Sonora Celtic Faire

On the weekend of March 14-15, 2009, we were fortunate enough to take part in the 23rd Annual Sonora Celtic Faire, in beautiful historic Sonora California. Though just a week or two before there were massive rainstorms and snow flurries throughout the Sierras, the morning of March 14th was just gorgeous...it was a bit misty through the mountainous terrain of Highway 49, and was a perfect day by the time we got to Sonora.

Our first set was at noon, inside on the Guinness Stage, which seemed ultimately appropriate to us. We warmed up a bit outside, then were introduced to Forrest, who was our Sound Guy on that stage all weekend. He was great, and the sound was quite good, once we got the kinks worked out. We had a nice set, then another at 4pm, during which we all had nearly as much fun on stage as the whisky-tasting servers and customers had!! They cheered each time someone took a shot, so we had a ready-made cheering section!

Other bands that were there included Festival organizer Patrick Karnahan's group The Black Irish Band, the popular Wicked Tinkers, Tempest, and all the way from Texas, Needfire! It was great to see some of my old Texas friends again, and they were celebrating the release of their new CD, "Chasing Orion". Check 'em out if you haven't heard them, www.needfire.com - they are very exciting, high-energy, and great guys each and every one!

Another band that I was looking forward to seeing was Brother, whom I had seen years ago in Arlington, Texas at the Highland Games there...this band was originally three Australian brothers, who played Scottish Bagpipes, lived in Los Angeles, and wrote and performed really quality original rock-and-roll music! Well, Brother is now a power trio, and this time the leader singer/guitar player Angus had to stay behind, as his wife was expecting to give birth to their first child any minute! So the band was only d'Albo the drummer, and Drew, who is generally known as DidgeriDrew! These guys are such professionals that even though they didn't have their singer, the other two still showed up to do their gig at the Festival, and asked some of the other musicians to sit in with them! So along with members of Needfire and others, the guys asked me to come and play my fiddle with them! It was very exciting, and we've included a video of the event - the tune is one of my original ones, which we've named "Escher's Staircase":


NOTE: Angus now has a beautiful baby boy, and has already written a song for him. Check out Angus' Journal Entry here: http://www.brotherjournal.blogspot.com/

As my mother accompanied us to Sonora, she also got some video of Nine-8ths Irish on stage, which can be viewed at these URLs: Sally Garden & Frank's Reel, or Golden Keyboard/Maudabawn Chapel/Dinkie's.

So a great time was had by all, Patrick and Shannon and the whole crew at the Sonora Celtic Faire treated us fabulously, and we got to play some great music, listen to some great music, make some new friends, and share the whole weekend with those we love! Thanks to everyone in Sonora, we look forward to coming back next year!!

February...short month, short blog entry

In February we started our actual 2nd and 4th Sunday Session at deVere's. At the first one on Feb-8th we had a decent number of people, including Tim Connolly, who evidently had not been playing for quite some time. We were honored to have him join us!!
It was raining that day - and a COLD wind was a-blowin'!! Perfect weather for being in a nice warm pub, drinking a nice (*insert preference here: hot, cold, warm, stiff, etc) beverage, so we had a decent crowd!

The 4th Sunday Session was even better, as we had Dan Engle, Kathy Barwick (our guitar player, who doesn't really frequent sessions), Tim Connolly again, and surprise visitor Shelly Connolly (I believe they are related, but only by marriage). Much fun was had by all, and coincidentally, it was, once again, rainy and windy!!

We got a surprise gig back in Reno at Ceol Irish Pub, which is quickly becoming our favorite pub, home-away-from-home kinda thing. We were asked to come back and play for the last day of February, Feb-28....and it turned out it was the day of Reno's Beer Crawl...resulting in a decent crowd for the evening!

As before, they treated us extremely well, putting Chris and I up in a very nice (resort!) hotel, where we availed ourselves of the down pillows, pillow-top beds and generous nickel slots!! (OK we only won enough to cover our breakfast, but hey, it put us on the plus side!) The next morning, after we leisurely left the hotel and had our well-deserved breakfast, we got on the road back towards Sacramento around 11am, and it was raining. Keep in mind this was Highway 80 over Donner Pass, in FEBRUARY. So when we passed the outskirts of town and saw the big digital Road Conditions sign, it said "Snow Over Pass, Carry Chains". Of which we had none. So we just soldiered on with all the other cars and trucks, watching the temperature drop with each foot we climbed, until it was about 31 degrees, and HUGE snow flakes were falling rather quickly!! It was sticking (there was already snow on the ground, so no big surprise there), but there were just enough cars to keep it from freezing up on the road.....yet. Ultimately the trip was uneventful, we made it back down to Sacramento, but had we lingered over breakfast even another 30 minutes we may have been stuck in Reno for a few days!!

So we once again look forward to March, which this years sees us on a local Sacramento morning show, then off to the Sonora Celtic Faire, back to deVere's for a midday St. Patrick's Day show, and back up the hill to Reno, for a few hours at Ceol, where they take such good care of us. And we're already watching the weather!! ;-)

Reno 1/17/08: N8i Begins to Conquer the World!

OK we haven't really made any progress on conquering the world, but Nine-8ths Irish finally got to make our first trip out of state when we played Ceol Irish Pub in Reno, Nevada! This was on Saturday, January 17th, which also happened to be our favorite bodhran player's birthday! Yes, Chris just turned 25 (again ;-), and when asked what he wanted for his birthday, he replied, "I get to play music in Reno with the band, and have a few drinks.....I don't need anything else!"
So we trekked to Reno, through the sun-dappled snow-covered hills outside of Nevada City, then onto I-80, through the northern part of the beautiful Sierra Nevada, past Truckee, then into Nevada and to Reno. We arrived to a beautiful warm day, checked into our hotel, and had to go immediately to the casino, where we, being the high-rollers that we are, played 25-cent Video Poker and both 1-cent and 5-cent slots!! We actually won enough to pay for the few drinks that we had, and then went back to our room to prepare for the gig.
We arrived at Ceol Irish Pub around 7pm, got the lay of the land, and were going to go somewhere for dinner, but being that it was Chris' birthday, we left it up to him....so we ordered a pizza!! (Ceol is right on "The Strip" in downtown Reno, and though they don't serve their own food, they recommeded a pizza place and then went to pick it up for us!! It was fabulous! Also their were some patrons at Ceol that were having a birthday party - not for Chris, though it WAS his birthday - but we had a built-in audience of about 20 people before we started playing!
Once we got set up, we started playing - and for this trip, Kathy was unable to make it so we kidnapped Pierce Marines from the Pub Scouts in Chico. He's one of California's best DADGAD guitar players, and he also brought along Connor O'Bryan, a fabulous Irish flute/whistle player. The birthday party-goers were great, and the three sets went by SO FAST, we just had an absolute blast!! Stacie and Tom Cannon, the owners of Ceol, were just wonderful, sweet, generous, and enthusiastic. Ron, the manager, and all the staff were just great, and we ended up closing down the bar!! Actually, we were the ones being pushed out the door while they turned the key!! IT WAS SO COOL!! We haven't closed down a bar in years....
So to recap: we played some great tunes, got some decent video, which we'll post probably on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube...then put links on the website....Chris had pizza, Dead Guy Ale and Tullamore Dew for his birthday, and later (though admitting he didn't remember the drive back to the hotel!) proclaimed it to be the best birthday he's ever had!!
We've been talking to Tom about possibly working something out for another trip up there soon, maybe even for St. Paddy's Day, but also for their "Hirish" Festival: the highest elevation Irish Festival in the country! That will be in July....and there are other events in our bid for World Domination coming soon, including a trip to Ohio!! Keep checking for updates at www.nine8thsirish.com/calendar.html

Exciting Things Coming in 2009!!

So the last few months of 2008 we quite exciting: we got some new photos, and in the process, Chris broke his leg (which is now completely healed, in case you were wondering.)

In late September/early October we made it to the Grass Valley Celtic Festival again (KVMR Festival), and had a fabulous time!! We got to hear Solas (INCREDIBLE, as always!) We got to play some tunes with the guys from Molly's Revenge, among others, and met all kinds of great people, heard all kinds of great music! We're waiting to hear when the Compilation CD will be available, which will put us on the same recording as those groups named earlier: Solas, Molly's Revenge, Enter the Haggis, Cathie Ryan and more. We'll definitely be posting info about that when we get it!!

In 2009, we are already off to a great start!! On January 17th we are playing in Reno, Nevada (our first out-of-state gig!) at Ceol Irish Pub (website http://www.ceolirishpub.com ).

On the 21st we'll be lending our talents to the "Grand Opening for a Grand Cause" event, which is actually a Benefit for the UC Davis Cancer Center....this event is taking place at the new pub of which we've talked for quite a while: DeVere's Pub in downtown Sacramento, at 16th & L Streets in the old Firestone Building. Tickets for this event can be purchased here: http://www.mixdowntown.net/
DeVere's was originally slated to open back in September, but things took much longer than expected, and they are just now getting close. As of yesterday, Jan.13, they were still installing equipment, finishing the floors, etc. So Wednesday Jan.21 will be a "soft" opening, but the Grand Opening to the public will be on Friday, January 30th. Nine-8ths Irish will be on hand for that as well, with tunes starting around 7:30pm. Then on February 8th, Sunday, we'll be having the first DeVere's Pub Irish Session. This session promises to be a fun one - it will take place the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, from 4pm until 7:30 or so. We'll be advertising this as an Advanced Fast Session, so newbies beware.
DeVere's imported the bar from Ireland, and will serve a wide variety of beers (including two specially brewed for DeVere's, an Irish lager and Irish ale), as well as an impressive list of whiskeys, including Scotch and Irish whiskey. They will also have an extensive menu of food items, pub grub and such. Check out their website for all the information: address, map, drink list, menu, etc: http://www.deverespub.com

More excitement for N8i in 2009 comes in the form of a couple of festivals to which we have been invited. First in mid-March is the Sonora Celtic Faire, which puts us on the same bill as Wicked Tinkers, Tempest, and some old friends from Texas: Needfire!! Check the Festival website for directions, schedule and other details: http://www.sonoracelticfaire.com

Next is a bit further into the year - we've been invited to travel to Dayton, Ohio for the July 4th weekend to be a part of their CityFolk Festival, three days of concerts, workshops, fireworks, and the like! If you happen to be in the area and want to drop by, check their website for details: http://www.cityfolk.org/festival/

We're planning on getting back into the studio some time this spring, perhaps after the Big Day for anyone who plays Irish music: March 17th, St. Patrick's Day.....we'll add details on what we're doing that day as soon as we have it all worked out, but for now, there are plenty of opportunities to come and see us, even if you're in Ohio!! We are really looking forward to even better things as the year goes by!

Cheers for now.....
Linda, Chris, Bo & Kathy
Nine-8ths Irish
www.nine8thsirish.com

Coming in Nov & Dec

And time continues to fly....Linda's birthday has come and gone (10/24, and if you're curious, she's 29 AGAIN!!), Halloween is over (we succeeded in avoiding most of the candy), and we are now heading into a new era with the first African-American president! I'm not sure if that's gonna make any difference, but we'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, N8i have a few cool gigs coming up. We entertained Firefighters at the Firefrighters' Ball in Chico, CA, which is took place at the famous Big Room at the Sierra Nevada Brewery. It was not a public event, but we were able to enjoy the great food and drink while we were there, and met some wonderful people, and did our part to show our appreciation for the Firefighters.

We are going to be at the Fox & Goose a few times in both November and December...11/13 and 12/26 are Nine-8ths Irish band performance nights, while 11/25 and 12/30 are Irish Session nights (the Last Tuesday of the Month session).

We're quite excited about the December dates, as the 26th will be the day after Christmas, so we're thinking it'll be a night for everyone to finally relax after the hectic pre-Christmas shopping, the emotional Christmas eve & morning, the stressful Christmas dinner, etc....so what better way to unwind than a few drinks and some Irish music at your favorite pub downtown??! Come as you are, and we'll be happy to see you!!

So if anyone is wondering what to do on Thursday 11/13, or to unwind before Thanksgiving (11/25), or the day after Christmas 12/26 (a Friday night!!), or 12/30 Tuesday, come on down to join us at the Fox & Goose!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Gosh I've been remiss to have waited so long to add anything to our Blog!! My apologies!!
So let's remedy that.
Here's what's happened since the Cobblestone accident....
In late August, Bo was the host of a fabulous House concert: Paddy Keenan, one of the best Uillean pipers in the world, and one of the founding members of the historic Bothy Band, along with Tommy O'Sullivan, and special guest Pete Grant, a great musician from close by in Auburn. Here are links to find out more about all three of them:
http://www.paddykeenan.com/
http://www.tommyosullivan.net/
http://www.petegrant.com/

We were all extremely entertained, and though Paddy and Tommy were obviously exhausted, they were gracious enough to all a few of us to play a few tunes with them....and the next night they did another house concert in Auburn at our friend Sharon's house. Bo was asked to come up and play a set of tunes with them, and when Paddy remarked about having played at Bo's house the previous night, he also mentioned that he had the opportunity to play with a "fiddler as good as any [he] had heard, here or in Ireland." Which made me feel all warm and fuzzy! We also got a bit of video of the evening, which we'll post soon on our website. A wonderful time was had by all, at least on our end! 

Also, Chris got the cast off his leg - though he had to wear one of those removable Velcro boot thingies for about a month, and he's not completely 100% yet (still on light duty at work), he's finally able to wear two matching shoes!! Woot!

So what else......we made it through the KVMR Grass Valley Celtic Festival (9/27-28), where we had a great time, met the members of Solas, and became completed enamored of their new album "For Love and Laughter". We are using that as inspiration for tunes for our next recording, for which we have started organizing and choosing.....perhaps studio time in January....


More to come shortly!!

A Cobblestone Malfunction?? (or The Great Photo Session Caper)

If you are reading this, you have mostly likely visited our website recently. As you can see from some changed we've made, we have some new photos (taken by the talented Mike Parker) to share with everyone. However, in the process of getting these new photos, we had a bit of a mishap. Perhaps it could be even be considered a cobblestone malfunction. Or a bodhran player malfunction. In any case......as you see in the photo shown here, we were all excited about Chris getting up on the ledge above us, and were amazed as he hauled himself up there....a few photos were taken, and we were ready to move on to the next location, and then....he jumped.

I believe his first words were "Oh crap, get my boot off, I just broke my leg." Or something to that effect. And then he was lying in the alley, on his back wearing his kilt and one boot (there was a bit of writhing involved as well.) Thus ended our photo session with Mike. And Chris was even jokingly asking Mike to take photos of him lying there on his back, but Mike just couldn't bring himself to do it. (I'da done it!!)

So after the 911 call (during which, when Chris was asked if anything else was injured, his answer was "Just my pride!!"), the subsequent arrival of the fire truck, the paramedics and crowd of onlookers (we were in Old Sac on a beautiful Saturday morning, after all), we of course spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital. Chris ended up getting just a temporary splint put on (sort of a half-cast). At the follow-up session on Monday, the doctor discovered that in additional to the spiral hairline fracture on the fibula (the small bone in the lower leg), he had succeeded in breaking the bone in his ankle, which could end up needing a pin! As they say: Go Big or Go Home!!

So though Chris ended up on crutches for a couple of months, off work for a couple of weeks, and unable to carry his own food or drink (unless it's a beer bottle, and he's wearing shorts with sufficient pocket space, or his Utilikilt), we got some great photos!! 

We'll still be at the Fox & Goose Session on the 26th of August, at which time everyone should be able to sign his cast while making fun of him, or at least ribbing him about thinking he's still 17. He'll even provide the Sharpie! See y'all then!