As I mentioned in the beer discussion yesterday, Strangford Lough Brewing Company is running a competition for "Irish" bands. There are five finalists, two of whom are neck and neck for the lead. Voting is open until tomorrow (Tuesday Dec. 14, but they don't say what time. Since the brewery is in N. Ireland, it's conceivable that the deadline is as early as midnight tonight local time, 7 pm EST, 10 pm PST)
Finalists include a trad band from New York (think Cherish the Ladies), a Celtic rock band from Philadelphia, a Celtic rock band from Hawaii with some old-time/bluegrass flavor, and two pub ballad groups (a trio from the North of England, I think, and a duo from New England) (think Dubliners and Clancys).
You need to register if you want to vote, but they don't give your information to anyone. The winning band gets a free trip to perform in Las Vegas, and one voter gets a trip for two to hear that performance. [The rather poorly edited FAQ says that they'll be happy to suggests sights in Ireland for the winning band to visit on their trip to Las Vegas.]
Hey there skreech--I'd really love to know what you mean by that comment. There are a hell of a lot of Americans playing Irish music with a very close connection to some of the best players in Irish music. All the fantastic musicians who emigrated over here and passed on the tradition. You have some nerve making that comment.
Those young women knew what they intended to achieve by all playing in mini dresses, but I've got to say that both the lassie with the cajon and the one with the djembe would have done well to wear trousers, or at least put some leggings on underneath.
If I was to vote it would be the girl band, not just because of the knickers, and despite them having two shakers, a cajon and darbuka but because they aren't called Murphy's something, Celtic something, Paddy's something, they don't put on their accents and and compared to the players in the other bands the lassie in the girl band is Joe Burke.
To be fair to the girl band, there was a fiddle onstage, the fiddler just wasn't playing it in that particular clip. You also can't help but suspect they're a bunch of friends and don't want to exclude anyone, hence the oversized rhythm section.
I saw the other clip the last time there was voting in this, and it looks like most of the people with the packing crates and the shakey bits are actually fiddlers. Probably the dancers were fiddlers as well. I think this was meant to be some sort of box spotlight piece. Well played.
(And what's all this about playing a cajun? I know some cajuns that wouldn't mind being played by those girls, but I didn't see them on stage. Them was a packing crate and a hippie drum they were playing)
(To be fair, the fiddler playing the hippie drum did have the grace to look embarrassed about it)
Can we have a discussion about the perceived need for the young woman to wear minidresses and flaunt their sexuality in order to appear more attractive and desirable? Especially when a minidress is completely impractical when playing a cajon, or even an accordion. Are any of the blokes wearing speedos and bike racing spandex tops? No? Is this something which is pretty indicative of American and British society? Yes.
I'll wear a minidress to the pub if all the guys who I play tunes with agree to show up in speedos with spandex tops, or maybe no tops at all.
Battle of the Bands Voting
Battle of the Bands Voting
As I mentioned in the beer discussion yesterday, Strangford Lough Brewing Company is running a competition for "Irish" bands. There are five finalists, two of whom are neck and neck for the lead. Voting is open until tomorrow (Tuesday Dec. 14, but they don't say what time. Since the brewery is in N. Ireland, it's conceivable that the deadline is as early as midnight tonight local time, 7 pm EST, 10 pm PST)
Finalists include a trad band from New York (think Cherish the Ladies), a Celtic rock band from Philadelphia, a Celtic rock band from Hawaii with some old-time/bluegrass flavor, and two pub ballad groups (a trio from the North of England, I think, and a duo from New England) (think Dubliners and Clancys).
You need to register if you want to vote, but they don't give your information to anyone. The winning band gets a free trip to perform in Las Vegas, and one voter gets a trip for two to hear that performance. [The rather poorly edited FAQ says that they'll be happy to suggests sights in Ireland for the winning band to visit on their trip to Las Vegas.]
# Posted on December 13th 2010 by GaryAMartin
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Can you spoil your ballot paper?
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by ...
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Brilliant.
No one plays Irish music quite like the Americans.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by skreech
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Unless it's the Scots.
Of course they have a longer (and nobler) history with the Irish than the Americans do.
But there you go, eh?
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by Piece
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Hey there skreech--I'd really love to know what you mean by that comment. There are a hell of a lot of Americans playing Irish music with a very close connection to some of the best players in Irish music. All the fantastic musicians who emigrated over here and passed on the tradition. You have some nerve making that comment.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by fiddlefamily
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
I'm sure it's to do with who might actually want to compete on the Battle of the Bands & win a trip to Las Vegas. I've been to Las Vegas.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by Ben Steen
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Ok Ben, I see what you mean. I thought it was a diss to us yanks and I apologise to skreech if thats the case.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by fiddlefamily
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
fiddlefamily,
I take it you haven't actually watched the video clips.
I'm perfectly well aware that there are some very fine American musicians. But not in any of those bands.
The only bit that was vaguely entertaining in any of the clips was the girl in a mini-skirt trying to play a cahon without showing her knickers.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by skreech
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
I hate all yanks. Can't stand the feckers. (odd though that I've never met one I didn't like)
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by ...
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Those young women knew what they intended to achieve by all playing in mini dresses, but I've got to say that both the lassie with the cajon and the one with the djembe would have done well to wear trousers, or at least put some leggings on underneath.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by Red Menace
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
If I was to vote it would be the girl band, not just because of the knickers, and despite them having two shakers, a cajon and darbuka but because they aren't called Murphy's something, Celtic something, Paddy's something, they don't put on their accents and and compared to the players in the other bands the lassie in the girl band is Joe Burke.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by bogman
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
The lassie with the accordion is the best musician of the lot, but the percussion section was painful. One melody player and a stack of accompanyists?
I only made it through the first minute of the Celtic rock group. Then I gave up.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
To be fair to the girl band, there was a fiddle onstage, the fiddler just wasn't playing it in that particular clip. You also can't help but suspect they're a bunch of friends and don't want to exclude anyone, hence the oversized rhythm section.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by Red Menace
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
The djembe player placed 3rd in the senior fiddle contest in Tullamore in 2008. The other percussionist plays accordion.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by GaryAMartin
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
I saw the other clip the last time there was voting in this, and it looks like most of the people with the packing crates and the shakey bits are actually fiddlers. Probably the dancers were fiddlers as well. I think this was meant to be some sort of box spotlight piece. Well played.
(And what's all this about playing a cajun? I know some cajuns that wouldn't mind being played by those girls, but I didn't see them on stage. Them was a packing crate and a hippie drum they were playing)
(To be fair, the fiddler playing the hippie drum did have the grace to look embarrassed about it)
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Us: Not the target audience
Folks happy with Flogging Murphy's Mollies, RiverWomen and CelticDance: The target audience for all these folks
...but that's fairly obvious, I would think.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Battle of the Bands Voting
Can we have a discussion about the perceived need for the young woman to wear minidresses and flaunt their sexuality in order to appear more attractive and desirable? Especially when a minidress is completely impractical when playing a cajon, or even an accordion. Are any of the blokes wearing speedos and bike racing spandex tops? No? Is this something which is pretty indicative of American and British society? Yes.
I'll wear a minidress to the pub if all the guys who I play tunes with agree to show up in speedos with spandex tops, or maybe no tops at all.
# Posted on December 14th 2010 by DrSilverSpear