, call 619/298-8488 Peter Bolland he saw it was good. or e-mail [email protected]. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER SUBSCRIPTIONS are available for $30/yr. Steve Covault Send check payable to S.D. Troubadour to: WEB MASTER The Emerald of Europe, it San Diego Troubadour Will Edwards P.O. Box 164 WRITERS La Jolla, CA 92038 sparkled and shone Michael Alvarez E-mail: [email protected]. Peter Bolland WHERE TO FIND US Can’t find a copy of the Lou Curtiss In the ring of this world, the San Diego Troubadour? Go to Annie Dru www.sandiegotroubadour.com and click Michael Eskin on FIND AN ISSUE for a complete list of Paul Hormick locations we deliver to. Jim McInnes most precious stone. SUBMITTING YOUR CD FOR REVIEW Bart Mendoza If you have a CD you’d like to be considered for Tim Mudd review, send two copies to: San Diego Chuck Schiele Troubadour, P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA 92038. Sven-Erik Seaholm — William Drennen José Sinatra SUBMITTING A CALENDAR LISTING Allen Singer Email your gig date, including location, address, Steve Thorn and time to [email protected] by D. Dwight Worden the 23rd of the month prior to publication. Craig Yerkes ©2008 San Diego Troubadour. Cover design: Liz Abbott The San Diego Troubadour is dedicated to the memory of Ellen and Lyle Duplessie , whose vision inspired the creation of this newspaper. www.sandiegotroubadour.com 3 MARCH 2008 SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR full circle First Steps on Sands by Tim Mudd five siblings that became one of Ireland’s It also appears that his influence spreads most influential folk groups of the ’60s and into a political arena. During the historic s my wee years advance, I’ve started to ’70s. Although the group has limited its Good Friday Agreement Talks, Sands’ notice that the popular music press is a touring in the past decade to an annual tour impromptu performance with a group of Adouble-edged sword; on the one hand of Germany and Ireland, in their heyday children and Lambeg drummers was it feeds me to near-capacity with the latest they helped to expose Irish music on an described by Northern Ireland Deputy First (and not always greatest) artists who fuel international level from New York’s Minister Seamus Mallon as “a defining my secretly egotistical need for one-upman - Carnegie Hall to Moscow’s Olympic moment in the Peace Process.” The presi - ship in the shallow game of progressive Stadium. Solo Sands has continued to pave dent of the Irish Republic, Mary McAleese, taste. More recently though, it appears that new ground as a singer-songwriter and is periodically calls upon Sands for advice on this obsession and my means of obtaining said to have developed into one of the most cultural matters and in December 2002, this coveted information are revealing their powerful and enchanting songwriters and although the Northern Ireland Assembly flaws in the guise of the truly great artists performers in Ireland today. He is also the had been stood down, Sands managed to I’ve begun to discover under the radar of host of a popular radio show, “Country persuade the members to return for a spe - these traditional channels. As a marginally Ceili,” broadcast weekly via Belfast’s cial Christmas musical party together. As successful public artist for over a decade, Downtown Radio since 1976. one politician after another joined him on you’d think I’d know better. His songwriting has drawn the admira - stage for a song, Loyalist leader David The subject of this article is a good case tion of Nobel Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney Ervine remarked, “Tommy Sands is the only in point; I received a phone call from the and the father of folk music himself, Pete man, without a private army, who can Tommy Sands editor asking if I’d mind writing an article Seeger. Sing Out! magazine regards him as intimidate me.” on Tommy Sands for this Celtic issue of the “the most powerful songwriter in Ireland, if Outside of his musical and political his doorstep, as his family’s farm was one of San Diego Troubadour . “Who?” I responded, not the rest of the world,” and his work has endeavors, Sands has somehow found the the few places in the region that hosted to which she told me (and rightly so) to do been recorded by Joan Baez, Kathy Matthea, time to author The Songman, an autobiogra - both Protestants and Catholics to join some research and let her know if I needed and Dolores Keane among many others. A phy that serves the dual purpose of docu - together in appreciation of music and danc - anything. “Well,” I thought to myself, “I fact I found almost more impressive than menting the recent history of his homeland, ing. Many of his songs would come to guess this is my job.” these was that his songs have been translat - which has drawn praise from teacher and reflect this early exposure to the instability Typically, I let the personal dramatiza - ed into multiple languages and are currently Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank of his homeland, the symptoms of which tion of the rest of my life get in the way for included in the English language syllabus in McCourt. would also explain his fierce crusade for a couple of weeks and procrastinated over German secondary schools. At this point of my research, I’m more unity. the exploration of an artist I’d never heard Believe it or not, this is just the begin - than just a little impressed and maybe even Although Sands attended college to of – nor necessarily cared to know – until ning. When he’s not performing across the – like Ervine – a little intimidated; none of study theology and philosophy, music was the day of my deadline. Now I’m sitting stages of the world, Tommy Sands is writing the above achievements are trivial matters, in his blood and proved too great a lure. The Sands Family in 1976: Ben, Ann, here wishing I hadn’t. As I dip my feet into a different story on the vitally deeper and especially when you’re attempting to main - Legend has it that having dropped out of Colum, and Tommy the fascinating world of Tommy Sands for far more intimate level of social activism. tain the fine balancing act, which is a suc - school he began the 120 mile trip back the first time, I’m wondering how the hell One notable project he endeavored cessful career in music. These are not things home on foot. He hadn’t got very far when I’m going to do this incredible man and his upon was teaching underprivileged prison - you simply do , these are things you do if his siblings pulled up in a car and picked vibrant history any justice – quite honestly ers in Reno, Nevada, to write their own you’re driven . Next, I decided it was only him up to perform a gig. Inspired by the I’m feeling pretty stupid. If you’re familiar songs with which to defend themselves in appropriate to investigate the formative Clancy Brothers, the Sands Family (Tommy, with Tommy Sands, feel free to extend a court. In May 2002, he received an hon - years that would suggest influence over who Eugene, Ben, Colum, and Ann) would metaphorical hand to pat me on the head as orary Doctorate of Letters from the he became.

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