I'll be in Boston in early May and searching the database, there are no sessions in "Boston". There's lots in Massachusetts so I'm guessing that some are in the outlying towns/suburbs of Boston. Are there no sessions "downtown" (I'll be near the Convention Centre)?
Any insights/geography lessons would be greatly appreciated.
Ian
Beware of paid performances masquerading as sessions is all I have to say. There are some events listed in newspaper ads as sessions that are not necessarily open to all.
Because of the T (subway), pretty much all of the surroundings are accessible, so don't worry about getting around. I will leave it to other session members (sts, are you there?) to give you particulars on individual sessions, it has been a few years since I ventured that far north.
There is lots of good music at the Burren in Cambridge (great pub), not sure if it is sessions, however.
Hmmm, well you could take the Orange Line to Stony Brook and make your way through the side streets to get to the Brendan Behan pub which has a session on Saturdays 4 'til whenever. Going through the side streets is the safer way, or you could get off a stop before and get off at Jackson Square and walk a mile through Centre St... Kinda sketchy. Anywho, that session is suuuch a good session with lots o' friendly musicians! Yay!~
Saturday: The Green Dragon on the Freedom Trail off of Union Street
Musicians: Jimmy Noonan-flute Noel Scott-Hohner Accordion
Seamus-bodhran and others (4-8pm+)
Sunday: o'Leary's on Beacon Street near Kenmore Square(7-11pm+)
Musicians: Jimmy Noonan, Noel Scott and many more
Mr.Dooley's on Broad Street in Financial District (7-11pm+)
Musicians: Alan Loughnane-fiddle Shay Walker-Guitar +more
Monday: Green Briar in Brighton (8-11pm+)
Musicians: Larry Reynolds-fiddle and Comhaltas musicians
Tuesday: The Kells on Brighton Avenue in Boston/Brighton (8-?)
A ceili with Jimmy Noonan and his Ceili band
Wednesday: Mr. Dooley's .. same crowd as Sunday I believe
Thursday
& : None that I can think of at the moment
Friday
Oh hurray. I was thinking about moving to Boston sometime between May and September.... Ian you beat me to the question!
I'm *really* glad to know that there are some nice ones in the city -- I adore the one I attend at the moment so much I was afraid that any other session I go to will be filled with mean people ^_^.
Re Mick's list, the O'Leary's session has been defunct for the past few years -- unless they've suddenly started it up again without telling anyone!
Also, I believe the Mr. Dooley's Sunday session got turned into an "Irish Folk Series," but I haven't been there so I couldn't say for sure.
Let me throw in a few; they're not downtown per se but can be reached by public transportation, some more easily than others:
-The Brendan Behan Pub, Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, Saturdays from approx. 4-7 p.m.
-The Skellig, Moody Street, Waltham, Tuesdays, 8ish (also run by the Reynolds family)
-Sally O'Brien's, Somerville, Tuesdays (last I heard)
-PJ Ryan's, Teele Square, Somerville, Sundays 8-10
Nice to know we have some fresh faces moving to town... a couple of footnotes to the lists above: O'Leary's has indeed been down for the last few years, as sts says (Sean, that you flying under the radar?), and the Green Dragon and Mr. Dooley's are both post morten too, I believe. As for the Kells... well, these days you'd just as soon find a kazoo band there as you would a session or ceili. It's a qualifiied bump-and-grind joint these days, so unless scantily clad BU coeds and trance music are your thing, steer clear of that joint.
There's also a very nice Sunday afternoon session at the Burren, hosted by the Gannon family. Great folks and tasty music from 3 to about 6 or so. Most other nights though, the Burren "sessions" are mic-ed and closed shops.
Anyway, I'll be looking forward to seeing new folks around the Boston area.
Be sure not to miss the Greenbriar session on Mondays. The "slow" session starts at 7 PM and goes until 8:45 or so, then the regular session starts at 9 PM and goes until whenever. It's in Brighton center, on Washington Street about two blocks east of Chestnut Hill Avenue, near St. Elizabeth's Hospital, You can get a bus from Kenmore Square (but I don't know the number-sorry!)
The owner brings out a platter of pub food (usually chicken and french fries) and all musicians get a ticket redeemable at the bar for a drink (usually)
Bah! Curses! You have uncovered my secret identity! You are too clever for us naughty people!
Thanks for mentioning the "Gannons session" at the Burren -- I keep meaning to stop in there. I'd somehow assumed that just about _every_ sesh at the Burren was closed.
>Sad to report that the Sally O"Brien's session is no more.
Oh dear. I know one of the guys who had started it; he had come once or twice to a session I'd helped kick off in Harvard Square that took place on the same night. After Sally O'Brien's had started, he'd apologized for "competing" with the Harvard Square session -- it was apparently the only night the place would give them.
So, the Harvard Square session died out a while back, and I'd been thinking lately of dropping in at Sally's. Well, so much for _that_.
Oh, great! That was the Tommy Doyle's session wasn't it Sean? I was thinking I could go to that one now. What is going on with the mortality rate of Boston sessions?
Sound's like you were refering to my buddy Rob in your post.
If I hear of anything good popping up I'll post it here.
Well, Steve, as far as Tommy Doyle's goes, the problem was a bit multi-faceted. The session actually started like gangbusters and was very well-attended for a while, but then a few issues arose: management wouldn't provide free drinks for the musicians, which got up some people's wicks; and we had a tension of sorts between the Irish musicians and the Scots/Cape Breton musicians.
So gradually the crowd faded away until there were just a few of us stalwarts, but then summer came and with people going away for weeks at a time it really became a non-event.
Last fall, a few of us tried to get the session going again, and it began to look promising -- had a couple of new arrivals, in fact. But folks got busy, or something, and we just collectively said "Forget it."
If there were enough musicians who would regularly go week in and week out, I don't think the Doyle's management would mind having the session start up (oh, and they did start proferring free drinks). But someone else other than me and my compatriots will have to be the ringleaders!
And oh yes, that _was_ Rob I was referring to. Hey, are you guys gonna be at NEFFA in a few weeks? Will look for you there...
Boston sessions
Boston sessions
I'll be in Boston in early May and searching the database, there are no sessions in "Boston". There's lots in Massachusetts so I'm guessing that some are in the outlying towns/suburbs of Boston. Are there no sessions "downtown" (I'll be near the Convention Centre)?
Any insights/geography lessons would be greatly appreciated.
Ian
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by ian clark
Re: Boston sessions
Beware of paid performances masquerading as sessions is all I have to say. There are some events listed in newspaper ads as sessions that are not necessarily open to all.
Because of the T (subway), pretty much all of the surroundings are accessible, so don't worry about getting around. I will leave it to other session members (sts, are you there?) to give you particulars on individual sessions, it has been a few years since I ventured that far north.
There is lots of good music at the Burren in Cambridge (great pub), not sure if it is sessions, however.
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by AlBrown
Re: Boston sessions
Hynes Convention Center on Boylston?
Hmmm, well you could take the Orange Line to Stony Brook and make your way through the side streets to get to the Brendan Behan pub which has a session on Saturdays 4 'til whenever. Going through the side streets is the safer way, or you could get off a stop before and get off at Jackson Square and walk a mile through Centre St... Kinda sketchy. Anywho, that session is suuuch a good session with lots o' friendly musicians! Yay!~
Cheers,
Armand
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by fiddlinviolinin
Re: Boston sessions
Saturday: The Green Dragon on the Freedom Trail off of Union Street
Musicians: Jimmy Noonan-flute Noel Scott-Hohner Accordion
Seamus-bodhran and others (4-8pm+)
Sunday: o'Leary's on Beacon Street near Kenmore Square(7-11pm+)
Musicians: Jimmy Noonan, Noel Scott and many more
Mr.Dooley's on Broad Street in Financial District (7-11pm+)
Musicians: Alan Loughnane-fiddle Shay Walker-Guitar +more
Monday: Green Briar in Brighton (8-11pm+)
Musicians: Larry Reynolds-fiddle and Comhaltas musicians
Tuesday: The Kells on Brighton Avenue in Boston/Brighton (8-?)
A ceili with Jimmy Noonan and his Ceili band
Wednesday: Mr. Dooley's .. same crowd as Sunday I believe
Thursday
& : None that I can think of at the moment
Friday
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by mick_the_tool
Re: Boston sessions
Oh hurray. I was thinking about moving to Boston sometime between May and September.... Ian you beat me to the question!
I'm *really* glad to know that there are some nice ones in the city -- I adore the one I attend at the moment so much I was afraid that any other session I go to will be filled with mean people ^_^.
*saves this thread*
thanks muchly!
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by Kriana
Re: Boston sessions
Re Mick's list, the O'Leary's session has been defunct for the past few years -- unless they've suddenly started it up again without telling anyone!
Also, I believe the Mr. Dooley's Sunday session got turned into an "Irish Folk Series," but I haven't been there so I couldn't say for sure.
Let me throw in a few; they're not downtown per se but can be reached by public transportation, some more easily than others:
-The Brendan Behan Pub, Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, Saturdays from approx. 4-7 p.m.
-The Skellig, Moody Street, Waltham, Tuesdays, 8ish (also run by the Reynolds family)
-Sally O'Brien's, Somerville, Tuesdays (last I heard)
-PJ Ryan's, Teele Square, Somerville, Sundays 8-10
Good luck! Will keep an eye for you!
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by sts
Re: Boston sessions
Hello all,
Nice to know we have some fresh faces moving to town... a couple of footnotes to the lists above: O'Leary's has indeed been down for the last few years, as sts says (Sean, that you flying under the radar?), and the Green Dragon and Mr. Dooley's are both post morten too, I believe. As for the Kells... well, these days you'd just as soon find a kazoo band there as you would a session or ceili. It's a qualifiied bump-and-grind joint these days, so unless scantily clad BU coeds and trance music are your thing, steer clear of that joint.
There's also a very nice Sunday afternoon session at the Burren, hosted by the Gannon family. Great folks and tasty music from 3 to about 6 or so. Most other nights though, the Burren "sessions" are mic-ed and closed shops.
Anyway, I'll be looking forward to seeing new folks around the Boston area.
And now, off to the Kells.... ; )
James.
# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by JHamilton
Re: Boston sessions
Be sure not to miss the Greenbriar session on Mondays. The "slow" session starts at 7 PM and goes until 8:45 or so, then the regular session starts at 9 PM and goes until whenever. It's in Brighton center, on Washington Street about two blocks east of Chestnut Hill Avenue, near St. Elizabeth's Hospital, You can get a bus from Kenmore Square (but I don't know the number-sorry!)
The owner brings out a platter of pub food (usually chicken and french fries) and all musicians get a ticket redeemable at the bar for a drink (usually)
# Posted on April 4th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Boston sessions
Thanks - hopefully I'll get along to at least one.
Cheers,
Ian
# Posted on April 4th 2007 by ian clark
Re: Boston sessions
>(Sean, that you flying under the radar?)
Bah! Curses! You have uncovered my secret identity! You are too clever for us naughty people!
Thanks for mentioning the "Gannons session" at the Burren -- I keep meaning to stop in there. I'd somehow assumed that just about _every_ sesh at the Burren was closed.
# Posted on April 4th 2007 by sts
Re: Boston sessions
Sad to report that the Sally O"Brien's session is no more.
# Posted on April 5th 2007 by Steve L
Re: Boston sessions
>Sad to report that the Sally O"Brien's session is no more.
Oh dear. I know one of the guys who had started it; he had come once or twice to a session I'd helped kick off in Harvard Square that took place on the same night. After Sally O'Brien's had started, he'd apologized for "competing" with the Harvard Square session -- it was apparently the only night the place would give them.
So, the Harvard Square session died out a while back, and I'd been thinking lately of dropping in at Sally's. Well, so much for _that_.
# Posted on April 5th 2007 by sts
Re: Boston sessions
Oh, great! That was the Tommy Doyle's session wasn't it Sean? I was thinking I could go to that one now. What is going on with the mortality rate of Boston sessions?
Sound's like you were refering to my buddy Rob in your post.
If I hear of anything good popping up I'll post it here.
# Posted on April 6th 2007 by Steve L
Re: Boston sessions
Well, Steve, as far as Tommy Doyle's goes, the problem was a bit multi-faceted. The session actually started like gangbusters and was very well-attended for a while, but then a few issues arose: management wouldn't provide free drinks for the musicians, which got up some people's wicks; and we had a tension of sorts between the Irish musicians and the Scots/Cape Breton musicians.
So gradually the crowd faded away until there were just a few of us stalwarts, but then summer came and with people going away for weeks at a time it really became a non-event.
Last fall, a few of us tried to get the session going again, and it began to look promising -- had a couple of new arrivals, in fact. But folks got busy, or something, and we just collectively said "Forget it."
If there were enough musicians who would regularly go week in and week out, I don't think the Doyle's management would mind having the session start up (oh, and they did start proferring free drinks). But someone else other than me and my compatriots will have to be the ringleaders!
And oh yes, that _was_ Rob I was referring to. Hey, are you guys gonna be at NEFFA in a few weeks? Will look for you there...
# Posted on April 6th 2007 by sts