We sat down with Kevin at one of his two appearances at Maher’s Pub in Lake Oswego. Traveling along with Kevin is violinist/bassist and singer Jacqui Sandor. The two of them were kind enough to take a few minutes between sets to sit down and talk with us about how the tour is going, give details on Kevin’s debut album (due out in July) and many other topics.

Check out the interview!

Kevin will be back in Portland on May 20th at The Dublin Pub, then back north to his residencies at The Terrible Beauty in Seattle, as well as Kell’s and his first appearance at Northwest Folklife! Be sure to check out his website for all his dates and lots more info.

http://www.kevinmccormackmusic.com/fr_bio.cfm

Geoffrey Castle

Article contributed by Cormac Pope, musician and Owner of Seattle Celtic Music.

A few days ago I had the pleasure of meeting up with Geoffrey Castle. A local musician tearing up the stage with his six string electric violin. There is no shortage of press on this guy- he has been touring around the world and playing with some amazing musicians. Of course all this info is available on the front page of his website www.Geoffreycastle.com.
What do I have to offer that’s not already been written about this Fiddle Maniac? He’s a nice guy. We had a few pints and talked about music, his upcoming summer shows and a bit about the direction he is headed. Would you believe we touched on the idea of cosmic consciousness. That’s what a couple pints of strong IPA’s will get you. Great conversation. So what can one say about this guy other then in the world of Celtic rock he is setting the bar high for fiddle players to strive for. As a solo artist, he uses his fiddle as a tool to create a myriad of sounds looped together and then he blows it all up with screaming fiddle licks and technical “guitar riffs”. Yup, I said it. He plays that thing as if he is channeling Hendrix himself. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but after listening to a couple of his albums I quickly figured it out. His music bridges the gap between many different genres from Blues, Funk, Folk, Jazz, and of course, Celtic. Check out this youtube video of “Streets of Inwood”:

It’s not hard to find this guy on the web, he has made it very easy to see what he likes to do. He is also often found at The Wilde Rover  in Kirkland Washington on Monday nights playing with guitarist Dan Connelly. Check out his web page and videos and look for him this summer.
This May he will be making a special appearance at Synergia Northwest‘s Music Matters benefit concert for school music programs throughout Washington State. Also on the bill are Vicci Martinez, Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, Alan White and White, LeRoy Bell and his only friends, and more. check this link for more info:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Synergia-Northwest/107456719325722

Learn more about Geoffrey Castle at his website  www.Geoffreycastle.com.

John Pontefract with skOt

The lastest sponsor for our cause is Portland Fit. Portland Fit is a 15 year-old organization that specializes in training runners for marathons and other events. They offer classes, coaching and council as well as training runs to anyone interested in benefitting from specialized and individual instruction as well as group support. Portland Fit is donating their training, efforts and expertise for skOt as he prepares for his run in the Portland Marathon later this year.

Check out our video and learn more:

Get involved! Become a sponsor or simply donate a pledge to support skOt’s efforts to run 26 miles to benefit Artichoke Music! click our “Donate” tab or talk to skOt or Steve & give them what you can. Every little bit helps!

Learn more about Portland fit at their website: http://www.portlandfit.com/

Also the Portland Marathon site here: http://www.portlandmarathon.org/

Of course it was good to reconnect with our friends in Five Pint Mary, but it was also a wonderful introduction to some new friends in the form of the bands Shillelagh Jack, from Seattle, and from Portland, Tin Silver. While Tin Silver is not necessarily a Celtic act, their bluegrass/americana/bluesy style was a great fit with the lineup that night.

Check out our exclusive video of all the bands in the video!

We had later heard that the pub contacted all the bands the next day to ask them back for another visit! Plans are in the works for a repeat perhaps this June or July, keep your eyes peeled to our events calendar for that!

In the meantime, please visit the bands websites & check them out. You won’t regret it!

Learn more about Shillelagh Jack at their site here.

Learn more about Tin Silver at their site here.

Learn more about Five Pint Mary at their site here.

Kasír are: Oisín Walsh, bodhrán, Rune Cygan Barslund,  accordion and whistles and Aske Fuglsang Ruhe, guitar, mandolin and octave mandolin. Their music is decidedly Celtic but has flavors of classical, funk, rock and other influences that give Kasír a very unique and energetic sound.

Given their youth (the eldest member is only 25), Oisín, Rune  and Aske  possess astonishing musical virtuosity and maturity in their music. Their repertoire consists of both traditional songs tunes as well as their own compositions. The band released their first recording, “Reel Irish” in 2006 and followed that with “Chilling on a Sunday” in 2010.

Watch a video interview the lads released in 2010. (click on the CC button in the video frame for english subtitles).

We highly recommend checking them out!  Kasír is a wonderful band and we’re certain the lads have a bright future ahead of them. Be sure to catch them on tour if they travel near. In the meantime, learn more about  Kasír at their MySpace page here: http://www.myspace.com/kasirmusic
And their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kas%C3%ADr/16507677649

67 Music is excited to feature one of our sponsors in our “Rocky Road to the Portland Marathon” campaign to benefit Artichoke Music’s Community Outreach Program. Some of you may know that skOt is running kilted in the Portland Marathon this Fall to benefit this wonderful music program. One of our sponsors for this event are our new friends at Stumptown Kilts and we’d like to introduce them to you!
Jonny, Timmy G. & Happy are the team at Stumptown kilts. Stumptown Kilts is a local Portland, Oregon Company that designs and makes their kilts right here locally. They have graciously donated their time and sponsorship by donating two of their kilts- the one skOt will be wearing during the entire 26 miles of the race, and another to be raffled off to the public later on as our promotion continues. Stay tuned for that!
We took a few minutes with the lads recently at their headquarters and spoke with them about their products, involvement in our community and with 67 Music in this promotion. Take a look!

If your Company or organization would like to become a sponsor in this worthy cause, or simply donate to the “Rocky Road to the Portland Marathon” campaign, please contact us for details or simply click our convenient and secure “Donate” PayPal link on the right side of each of our webpages!

Please take a minute to visit Stumptown Kilts at their official website: http://www.stumptownkilts.com/

They’re on facebook, too!  Check ‘em out there as well!

From the Czech Republic comes this amazing group known as Poitín. On their latest recording, Celtic Radio’s 2010 Album of the Year- ”Bofiguifluki”, the five piece band from Plzen, CZ takes the listener on a 15 track aural roller coaster ride of some of the most engaging Celtic music I’ve heard in a long time.

After their previous release entitled “Jiggery Pokery”, where the band dabbled in more experimental material including some sax and almost dance-tune style DSPI remixes, “Bofiguifluki” returns to a more traditional approach both in the material and the way in which it is recorded. Granted, you will still hear the sax here, (some didj and darbuka as well) but it isn’t at all as strange as one might think. There’s still plenty or traditional instruments- the whimsical album title itself  offers clues as to what instrumentation one will hear.

The CD opens with an instrumental, “Emily”, with its percussive bodhran and banjo driving the beat. “Carlton Weaver” is next, with Jeremy King’s vocal leading off a series of wonderful traditional songs, tunes, jigs and reels. Among the highlights for me personally are the title track, with its interesting time changes, the haunting violin intro and beautiful transformations in “La Fille d’Orval” and the a cappella harmonies featured in “Next Market Day”.

While Poitín has been known to expand the ideas and norms of traditional Irish and Celtic music, the balance of the album is a well-rounded collection of material that invites one inside a pub where the band can be found on many a rousing seisiun, cranking out great music, having a great time and delivering a genuinely authentic musical experience.

Learn more about Poitín from their Facebook page here, as well as their Reverbnation site.

Kevin McCormack

An exclusive 67 Music interview by Jamie Lynn Wright

Meet Kevin McCormack, a 26 year old native of Ireland, who is making quite the splash in the Pacific NW Irish music scene. His high energy, upbeat and boisterous performance style gives way to a quiet, gentle and surprisingly humble persona. An Irishman through and through, he slowly sips a cup of tea as we begin to talk.

When asked about his distinct energetic performance style, Kevin states, “People tell me that a lot, something I’m starting to appreciate. You can take music seriously, but Irish music is fun and you can enjoy it.”

After playing drums for various rock bands in and around Dublin, Kevin moved stateside to New York in 2008 to pursue his music career full time. Little did he know that it was going to be the other side of the country where he would finally get his big break. “I got into the Irish folk stuff from my Dad. I started playing music when I was about 10 or 11,” Kevin states. With early influences of the likes of The Clancy Brothers, Luke Kelly, and even a little Woody Guthrie, it’s easy to tell that Kevin has a passion for the traditional and story-telling style. “I’m a real traditionalist. It’s all about getting across the message of the song,” Kevin says. Working in a bar in Brooklyn, his boss heard him humming a tune and offered him a gig. Fast forward to 2011 and Kevin set off on a cross country American tour that landed him in Ocean Shores, WA for the Irish Music Festival last Fall. “The best gigs are the ones you feed off of and everyone’s having a grand time. At Ocean Shores, people are there to hear the music,” Kevin says. It was one of the best gigs he’s played.

It was there he met Jenna Garvey-O’Brien, the owner of The Terrible Beauty Pubs in Renton and West Seattle, WA. Quickly taken with Kevin’s  musicianship and personality, he was offered several gigs there and thus began his nearly six nights a week gigging in and around Seattle. Kevin now is a regular on the schedule at The Terrible Beauty in both West Seattle and Renton, as well as playing weekly in Kell’s Irish Pub in downtown Seattle. In true musician fashion, Kevin hasn’t had a proper day off in over two weeks and is often gigging twice a day.

As busy as Kevin is though, he has managed to find time to begin recording his own album in Seattle. With two demo albums under his belt, this is Kevin’s first real album. Due to be released in June, “An Immigrant’s Letter” promises to be a mixture of the traditional Irish flair that Kevin is known for, such as, “Spancil Hill”, “Rocky Road To Dublin”, “Leaving Of Liverpool” and “From Clare To Here”, but what promises to be a real treat are the self-penned songs that are to accompany those traditional tracks. “People seem to be really receptive to the idea of original material,” Kevin adds, “This is where I am. This is a load of songs about me being Irish and being a folk singer in America. I’m excited about it. Me doing a folk album, a 26 year old guy from this generation, will speak to some people. Hopefully, I’ll have something decent to say at the end of it.” Hooking up with many local talents such as, Liam Gallagher (who so graciously is letting Kevin record his album in his studio) lending his talents on guitar and mandolin. Acclaimed fiddler from Washington DC, Stevie Morris, a string quartet, some uilleann pipes from the Seattle-based Carrigaline Celtic Band, and perhaps maybe a few lads from the Stout Pounders. “There seems to be a great Celtic music scene here I didn’t know about,” Kevin states. “An Immigrant’s Letter” promises to be a fun-filled album with a full sound. Be sure to watch for it’s release in June. It will be available at all of Kevin’s live gigs, as well as CD Baby and on his website as well.

As for the future, Kevin will be touring the Midwest in mid-late summer as a supporting act, as well as touring up and down the west coast promoting his album, “An Immigrant’s Letter”. For now you can catch him nearly any given night either at The Terrible Beauty in Renton or West Seattle, or playing alongside Liam Gallagher at Kell’s Downtown Seattle. Kevin’s website is always up to date with his most current gig schedule, so be sure to check it out. He puts on one heck of a show, and you’re sure to have a memorable time.

“Looking back on the last few months for all intents and purposes, I should be back in New York behind a bar somewhere. I’m here and happy with the way things are going.” No matter where Kevin ends up, he says he’ll always have a base here in the Pacific Northwest.

Visit Kevin’s website at  http://www.kevinmccormackmusic.com/fr_home.cfm

For those of you who are not familiar with Artichoke Music, they are a great acoustic music store in Portland, Oregon that have been in existence for over 40 years, providing instruments, instruction, live music and community support.

skOt’s challenge: to run 26 miles, Celtic style, in a kilt! We haven’t seen or heard of anyone doing the run in a kilt, so we thought it would be a unique and interesting touch! Over the coming 8 months, we’ll be asking for sponsors and pledges. Please consider supporting skOt, 67 Music and Artichoke Music by contributing a pledge. All of the money pledged goes directly to the Artichoke Outreach Program. Contact us for more info on how you can participate.

With eight months to go until the big race, you can expect many entertaining and informative updates along the way. Keep your cursors clicked closely to our site as we post updates of skOt’s training regimen and progress.

Watch the clip as skOt explains it all further:

Five Pint Mary

Here’s a great Irish/Celtic rock band out of Bend, Oregon, USA. We first learned about them last summer when we were scouting out Highland Games and saw they were playing at a couple of Games in eastern Oregon. Fast forward to a month or so ago when we were finally able to catch up with them and invite the band to cross the Cascade mountains and perform here in our area at the Dublin Pub as part of our “Sunday Night Celtic Music Series“.  That show was a huge success and it was great to finally meet all the members in person.

When we say ‘all members’, there are a lot of them! Totalling 8 (and sometimes 9), Five Pint Mary is: Alyson Farquhar/vocals, Michael Holmes/accordion, guitar, vocals, Sarah Pollock-Holmes/vocals, guitar, tin-whistle, Casey Holloway/ mandolin, Elizabeth Harman/ fiddle, Rick Havern/banjo, Matt Gwinup/ Guitar, David Fuller/bass and last but not least, Kevin Newton on drums! All those musicians and instruments add up to a full and raucous Irish sound that includes traditional songs as well as some original material that pleases audiences and insures everyone has a great time.

The band has only been together two years at this point but has their own loyal following in their hometown- and with their first gig here in Portland and some recent national exposure on the PaddyRock Podcast out of Chicago, Five Pint Mary is on their way to some bigger and better things!

Here’s a wee video spotlight we put together at their show here in Portland:

The band just released their first self-titled CD recently as well. To get a copy and to learn more about the band, visit their facebook page  and also their ReverbNation site.