Tina Lech & Peter Molloy lead this session. If you are a *very* good, highly experienced player with a fairly big repertoire of tunes, then I'd recommend playing.
I personally go and listen even though I have been invited to play. Someday when I'm ready and feel like I deserve to play in a 'high level' session, then I will. But right now it suits me well to just listen to their gorgeous music.
You might introduce yourself during a break or before the session starts. If you get invited to play and feel you can contribute, then go for it! Otherwise I'd recommend the Green Briar on Monday nights.
Um Well....I would certainly ask before playing in a small high caliber session like that. It's just common courtesy and respect. Put yourself in their shoes for just a minute.
The Green Briar is a definte "yes". Anyone and everyone is welcome. It's a big session. To be honest, I'm not sure if you can just sit yourself down and start playing at O'Learys. I would never be so bold or arrogant.
But do check out O'Learys. Sit at the bar, enjoy a pint and the fine Music. Leave your instrument home unless you are top notch or have that potential. That's just my advice.
Hmm. Funny enough, I went to O'Leary's just this past weekend for the first time in ages. Not very many customers OR musicians (Peter was doing a gig in Florida, of all places), so it was very quiet all around. Still, a very pleasant time as always.
I suppose it's easy for me to say, because I first started attending the session a few years at the invitation of one of the regulars, but I never had the impression of O'Leary's as an advanced-level event. My observation, it should be said, is based on maybe a dozen or so visits over a two-year period (give or take). Yet the times I went, I found a pretty good mix of very experienced musicians and others considerably less so. The tunes, likewise, seemed to fall comfortably in the old-favorite to new-fangled range.
All of which is not meant necessarily to dispute Joyce's remarks; she may have gone there far more often than me enough to have formed a more complete picture.
Or are sessions sometimes like Rorshach tests? Where one person sees an embodiment of pure evil engulfing the soul of humankind, another sees a ducky.
(Uh, not suggesting there that Joyce or I saw a ducky or an embodiment of pure evil, etc., at O'Leary's. Unless they're putting something in the drinks that they're not supposed to.)
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I was going to check out the session while leaving my fidddle at home but was hoping to play at a future date. I guess I need to revise my definition of "session" which I thought was open to players but after a little research into area sessions I see that is not always the case.
I'd have to say that O'Leary's is definitely high-end musician wise. Very good players. Pat Hutchinson frequents that one (an All-Ireland champion) and Peter of course is Matt Molloy's son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Is the Sunday session at O'Leary's open to participants or is it mostly for listening?
# Posted on September 30th 2004 by devilselbow
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Tina Lech & Peter Molloy lead this session. If you are a *very* good, highly experienced player with a fairly big repertoire of tunes, then I'd recommend playing.
I personally go and listen even though I have been invited to play. Someday when I'm ready and feel like I deserve to play in a 'high level' session, then I will. But right now it suits me well to just listen to their gorgeous music.
You might introduce yourself during a break or before the session starts. If you get invited to play and feel you can contribute, then go for it! Otherwise I'd recommend the Green Briar on Monday nights.
Joyce
# Posted on September 30th 2004 by JMH
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Thanks Joyce, I guess that is a "yes" as far as one can play if one chooses. Thanks.
# Posted on September 30th 2004 by devilselbow
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Um Well....I would certainly ask before playing in a small high caliber session like that. It's just common courtesy and respect. Put yourself in their shoes for just a minute.
The Green Briar is a definte "yes". Anyone and everyone is welcome. It's a big session. To be honest, I'm not sure if you can just sit yourself down and start playing at O'Learys. I would never be so bold or arrogant.
But do check out O'Learys. Sit at the bar, enjoy a pint and the fine Music. Leave your instrument home unless you are top notch or have that potential. That's just my advice.
Best Wishes,
Joyce
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by JMH
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Hmm. Funny enough, I went to O'Leary's just this past weekend for the first time in ages. Not very many customers OR musicians (Peter was doing a gig in Florida, of all places), so it was very quiet all around. Still, a very pleasant time as always.
I suppose it's easy for me to say, because I first started attending the session a few years at the invitation of one of the regulars, but I never had the impression of O'Leary's as an advanced-level event. My observation, it should be said, is based on maybe a dozen or so visits over a two-year period (give or take). Yet the times I went, I found a pretty good mix of very experienced musicians and others considerably less so. The tunes, likewise, seemed to fall comfortably in the old-favorite to new-fangled range.
All of which is not meant necessarily to dispute Joyce's remarks; she may have gone there far more often than me enough to have formed a more complete picture.
Or are sessions sometimes like Rorshach tests? Where one person sees an embodiment of pure evil engulfing the soul of humankind, another sees a ducky.
(Uh, not suggesting there that Joyce or I saw a ducky or an embodiment of pure evil, etc., at O'Leary's. Unless they're putting something in the drinks that they're not supposed to.)
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by sts
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I was going to check out the session while leaving my fidddle at home but was hoping to play at a future date. I guess I need to revise my definition of "session" which I thought was open to players but after a little research into area sessions I see that is not always the case.
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by devilselbow
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Oddly enough, neither of the sessions at O'Leary's nor the Green Briar are included in the list here. Howcome?
# Posted on October 2nd 2004 by ketida
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Sorry, I thought that both sessions have been mentioned.
# Posted on October 2nd 2004 by devilselbow
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
I think she means the session list on this website....I found The Green Briar on the list, but not O'Leary's
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Paul Godfray
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
I'd have to say that O'Leary's is definitely high-end musician wise. Very good players. Pat Hutchinson frequents that one (an All-Ireland champion) and Peter of course is Matt Molloy's son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
# Posted on October 6th 2004 by meemtp
Re: Session at O'Leary's in Brookline
Jimmy Noonan and Tommy Peoples used to host the session in the past. Two more top-notch players!!
# Posted on October 6th 2004 by JMH