By: David de Young
 Barra (photo by David de Young) - click for full size version |
Members: Dave Commack - bodhran, accordion Paul Garding - guitar, vocals Deborah Martin - fiddle John McCormick - accordion, vocals Karie Oberg - vocals Official website: http://www.barraband.com |
Perhaps it was an indicator that one of my New Year's resolutions to steer a little clearer of the frequently ear-splitting music in smoky bars in 2003 was a good decision; fortuitously I stumbled across Barra on Thursday morning January 2nd. I had just arrived back at work after the holidays and connected my little FM radio to my computer speakers (as all internet radio was recently banned by our new corporate firewall as an early Christmas present!) Lo and behold but a little song comes on Dale Connelly and Jim Ed Poole's Morning Show on MPR. The song was "Haste to the Wedding/Doctor O'Neill," a medley of catchy jigs by St. Paul's Barra, and when it finished Connelly mentioned that they'd be playing Friday night in St. Paul at the Swede Hollow coffee shop to celebrate the release their new CD, "Traditional Irish Music" (Self-Released.) It was a sign! And my first music review of the year was planned.
So Friday evening I trundled off to the show, a 20 minute drive to St. Paul from my house in Minneapolis, as far a distance actually as I've gone to see a live music show since I went to the Witnness festival in Dublin last summer. Although I arrived 15 minutes before show time at 7:45 at the tiny coffee shop on 7th Street, Barra's guitar player Paul Garding was affixing a handmade sign to the door of the already packed coffee house that said "Full. Sorry." But he opened the door and asked me how far I'd driven to see the show, and I guess Minneapolis was far enough away to justify my being one of the last few people to be invited in. (That, and I did mention I was the guy who emailed earlier to tell them I'd be reviewing the show.) In actuality no one was actively turned away, but most latecomers didn't actually try the door after seeing the sign and peering in to glean the obvious fact that there truly was no room left in the inn. (I counted about 70 people in the small space; but if pressed by the fire marshall I'd have to admit that I was never very good at math.)
As it was clear due to space limitations that no one else would be joining us for the evening, the band, already seated, decided to start 15 minutes early.
Barra is Gaelic for Summit, or "top of" (as well as being the band's favorite locally produced ale.) They claim to play a variety of Irish music in the celidh tradition, and that's exactly what they delivered on Friday night playing an informally arrived at mixture of jigs, reels and ballads, both instrumentals and songs that featured the earnest and precise vocals of singer Karie Oberg. After an instrumental dance number that got our toes tapping (as much as we had room to tap them in the crowded confines of the small room) guitarist Paul Garding said, "And without further adieu let me introduce our lovely singer." Accordian player John McCormick chimed in humorously at this point as if Garding had been referring to him, and it was the first of many examples of the good natured banter that transpired between songs throughout the set.
Since this was a learning experience for me, I'm going to tell you a few things I didn't know before I wrote this article that you might not know either, like what the heck is the difference between a reel and a jig? First of all, most traditional Irish music is dance music, and the most common form of dance music is the reel, a form that supposedly originated in Scotland. Then there are jigs, and the primary difference between a reel and a jig is that a reel is faster. If you want to get really technical there are also slide jigs, single jigs, slip jigs and hop jigs, again distinguished primarily by tempo. And don't forget the double jig, the slowest of jig of all. Jigs are ostensibly the oldest of traditional Irish dances. Then there are airs, songs and laments, most of which are not meant for dancing. Airs are generally instrumental, and like songs (which are distinguished by the addition of lyrics to the music) are generally meant for listening as opposed to dancing. Keep in mind though that just about any "song" can be transformed into another type of "song" by changing the tempo or the instrumentation or dropping the lyrics. There. That didn't hurt too much, I hope.
The first song Oberg sang was the "Rambling Irishman" which appears her solo CD, "Hard Times" (New Folk Records, 2002). Oberg sings with distinct inflection, but without the pretentiously feigned Irish accent I've sometimes heard in American singers of Irish tunes; this is not only refreshing but makes her easier for an American listener to understand. It was appropriate after this song that Garding announced that Oberg also had solo CD's for sale. Oberg, the newest member of the group, who joined about halfway through 2002 (before the CD was recorded in June) seems to be part of a harmonious merger. About a third of the songs in the show appeared to be from Barra's Band CD, a third from Oberg's, and another third was unrecorded material. This diversity ensured the two plus hour show never ceased to hold your attention.
About halfway through a set of reels, one of which was called "Ships are Sailing" Dave Commack's bodhran kicked in and a hoot was heard from a woman in the second row. Then came "Red is the Rose," a slow and mournful lament sung by Oberg that she said she had been meaning to record for years and finally got the chance with Barra's Debut CD.
Next was the medley of jigs "Haste to the Wedding/Doctor O'Neill" that I mentioned earlier. I must say, this is some energetic and fun stuff. I only wish the Barra Band had an MP3 site I could direct you to so you could see for yourself what I mean. This particular song was pleasant and carefree for some reason, despite its title being about going to a scary place, a wedding, and in a hurry no less. This medley featured John McCormick prominently and demonstrated his virtuoso skill on accordion.
Oberg introduced the next song, "Bally Bay" starting out by saying "it's a song about an unattractive woman who bred a lot." Amongst other things she also drank too much and had a wooden leg. The song is a fun tale and has a great sing-along chorus of "With a Too-rah-loo- rah-lie, Too-rah-loo-rah-Laddie-o, Too-rah-loo-rah-lie and A whack-Fol-the-Dad-die-O" which I unfortunately couldn't pick up quick enough at the show to keep up with. (Lyrics: http://og-music.com/Lyrics-HTML/bally_bay.htm) Oberg sang this one with just Garding's understated guitar backing her up.
A few songs later, Garding joked "Feel free to dance," as he began the next instrumental, a planxty, which is normally instrumental music for the harp. The first part of the set ended with Oberg singing "The Water is Wide," another song that appears on her solo CD. She called it a possibly over sung song that was first English, then Irish, then English, then American, then.....well you get the picture. (This song sounds like it's ripe for being called "traditional" and left at that.) The song shares features with many more modern ballads, even those sometimes written by heavy metal bands in the 1980s. It just goes to show you how much cross-pollination actually occurs in music that you'll if you listen to a variety of genres.
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There was about a half hour intermission during which people were able to move around and mingle as best they could in the space which was practically shoulder to shoulder when everyone stood up. At the end of the break, a young harpist named Charlie Hammond played three beautiful and short harp pieces. The first two were quick reels in which he showed much artistry for his young years. The final one, a slower number exhibited such depth of feeling that is was clear this young musician has more going for him than mere technical proficiency. Look out for him.
Deb Martin's fiddle was turned up due to audience request for the second half of the show, though it still could have been louder. However it must be noted that the fiddling Deb Martin was doing, though assured and essential, was mostly accompaniment and there were no all out fiddle solos to speak of. Both live and on their CD, accordion was a far more prominent lead instrument. In one of the first few songs of the second half of the set, Oberg sang a traditional Irish drinking song called "Whiskey You're the Devil" at the end of which Garding claimed to be thirsty. I dug the chorus so much I'm including one rendition of it here:
Love, fare thee well,
With me ti-ther-ee-i doo-dle-um-a-day,
With me ti-ther-ee-i doo-dle-um-a-day,
Me right-fol toor-a-lad-die o, there's whisky in the jar.
Whisky, you're the devil, you're leading me astray,
Over hills and mountains and to Americay,
You're sweeter, stronger, decenter, you're spunkier than tay,
O, whisky you're me darlin', drunk or sober
(Source: http://www.geocities.com/ocelts/tekstovi/alb_roses.htm#whiskey_youre_the_devil)
My notes are spotty on song titles for the remainder of the set, and there was no real set list. My understanding is that in the traditional ceildh style no one, not even the musicians themselves know what songs are coming next. Instead they take turns calling out what they want to play, announce the key, and off they go. It's no wonder that musical gatherings like this were common in people's living rooms in the old days (and still today.) It reminded me of the jam packed Oliver St. John Gogarty's in Temple Bar, Dublin where I spent many a liquored-up night in July of 2002 singing along with a band of Irish musicians seated around a table on the second floor of the old pub. To their credit, Barra Band re-created a bit of this feeling in this coffee house gig.
On the next couple jigs as I watched Dave Commack, I noticed something I've commonly noticed in other bodhran players, the fact that you often only see the top of their heads. Often, they hunch over to get their ear close enough to the instrument to hear the tone as it can change with the temperature and humidity. If you are looking for a fun and versatile instrument to learn, this would be a good one, and you'll be welcome at most drum jams.
The next song was "Christmas in the Trenches," a song written by John McCutcheon. This song performed just by Garding on guitar and voice was a set highlight. A set highlight to me normally means that if this was the only song I'd heard all night it would have been worth my junket away from home. "Christmas in the Trenches" sadly doesn't appear on the CD, but according to Garding, it may be one of the best anti-war songs ever written. (You'll get the picture just by reading the lyrics: http://www.catholic.net/RCC/music/midi/christmas/trench.html). The song tells the story of the Germans and the English sharing songs during WWI, getting drunk, playing a soccer game by flare light thus making it very difficult to be able to shoot each other in the morning because they wondered "Whose family have I fixed within my sights?''
The English folk song "Matty Groves" followed, sung by Oberg. A powerful song in a minor key that somewhat reminded me of something Richard Thompson might write or perform. The song finished with a long instrumental part, first one, then two accordions joining in as Dave Commack sets down his bodhran to joins in a dueling accordion bout with John McCormack. "Nothing like two accordions to break the ice," Commack said as the song ended.
Some thanks were in order at this point in the show. Garding thanked Dave Hull who recorded the CD in his basement (which by the CD case I'm guessing is otherwise known as Arabica Studios.) He thanked Cindy McArthur who does their website. (As an aside, I love it when musicians thank their webmasters in their sets. As a professional webmaster myself and a writer who does more than a lot of his research on the web, I think it's important that more bands wise up to the fact that an every growing segment of music fans and critics get their first exposure to a band on the internet.) He thanked fiddle player Deb Martin who also takes care of the business end of things for the band.
He also thanked Jon Bream of the Star Tribune but mentioned he'd somehow overlooked part of the rhythm section in his recent plug. (The brief bit in the STrib at http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/3564921.html makes mention of every band member except guitarist Paul Garding whose prominence as singer both live and on the CD make him hard to overlook. "Black is the Color" on the CD which features just Garding's vocals and guitar is one of the high points of the entire CD.)
At 10 p.m. though, it was time to close and the band finished with another jig I forgot to ask the name of, but was another one of my favorites of the evening. (It appears I'm just a pushover for a catchy jig, and I didn't even know it!) There were plenty of hoots during this one, the audience really letting go now as they figured it was their last chance of the night. I never researched or asked about the origin of hooting during Irish music, but I don't feel I really have to. I'm a little too reserved (especially when sober) to do it myself, but I figure it's not just an Irish music tradition. It happens all the time at rock shows too, it's just that the volume of the music is so high you don't hear it.
Due to popular demand, there was a final encore, a song called "Carry me over to Charlie," about Bonnie Prince Charlie, sung by Oberg, who stood for the first time.
Overall the Barra Band's CD Release party made for a rewarding Friday evening spent. But this is a group that I see still more potential for than I think I saw in the small venue Friday night. I'd love to see them perform on an elevated stage for starters. The site line wasn't so good with everyone, both audience and band seated on the same level, even if this music is best be performed while seated for the most part. (I'm one of those weirdos that likes to both see and listen to music at the same time.) Often the case even in Ireland is that traditional music is performed seated around tables so the mugs of ale can be easily accessed by all band members. But this was still a great introductory experience for me to this group, and Swede Hollow was a friendly and warm venue to see them in. An upcoming opportunity to check them out yourself at a show that's bound to be terrific is at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul on March 28th in an event sponsored by the Minnesota Folk Festival, an organization incidentally headed up by group member Deb Martin. The Barra Band shares the bill at the Fitzgerald with an amazing lineup featuring The Boys of the Lough (http://www.boysofthelough.com), Paddy Keenan (http://www.paddykeenan.com) and Peter Ostroushko (http://www.peterostroushko.com). Tickets are available from Ticketmaster or by mail from the Minnesota Folk festival.
Location Info:
Swede Hollow Cafe
Artist Info: Barra
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