HUMBLE BEGINNINGS!!!
It’s hard to believe, but it was 15 years ago this month that Mike and I got together to start a band with the goal of getting more of the free beer we always got when we showed up at the pub with bagpipes and drums in March. He posted a Craiglist ad for a singer and fiddler and I enlisted a coworker, Craig, to play guitar.
The first singer tryout wasn’t too bad, but we were pretty sure he wasn’t as old as he said, and was probably there just to drink a whole 6 pack before he got picked up. The second singer looked the part but didn’t learn or bring lyrics from the 3 songs we sent him.. In the meantime, we got another reply for a singer, some guy named Brendan who had never been in a band, but loved singing at sessions. And we finally got a response from a fiddler named Liz, a classically trained violinist who loved Irish music but looked way too regal for us,and we assumed wouldn’t call us back after the initial tryout. After asking around at bagpipe practice, we invited Murphy to join because “his grandfather had an accordion” that Steve himself had never played.And then we invited Frank, because while he didn’t have a mandolin, he had a Puerto Rican cuatro that was “kinda like a mandolin”.
So, if you’re keeping score at home, we’re at only the 3rd tryout jam to get this new Celtic punk rock band off the ground. Mike, Craig, & I were now joined by Frank, Murphy, Liz, and Brendan. After a few minutes to get amp and mic levels set (for everyone but Murphy because he didn’t know how to play his accordion yet), we launched into “The Leaving of Liverpool” and everything just clicked. One verse in, I looked over at Mike, saw the big grin on his face, and it just took off from there!
We took a few weeks off because the pipe band members were busy with St Patrick’s season, but we scheduled practices in April because we’d already gotten booked by friends at Bube’s Brewery for a 3 hour show just 2 months later. That first summer was a blur as we picked up steam. Craig had to step aside once he saw how busy we were going to be,and Barry joined after only our 3rd or 4th show, at the same time as Bill, who also had a PA system that we needed after Craig left ;)
We’ve had so many other band members along the way, and I appreciate you all for keeping up with this crazy! I never could’ve guessed we’d still be doing this 15 years later, all the places we’d end up, venues we’d play, bands we’d share the stage with, and the amazing people we’d meet. We’re so thankful to you all for being a part of it! I still see some faces in the crowd that have been there from day one, and there’s nothing quite like that feeling!
-Jon
