Ask the Band
This section provides a chance for fans to interact with the band. If you have a question I'll try to get an answer as soon as possible and will post it online the moment it comes in. Email you questions here
(Carol)
Question:
Hi there,
Here's one for the Irish Descendant's "Ask the
Band" section - I noticed in Con's reply to the question about the loss of
the fiddle, he said, "The departure of Kelly has left a void with the
fiddle sound in the line-up. It was a call we made based on our last years
touring where we were not using the fiddle as much."
Questions that arise from that brief answer -
What happened to Kelly? Did he jump or was he pushed? Even a committed
fan has to wonder what the heck is happening with the band!!! Is it still
worth coming out - will we recognize any of the songs/sound. It's
interesting when the fan site notes the accomplishments of Junos and ECMAs,
but those awards were won in 1996/1995 respectively - only one member of
the current band was with the band at that time, and many of the songs
from the albums that garnered that 'respect' aren't played by the band
anymore for whatever reasons.
Where is the band headed? Is the motivation
the music? or the money? Can the latter be had without the former?
Hope someone will reply.
Thanks,
Carol in Calgary
Answer:
I want to make it clear to all of our fans,
that the replacement of Kelly was quite difficult. He has been with the
band for almost four years and set his mark on the sound. He wanted to
spend more time with his young family, and we can understand his
position. Aside from the band he is quite busy with his own musical and
business interests, and recognized that he did not have the time to keep
up the busy touring schedule that we have. He has offered to help out
where he can in the future, and we are sure we will call on his talents
in future recordings and projects. He will be sadly missed by us all!
In respect to the future of the band, we
are very excited by the addition of Graham Wells to the line up. Graham
is one of the all -time great Newfoundland traditional players, at the
ripe age of 21 he has already made his mark on the local scene, and I'm
sure will bring his talents to new heights as he embarks on his new
journey with us. We have survived in many forms over the past dozen or
so years, building up a loyal fan base across the country and the world.
We continue to make our music our profession, and are fortunate to have
a fan base that supports our efforts, in a very tough business. The
recording industry is in a state of chaos, with the onslaught of music
being stolen from the artists that make their living from making music.
As a result everyone in the industry, from the top down, are seeing huge
drops in record sales. In the wake of this, surviving in this new world
is much harder for musicians like us who depend on the support we get
from our record companies. The lose of revenues that they are
experiencing, trickles right down through their systems, and have a
direct effect on all of their artists, a fact we have to live with. The
result for bands like us has been quite a reduction in record sales,
which of course result in a-lot less kudos. We have been afforded the
chance to still continue despite this downturn in our industry, and have
seemed to weather out the storm so to speak by investing in ourselves
and our music. We now tour more than ever, to spread the word on our
band, breaking new ground year after year. Our loyal fans are the number
one reason for this success, and must be thanked!
The present line-up is as strong as
ever. We have some of the best musicians from Newfoundland and
Labrador in the group, and will continue to do what we do best. It is a
tough business that we work in, but
I think that we are ready for the future, as new horizons open up for
us. The great success of our second and third recordings was great for
us, and the credits that we received have enabled the band to carry on.
Since that time we have made five more records, and even though they did
not perform as well as some of there early recordings, they have
performed well over the industry standards, and have given us the chance
to survive in the music business. The fact we have lasted so long is a
testament of how much we love what we do, and we would like to think
that the turnouts to the shows everywhere we go is an indication that
the fans still love what we do, as well.
The next few months will see us back in
the studio recording album number nine, which is due out early in the
fall of 2003. This recording will be our first to be released in the
United States, and we look forward to building a following as strong
down there as we have home in Canada. Our profession has been a
struggle, but, through hard work and perseverance, we feel that we will
be here for a long time to come. Our fans deserve the chance to watch
and listen, for as long as possible, and we plan to give them this
chance for a very long time!
Best wishes from St Johns
Con
P.S If the money was the motivation, we would have been long gone!
(Paul Gaudet)
Question:
Hi there! I have a question concerning the
song The Irish Rover. I have heard many versions of this song, but yours
is the only version that has a chorus. Where did this part of the song
come from? Is it part of another song or something you made up? I feel
that it really adds to the song, making it my favorite version over all
the rest. ( The Pogues do come a close second, though.)
I hope you can find the time to answer my
question.
Sincerely, Paul Gaudet
Answer:
I learned this version from a man named Ralph
O'Brien (no relation), who was a founding member of a group called the
Son's Of Erin. This band had quite an impact on Irish Music in
Newfoundland when they first came to St John's in the late 60's early
70's, and I got my fair share of influence from the band and from Ralph.
The band still performs at Ralph's pub ERIN'S PUB in St John's. The next
time I see him I will ask the origin of the extra lyrics in our version of
the song.
Any time I can help, you know where I am.
Con
(Christine Ford)
Question:
OK, just saw the boys at the Horseshoe over the weekend. Great show as always. But I have one pressing question: As much as we love the new addition to the group, what about the fiddle? I missed it a whole lot! Those fiddle solos seemed an essential part of the show and were so invigorating. Will the instrument ever be reintroduced? Give me some good news, please.
Thanks!
Christine
Answer:
The departure of Kelly has left a void with
the fiddle sound in the line-up. It was a call we made based on our last
years touring where we were not using the fiddle as much. To be fair to
Graham the new guy, who has a great deal of talent, I think that when he
has a chance to strut his stuff, as he settles into the band , he will
be every bit as exciting, as he puts his mark on the band's sound. The
Horseshoe show was his first performance with the group, and was in my
mind a great performance from him. We will take a long listen for now
maybe in the future will reintroduce a fiddler to the live show. We are
all excited by the addition of Graham to the band and hope the fans will
too.
Con