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PRESS
(Click Here for more press reviews) The Elders - KC's Celtic Rock Supergroup The Elders are an enormously popular rock band based in Kansas City, fronted by a charismatic Irish singer from Wicklow. Over the last few years The Elders have headlined every Irish and Celtic music festival in the Kansas City area. Performing their own songs The Elders are one of the leading Celtic Rock bands in the nation. And the world. Much more than a local Kansas City band, The Elders play their brand of Celtic Rock all over North America at Irish and Celtic festivals, and also tour Ireland. At the 2006 Kansas City Irish Fest The Elders played songs from their brand new CD, Racing The Tide, their strongest album to date. The Elders have given a lot to Kansas City, regularly playing benefit gigs and helping local events. And although you can see them in New York, Canada, and Colorado, there is no better venue than watching them play their hometown at the Kansas City Irish Festival on Labor Day weekend - judging by their 2006 performance in front of over 10,000 at the same festival - or a smaller local venue
Paddy
Rock Radio "Racing The Tide" proves to me that The Elders have yet to produce a CD that has not been anything but excellent. Great melodies, harmonies, musicianship, and song writing.... these are songs to dance to, drink to, sing along with, and remember for years to come. The Elders are on a short list of great Celtic-Rock acts from around the world that I would speak proudly of. Just pick up this disc or I'll beat you about the head with a very big stick. This is for all of you who like the likes of Gaelic Storm, Young Dubliners, The Prodigals, Saw Doctors, or The Sandcarvers. In the birthplace of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball (and former Kansas coach), the Elders are stars. We're something of a sensation there, I guess Steve Phillips, the band's guitarist, said Monday, hours after the Elders returned from Almonte, Ontario, where the band headlined the Celtic Fest. We played there last year for the first time, and it went so well they invited us back. It was a great gig. A lot of people who saw us last year came back to see us again. I'd say a couple thousand people showed up. That's a huge turnout for a town of fewer than 5,000 people, even for a band with a reputation to follow. The crowd at the Elders' next gig, however, will be extremely smaller. If it's not, the Overland Park Police Department may have a situation on its hands. Saturday the Elders are throwing a CD-release party/performance at the Borders bookstore near 119th Street and Metcalf Avenue. They'll perform inside the store, not in its more accommodating parking lot. We couldn't get the permits needed to do it outside, said lead singer Ian Byrne, so we'll do it inside. It'll be fine. The more people that show up, the better. Why not? The band chose Borders for business reasons: In return for the live gig, the store has promised the Elders some prominent display for its new CD, Racing the Tide. Normally you have to pay for that kind of display, Phillips said. Brent (Hoad) called them and arranged this exclusive deal. Tide is the Elders' fourth studio album. Phillips co-produced with Hoad, who plays fiddle and mandolin. Phillips said that going into the studio, the plan, as usual, was to make a record that recreates the vibe of the live performances no small feat, considering the intensity of the band's shows. I think we've done that for the most part, Phillips said. It was essentially recorded live so we could recreate the energy of the live shows. A couple songs sound like a bar brawl. Devoted fans will recognize a few of the songs on Tide, like Story of a Fish, which the band has been playing live for a while. They won't, however, recognize the newest ones, especially Australia, in which the band steps far outside the boundaries of Celtic/roots-rock and into a sound that is more speakeasy jazz/blues than anything. We're getting lots of e-mails about that one already, Byrne said, laughing. Brent wrote that one and he does most of the instruments on it, including the trumpet. It was lots of fun to do in the studio, but it could be awhile before we play it live. We may have to hire an orchestra for that one. Tide is the first album to include the band's newest member, keyboardist Joe Miquelon. He joined in March after the departure of accordionist Brett Gibson. Miquelon has a long history in the local music scene, backing up singer Ida McBeth and, most recently, contributing to Troost Avenue Blues, a music project that also featured Danny Cox and community activist Roger Coleman. Miquelon's first live gig with the Elders was a prominent one: at the band's fourth annual Hoolie at the Uptown Theater on St. Patrick's Day. He's an icon around here, Phillips said. We'd known him for years before we stole' him from Ida McBeth. He's a true cat. He had a month to prepare for the Hoolie, which is a big gig for us, but he stepped right in. It was amazing. Our songs aren't easy songs. They're not three-chord bar songs. They can get pretty complicated. But he's schooled in everything: theory and reading music. He understands everything. Miquelon has been kept busy since his inaugural gig: The band is booked heavily over the next several months, including the Borders gig Saturday, a stop in Ida Grove, Iowa, for the annual RAGBRAI bike ride across Iowa, an Aug. 4 benefit at Finnegan's Grand Hall in North Kansas City and Irish fests in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Kansas City. In March they'll return to Ireland for another tour. Byrne, a native of County Wicklow, Ireland, who runs his own cabinetmaking business, said there is both a thrill and some madness to being known and appreciated in places as tiny and far away as Almonte. It's kind of a crazy life, he said. I've got a business with 20 employees, I've got three teenage kids and an incredible wife (Fox 4 reporter Kathleen Quinn) who understands it all. He has the Elders, too, who are all of the above: family, business and pleasure.
Cleveland
Celtic Podcast Well... I can say with confidence that Cleveland will certainly demand to have the Elders back! I was one of the virgin fans in the crowd, and I can tell you, this band has everything this town loves. I was familiar with Elders music already and I have played them on the podcast a couple of times, but I had never seen them live. Thier shows were, without question, the highlights of the festival thus far. The Fenians are a perennial favorite in Cleveland, and shared the stage with the Elders, so a lot of Fenians fans were hooked on this band Saturday. (Searson actually made a point while on another stage of saying how much fun the guys are and went to watch their sets as well, with fans following along.) The energy this band exudes is incredible. That is what is so attractive. There is no lack of great music in Cleveland- both home grown and that which comes to town from other cities- so to stand out , you have to do more than play good music. You have to make your show an EXPERIENCE. I always say my favorite bands are those that are obviosly having an absolute blast themselves on stage, and inviting the crowd to join in their party. The Elders certainly do that! I have seen a LOT of bands, both in pubs and at festivals, and I don't think I've ever seen a lead singer have quite as much fun as Ian. The other great thing about them is how approachable and friendly the guys all are. Within seconds of leaving the stage they were chatting with fans behind the tent, not in a "well we have to do the meet and greet so lets go sign some CD's" way, but in a genuinely friendly "hey mate, thanks for coming to see us, how are ya?" kinda way. Once the Fenians struck up, Ian, Norm, Brent and Steve were out in the crowd watching the show and interacting with fans. (Joe and Tommy probably were too, I just didn't spot 'em.) Fanastic. I may have to squeeze in a few festivals I hadn't planned on this year just because the Elders are on the bill and will be relatively close! (Like Pittsburgh!) Ian did make sure I had the new CD last night, and I will surely have them on the next show. Aye, the craic was grand last night.
Seating for the Elders' show in the Crown Center pavilion began immediately after Cherish the Ladies finished their set, but anyone trolling for seats by then might as well have been looking for cheap real estate in Northern California. The Elders weren't the official headliner this evening, but they became the main event, drawing a crowd of 16,000 or so that spilled out of the pavilion and packed itself up to the northern edge of its adjoining lawn, which prompts an almost-absurd question: When is the last time a local Celtic/roots-rock band could say they outdrew the Backstreet Boys? Apparently word of their shows has spread beyond the local Irish community and into other scenes places where bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly entertain teenage and 20-something punks. Whatever the reason, the Elders have developed a reputation for bristling live shows and, even better, for exceeding their lofty reputation. Sunday night they started their 100-minute set at warp speed and slowed down only once or twice for a teary love ballad or a paean to family. Ian Byrne, a native of County Wicklow, Ireland, is the band's ringmaster a singing dervish with a washboard to scrape and several drums to bang. We're Irish, he said, and we sing about drinking, fighting and dying. And so they did, like it was their last day on earth. They sang several from their latest album, American Wake, including the title track, Haverty Boys and the raucous and irresistible Moore St. Girls. They also detonated a few instrumentals, including the infernal Buzz's Jig, But the songs that nearly raised the roof off the skating rink were favorites from the Pass It on Down album, some of them tales of tragedy and woe: Fire in the Hole and Packy Go Home, which prompted the loudest sing-along all night. When it all ended, the lights went up and the PA system played canned music, even as the crowd sustained a heavy chant of one more song. But it was not to be: The headliner was due on stage in 15 minutes. The good news: There were seats to be had.
The
Irish Times Fifty thousand people are heading for the 'Athlone of America' this weekend, to turn Kansas City into a little corner of Ireland, writes Irish festival director Ronan Collins Kansas City has been described as the Athlone of America. There are certainly similarities. We are in the middle of the country, surrounded by prime agricultural land, and a big river runs through town. In Athlone it's the Shannon; here it's the Missouri. Next weekend the two will have even more in common, as we host one of North America's biggest Irish festivals. We're expecting well over 50,000 people - twice the population of Athlone. It may come as a surprise that Kansas City is such a hot spot for the Irish, but one in 10 locals claims Irish heritage. The Irish were the city's largest immigrant group; many stopped off here having worked on the railways in the mid 1800s. Today, as far as I can tell, about 200 Irish-born people live in the area. The flow of Irish has dried up or, at best, slowed to a trickle. The last significant wave to arrive here was made up of Morrison-visa holders. I was one of those dozen or so immigrants when I landed, in 1994. We all seemed to have different reasons for ending up here. I chose Kansas City because I had a network of friends after working at a local university a few years earlier. My plan was to give it six months, go to the World Cup and see what happened. Eleven years, a wife and three children later, I'm still here. Others arrived following family, with job transfers or having got off at the wrong bus stop. Another surprising fact about the city is that it has the third-largest St Patrick's Day parade in the US, after New York and Savannah, in Georgia. Its popularity inspired a couple of people to put the festival together. Kansas City Irish Fest is now in its third year. What started as the merger of a couple of neighbourhood festivals has bloomed into a citywide celebration. We have taken full advantage of Kansas City's goodwill towards everything Irish. We also attract people starved of decent Irish entertainment from all over the region, including St Louis, Wichita, Des Moines, Little Rock and Omaha. A goal of our festival is to avoid as much of the shamrockery as we possibly can. Many Irish festivals in the US fall into the plastic-Paddy trap, perpetuating misconceptions and stereotypes of what it is to be Irish. We want to keep our festival real, even if keeping it real has its frustrations. In the post-9/11 US, importing Irish performers for a couple of nights' entertainment can be a costly bureaucratic nightmare. We book more than 20 bands and performers for our three musical stages. Some fly over from Ireland; others are based in the US. Many festivals are moving away from booking acts from Ireland, because of the complicated and expensive visa process. As I write, we are still unsure if Barry Murphy, Dermot Carmody and Brendan Dempsey, our comedy performers, will make it through the hoopla. We have to assume that their papers will be processed on time and go ahead with our advertising. If they don't make it the joke will be on us. Of the three music stages, the Pub stage is dedicated to trad acts. Highlights include Old Blind Dogs, Téada and the Wexford button accordionist John Redmond. One of the headline bands on the main stage, The Elders, are based in Kansas City. Fronted by Ian Byrne, who comes from Co Wicklow, they are regarded by many as the leading Celtic rock band in the US. They play the festival circuit all summer, and their Kansas City gig has become a sort of homecoming, attracting thousands of fans. Such is the loyalty of their supporters that in November the band are taking three busloads back to Ireland, for a tour. This year the festival has expanded to include a fringe festival, with stand-up shows, films and an Irish-dancing feis. We have cultural and educational exhibits and a children's area that includes a letter-writing programme for children who'd like an Irish pen pal. We hope to continue our expansion into Irish theatre, visual arts and GAA exhibition games. Although Irish festivals make up a multimillion-dollar business, most of them are run by volunteers; we're putting any profit from ours into a building fund for a cultural and social centre in the heart of Kansas City. Then an Irish river will run through it again.
The
Humm (Ontario) "Turn off your damn television, and sing like a man on a mission." --Keepin' the Faith Music that gets tagged as Celtic can all be placed somewhere on a sliding scale between "ethereal" (Enya, Loreena McKennit) and "rollicking" (Irish Descendants, Great Big Sea and a myriad of others). There's no doubt where the Irish-American outfit The Elders fits this continuum: they are a solid 11.5 on the "rollicking" end of a scale from 1 to 10. The evidence for this, which you sceptics can confirm for yourselves by attending Almonte's Celtfest on July 17, can be found by listening to the band's recent CDs The Elders Live (Best Crowd We've Ever Had) and the studio recording Pass it on Down. These guys are from where again? Kansas City? If you're thinking that's not the native soil of the Celts, think again. Irish culture is a huge presence in the American Midwest, and has been for over a century. For example, Francis O'Neill, the compiler/arranger of the essential collection of Irish fiddle tunes, actually served as the police chief of Chicago. Milwaukee has a huge Irish culture festival. Being Irish-American is practically a full-time job, particularly around St. Patrick's Day. The Elders' up tempo, high-energy presentation of almost all-original material has plenty to recommend it. The songs are heavy on the time-honoured themes of drinking, mining, getting lucky with the lasses, and conversely, getting slapped upside the head (at least, I think that's what Ten Pound Ear-Hole is about...) but they are clever and delivered with passion and fire by lead vocalist Ian Byrne. The band doesn't seem much inclined to play instrumentals, but it's clearly not for lack of ability. Many of the songs are tied together by accordion/violin riffs expertly doled out by Randy Riga and Brent Hoad respectively -- fiddler Hoad also writes much of the band's material (Note: in 2004 Riga left the band and was replaced by expat New Zealander Brett Gibson.) When these traditional instruments aren't showing the way, Steve Phillips trades his mandolin for the devil's plaything, an electric guitar, and puts the rock into the Celtic, as in the miner's anthem (one of Hoad's compositions) Fire In The Hole. "Anthem" is a word that frequently springs to mind when listening to the joyous and musically sophisticated choruses to songs like Devil's Tongue and Keepin' the Faith. Musically The Elders are right up there with their compatriots the Kipps Bay Ceilidh Band, and their use of strong original material delivered with traditional verve and rock oomph reminds me of the sadly lamented Newfoundland combo Rawlins Cross. On paper, the chorus "...It's a night that'll turn some boy to a man, and he'll always remember the taste, and the friends who are keepin' the faith" might not read like Brendan Behan, but when it's sung by Byrne and friends, and followed by a burst of Phillips' searing guitar work and a side order of mixed accordion and fiddle, it makes me a believer. Both of these recordings are fine work, and they contain a number of the same songs. After repeated spins I have a preference for the studio-recorded Pass It On Down, which contains several excellent songs not on the live album, including Keepin' the Faith, Blaze of Glory and an amused cover of Richard Thompson's Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands. And let's face it, on-stage patter like "let's hear all the girls sing" doesn't wear well on a recording. But if you really, really like the live show that The Elders deliver, The Best Crowd We've Ever Had might be the souvenir you're looking for. I'll see you all up at Celtfest. Wear loose clothing suitable for dancing -- or prepare to get out of the way! These and other CDs are available from The Elders Website: www.eldersmusic.com  — Bill Cameron Kansas City Star The Elders set out to be the best Irish rock band around. What the six band members didn't plan on was also being managers, accountants, merchandisers and marketers. But by taking control of the band's business side, they have found it easier to preserve the band's artistic side. “Record companies come to us and say here's $500,000, but it's a bit of a façade,” said Ian Byrne, lead singer of the Kansas City-based band. “It's a loan, it's due back, and you have to leave your jobs, pay for equipment, pay for fancy clothes, do all the publicity, be on the road for 300 days a year. “We're all too old to get in the back of the bus and the stress takes away from our artistry. This way we can go at our own rate, our own pace.” Most members of The Elders — who range in age from the late 30s to late 40s — previously belonged to other well-known local/regional bands, including the Rainmakers and Shooting Star. In 1998, they began building a following as The Elders by playing small venues, including local bars and bookstores. Tom Intfen, co-owner of Paddy O'Quigley's, said he was looking for a raucous, foot-stomping Irish band when someone recommended The Elders. At the band's first performance about six years ago, the bar and grill was less than half-full — but now it's sold out when they play, even with a $10 cover charge. Jon Hart, program director for KTBG-90.9, The Bridge, at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, gave The Elders some of the band's first airplay and is still a fan. The station is known as triple-A — non-commercial, adult album alternative format. “There's really no other way The Elders can get exposure except with triple-A radio,” Hart said. “And they need their next CD to show continued growth so the name becomes familiar and a program director is more likely to pay attention, more likely to listen, and more likely to give it a spin.” The Elders' business plan calls for the band to get as much notoriety as possible in the Celtic music market of North America, then use that foundation to spread to Europe and other markets worldwide. The Elders still play small venues locally, but most out-of-town gigs — such as Irish festivals in Chicago and Dallas — draw several thousand people. Still, the band has a policy: If one person or 1,000 people show up, they put their “hearts and soul” into the show. “What makes a show for us, if they know the songs and know the band and react,” Byrne said. “There's no greater compliment than people singing all the words to songs you wrote in your bedroom. They stop and start at the right places and dance and jump accordingly.” Dave Shaughnessy, entertainment coordinator for the Kansas City Irish Festival, has booked The Elders for five years. In 2004, the band played for about 25,000 people over two nights. “They're a hometown band and also one of the premier Irish rock bands in the country and they bring in a huge following,” Shaughnessy said. “They're definitely a header with their musicianship and drawing power.” The Elders could tour full-time, but the band members hold full-time jobs so they can also be with their families. Byrne, the lead singer who also plays bagpipes and flute, owns Byrne Custom Woodworking Inc. in Lenexa. He also is the only native Irishman in the band. Brent Hoad, violin and mandolin, owns Rear Window Studio, a recording studio in Leawood. Steve Phillips, guitar, mandolin and vocals, owns Bigtime Productions, a recording studio in Kansas City, North. Norm Dahlor, bass guitar and vocals, owns Connemara Finishings, a residential painting company in Kansas City. Tommy Sutherland, drummer, is a warehouse manager at Facility Source in Kansas City, North. Brett Gibson, accordion player, is a partner in AdventureTech, an Olathe software company. On top of those full-time jobs, they practice 10 hours a week and put on 120 to 150 shows a year, mostly Thursdays through Sundays, March through November, with only four weekends off. They also will tour Ireland for the third time this fall, taking three busloads of fans with them. The band will make a small commission to cover the expenses of putting together the tour through www.hammond tours.com. Members of The Elders are in the process of incorporating and have created four separate divisions to keep a better eye on the bottom line. First, there's the band itself and live performances. EldersPub holds publishing rights for the band's works and Avoca Products oversees sales of T-shirts, CDs and DVDs. The band also is working on music for a couple of independent films and those proceeds would be under both the band and the publishing company. The band also barters for some services. Shaughnessy, a partner in Shaughnessy/Ketner Photography in Kansas City, often photographs the band for free in return for a photo credit and free tickets and merchandise. Pat O'Neill of O'Neill Communications in Kansas City also publicizes the band for free on occasion because the band does so much for the Irish community. The band has raised more than $100,000 for charities and schools. Dan Reagan, a humor artist with Hallmark Cards, did one of the band's CD covers, a couple of posters, and is now working on a new DVD cover. In return, Regan doesn't have to pay cover charges to their gigs. The Elders, who also are his friends, will play at his May wedding. By handling all the business aspects of the band themselves, The Elders also can create better music, they said. “A label would want our song to be 3 1/2 minutes but if we want it to be 4 or 5 minutes long we don't hold ourselves to ransom because commercial music should be 3½ minutes,” Byrne said. “We decide how and when we create.” The Elders sing a few traditional Irish ballads, but almost all of the music is their own — rock 'n' roll with an underpinning of Celtic — on topics such as poverty, civil war, family bonds, drinking, immigration, and people they grew up with. “All of our songs come from a genuine story and people love that,” Byrne said. As for the name The Elders… Well, the elders were the wise men of the clan. “Not to say we're wise, but we're in our 40s, going on 50, so it's a great name to grow into,” Byrne said. (Amendment: The Elders regret having forgotten to mention our good pal Evan James, who provides all printing for Elders products) Thanks Evan!
Des Moines City View Forget everything you think you
know about Irish music. This isn't your father's version of Danny Boy,
and you don't have to dance a jig to keep time to every tune. This,
as The Elders like to say, is arse-kicking music from the heartland. Discoveries/ Krause Publications of Iola, Wisconsin I heard of this Kansas City band when they formed some six years ago, but never heard their music. Upon the initial listen of this album, I wanted all four Elders' CDs (including three studio albums). Aware of instinct but following my cranial Mr. Spock, I spun the CD a second and third time, both times coming to the same conclusion as on the first listen.
Midwest Irish Focus When I first slipped the Elders' latest CD into
my stereo, I have to admit I didn't expect much. I've never been a fan of "live" albums, with all the crowd noise, uneven sound recording and odd comments thrown in to favorite tunes, so I hoped the lads would take a different path with this, their first "live" collaberation
of tunes recorded during the past year or so. I have been a fan of all their
prevoius (studio) efforts and I really wanted this to be right up there with
those efforts.
Kansas City Magazine If you haven't yet heard of Kansas City's Celtic rock band the Elders, you will soon. The group's third CD, "American Wake," was released nationally in April, and upcoming concert dates will keep band members from their Prairie Village homes for much of the summer. "We have a whale of a time, we really do," said Irishman Ian Byrne, their lead singer. "I've played music for years, and I've never had such an enthusiastic response from audiences. I think we're tapping into nostalgia, a passion for heritage." Stories of Irish history, both distant and recent, are woven throughout "American Wake." The title song comes from the Irish custom of holding "wakes" at the boat docks in 1847, when the potato famine was at its worst. Having pooled their resources, families would say their goodbyes as some left for better lives in America. "I came to this country with $150 in my pocket, a wife and a son," said Byrne, who left his southern Ireland home in 1987. "Those first few years I wanted to go home every day. But I followed my dad's advice 'stay on the path.' I've found many blessings olong the way." Byrne built a successful woodworking business before joining the Elders three years ago. With concert dates lined up around the country, the band is poised on the brink of national success. The Elders' Celtic sensibility is infused with hints of bluegrass, rockabilly, and Cajun, all performed with rousing passion by Byrne, Norman Dahlor, Steve Phillips, Randy Riga, and Tom Sutherland. All are devoted to their families as well as their music. "Our songs tell stories about Irish history" said Byrne. "I believe that's why we have fans of all ages. Everyone likes a good story."
Rambles.net I tend to be pretty selective when picking out Irish music to add to my collection. There's a heck of a lot of it out there, and some of it's real bad.
Midwest Irish Focus The loud, energized music spills throughout the dark pub and is easily recognized as Irish. Happy patrons absorb the sounds with their pints of Guinness, and while most people would swear they were somewhere in Dublin or Chicago watching the essence of a 21st Century Irish manifestation, they're not. It's Molloy Brothers' Irish Pub in the Westport district of Kansas City, Missouri, and it's an American band that so enthralls them. They are watching and hearing The Elders, six men who are happy as hell to combine their collective talents to create a sound that is uniquely theirs, yet so much a part of the true Irish music tradition. Beginnings Not simply a devoted flock The crowd joins in
KTBG 90.9 "The Bridge"
Who would believe that American rockers can sound like this? We've never had a more energetic, fun in-studio experience. If you don't have a good time you're probably dead.
PASTE MAGAZINE The Elders may sport a Kansas City address but they've fashioned a sound as Irish as a Dublin bar fight. The sextet's authenticity comes courtesy of Irish transplant Ian Byrne, whose vocals lend more than a hint of the Emerald Isle to The Elders' amped-up, Celtic roots rock. With an energetic soundtrack reminiscent of the Americanized, Celtic pop rock of Black 47, The Elders romp and storm through their third album, American Wake. The raucous Big Box Dinny and jaunty Moore St. Girls offer familiar tales of modern Irish life, while Hard Line and the title track show that The Elders understand the social and political underpinnings of their Irish music heritage. The key to the band's success is in its flawless blending of the Celtic storytelling tradition with contemporary instrumentation and, perhaps more importantly, their ability to write original songs that sound as timeless and authentic as the ancient jigs and reels that have inspired them.
HEART OF AMERICA
IRISH LIFE American Wake is the third Elders CD release. I bought a copy to review on Friday the night the Irish Fest opened and frankly it was the saving grace of my weekend. If it had to be spent indoors, drying off from the rain why not with some of the best Irish musicians in the country? Irish or not, no one could listen to that music and not tap their feet unless they were the guest of honor at the aforementioned "wake". When you partake of songs like "Haverty Boys", "Moore St Girls", and "If I know Murphy", you can't help but have a good time. Having heard the Elders in several venues but never on CD didn't stop me from having pre-conceived notions. Rockhurst High School Performing Arts Center concert in December and the blowout at the Uptown Theater in March were going to be tough to beat. The Elders are for the most part hard-chargers with an energy that would be difficult to capture in CD format versus live. What is missed most from their live performance is the personalized introductions to every song. They give a little of the history and make you feel much more like you're listening to someone's personal experiences. You're in on the joke' so to speak. Then the realization came. That's the part of CD's done from a live performance that doesn't wear well. Those same introductions time after time get old in a hurry. So maybe we can hope they put some of the history of each song in the liner notes. My mistake boys, you had it right in the first place.
WICKLOW
PEOPLE (IRELAND) An Avoca man who is the lead singer with an American rock band is returning home this month to play a series of gigs all around the garden county The Elders are the number one Celtic rock band in America at the moment, packing them in at gigs all over the country. And their lead singer, Ian Byrne is a native of Avoca who moved to Kansas City after several years with the chart topping Regent Street band. Two years ago Ian linked up with bass guitarist Norman Dahlor, fiddle player Brent Hoad, guitarist Stephan Phillips, accordionist Randy Riga and drummer Thomas Sutherland to form "The Elders" who were named best world music act in the recent "Pitch Weekly" awards in America. The band's second tour of Ireland is booked for September 17 to October 2 and during their two weeks they will gig in Dublin, Galway, Cork, Shannon, Wexford as well as their beloved Avoca. The Elders, whose third CD, "American Wake" will be released on September 12, just before they arrive in Ireland, will be appearing at the Meetings, Avoca on Friday, September 20, Beach House, Greystones on Saturday, September 27, the Royal Hotel, Arklow on Sunday, September 28 and the famed Johnny Fox's pub on Tuesday, September 30. Last year, the Elders were acclaimed as one of the best bands ever to appear at Johnny Fox's Pub. The big event on this year's Irish tour by The Elders will be on Saturday, September 20 when they will perform at a benefit night in Roundwood in aid of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin FORT COLLINS COLORADOAN The Elders deliver real Irish history the rock 'n' Celtic way. They're back by popular demand for the Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Highland Festival in Estes Park, which takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "We had an incredible response there last year," said lead singer Ian Byrne, originally from County Wicklow, Ireland -- 40 miles from the filming site for the movie "Braveheart." "When I came back to Kansas City the next Monday, I had almost 300 e-mails from people at the festival. We sold 1,000 CDs there. There was a whiskey tent set up right by us and they had all the Old Irish whiskey. They just kept bringing us shots of Irish whiskey -- smooth as silk." Byrne notices a passion for Celtic music in Colorado. "I think it has something to do with the mountains," Byrne said. "People there really appreciate the world, the ground, the rivers. From that comes old Celtic music from the old land. I think all of us have got a natural instinct for that music in us. If you look at Irish music, bluegrass and Cajun originate from it. The boys went up in the mountains and it turned into bluegrass music or rockabilly or country. It's roots music. It's in all of us." The Elders, based in Kansas City, are performing Friday and Saturday night and at sporadic times throughout the three-day festivities in Estes Park. The group releases its third CD next Friday, "The American Wake." With the title track, the Elders deliver the goosebump-inspiring saga of the last good-byes Irish families in the mid-1800s said to their children as they put them on the America-bound boats to escape the tragedy of the potato famine. The famine swept Ireland during the late 1840s and early 1850s, reducing its population by 2 million due to disease, starvation and emigration to Britain and North America. It was called one of the worst human disasters of the 19th century. "That was a mass exodus," said Byrne. "I had it easy. I caught Aer Lingus, flew over here on flight 1010. During the famine in 1847 and 1848, people were dying in droves. Families would get whatever money they could get to send their youngest ones to America and have a wake at the docks because they knew they would never see each other again." Byrne said the band plays old traditional music with tempos "beefed up" with drums and bass guitar and with "more of a progressive feel to it" with a contemporary rock underpinning. "We've got rock music, but in all the main rhythm sections, we've got an accordion driving it and a violin screaming into it. I'm jumpin' around like a madman with a washboard." The Elders are here just days before hopping another plane and taking their second tour through Ireland. They were named Best World Music Act recently by the Pitch Weekly (Kansas City). They may be called the Elders, but "When you see us playing, we're like a bunch of teenagers," Byrne said. The group formed in 1998 is solely made up of Kansas City natives. Byrne joined in 2001. Byrne said he hopes to reach the Fort Collins Pipe Band to jam with them. The Fort Collins Pipe Band placed fifth in its division at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, last month -- the highest spot at the championships that a Colorado pipe band has ever won. The band is in the company of four Irish bands and one other American band in the rankings. The Fort Collins Pipe Band drum corps placed first in its division.
— Anna Maria Basquez
TRAD MAGAZINE (France) Les six musiciens qui composent The Elders sont originaires
de Kansas City. Fondé en 1997, le groupe a écume lex scenes et festivals
US aux côtés des Doobie Brothers, de Lynard Skynard, de Cherish the Ladies...
Le chanteur et fondateur Michael Bliss a laisse sa place en 2001 à I'irlandais
Ian Byrne. Après un premier album éponyme sorti en 2000, voici doncleur nouvelle
mouture. "Pass it on Down". Sous une pochette gaie et coloréee (une peinture façon Van Gogh qui les représente jouant sans un pub). se cache une musique tonique et festive. Les 13 titres qui constituent le CD (12 compositions et 1 reprise de Richard Thompson) donnent une furieuse envie se danser, une "pint" à la main de préférence...C'est du bon rock celtique dans le style de ce que fait le Oyster Band par example, mais avec un petit coté bluegrass et country carrainant et melodique à la fois. Les textes nous racontent des pages de l'historie irlandaise, des histoires d'exil, d'upression mais aussi d'amitié. Certains titres tels "Packy go Home" ou "Fire in the Hole" sonnet
comme de véritables hymnes. Leur tournée en Irlande en 2002 a sidéré les
autochtones, surpris qu'un aussi bon groupe de musique irlandaise puisac
être...américain! Les Elders sont à la recherche de dates en France, qu'on
se le dise The six musicians who make up The Elders originate from Kansas City. Founded in 1997, the group established themselves playing at US festivals alongside acts such as the Doobie Brothers, Lynard Skynard, and Cherish the Ladies... Lead singer and founding member Michael Bliss left in 2001 and was replaced by Irishman, Ian Byrne. After their first album in 2000, here is their latest grinding. "Pass it one Down". .. (the cover, a Van Gogh style painting depicting them playing outside a pub). It's lively and festive music. The 13 titles which constitute the CD (12 originals and one Richard Thompson cover) make you want to get up and dance, preferably with a pint in your hand... It is good Celtic rock n'roll in the style of the Oyster Band for example, but with small touches of bluegrass and country at the same time. The lyrics tell us stories of Irish history, tales of exile, oppression but also of friendship. Certain titles such "Packy go Home" or "Fire in the Hole" sound like true anthems. Their tour of Ireland in 2002 impressed the locals, surprised that such a good group of Irish musicians turned out to be... American! The Elders are now in search of dates in France, so I hear.
ROOTS
TOWN MAGAZINE (BELGIUM) The Elders zijn afkomstig uit Kansas City maar hebben 100% Ierse roots in hun bloed. Wie The Pogues, The Oyster Band, Great Big Sea of The Men They Couldn't Hang in zijn collectie heeft steken kan zich probleemloos The Elders aanschaffen. Hun verhalen gaan over de Ierse geschiedenis, al dan niet recent, waar gebeurd of geheel verzonnen. De traditionele instrumentale sound van deze heren heeft een stevige rockonderbouw. Plaats daar de pakkende vocalen van zanger Ian Byrne bovenop en je kan van een prachtplaatje spreken. Op één nummer na, een schitterende versie van Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands van Richard Thompson, zijn alle songs door de band, en dan voornamelijk multi-instrumentalist Brent Hoad, geschreven. Het overgrote deel van de tracks zijn lekker up-tempo en blijven makkelijk in het gehoor hangen. Liefhebbers van Celtic rock zijn hier aan het juiste adres. With 100% Irish blood in their roots, someone may wonder if "The Elders" really belong to Kansas City. Music lovers who have in their collection, CD's from "The Pogues", "The Oyster Band", "Great Big Sea or The Men They Couldn't Hang" can easily figure out what "The Elders" are like. Their songs describe past Irish history, real or totally made up. The traditional instrumental sound of these guys has solid rock foundations. Adding the striking vocals of singer Ian Byrne to that makes this one hell of a record. All but one song, "Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands", by Richard Thompson, are written by the band, mostly by multi-instrumentalist Brent Hoad. Most of the tracks have an elevated tempo and cling to your ears for a very long time. Celtic rock enthusiasts are at the right address.
HEART OF
AMERICA IRISH LIFE With the exception of Irish frontman Ian Byrne, a native of Avoca, members of the popular area band The Elders had never been to the Emerald Isle where much of their familial heritage and musical inspiration can be traced back to. That all changed during a recent tour there (Sept. 22-30) when they introduced the Irish natives to their unique style of Celtic rock. "There was obviously a lot of inquisitive minds and a lot of bewilderment," said Byrne. "'What's this all about?' After the third or fourth song, people started loosening up and said, 'Hey, there's something going on here.'" Byrne, who set up the band's gigs through his contacts in Ireland, thought that his fellow bandmates might have been a little hesitant of touring there, not knowing for sure how they would be received. "I had absolutely no worries whatsoever with going over there and playing because ... Brent (Hoad) is as good, if not better than most Irish fiddlers," proclaimed Byrne. "We went over there and went down and blasted every place we went to. They just absorbed us. They'd say to me, 'So okay, you're from (County) Wicklow but you tell me the rest of the lads are not Irish?'" Byrne recalled how he would explain to them that while they were all from Kansas City, they all had Irish heritage. "The only difference between them and me is I got to America more recently than they did," he said with a laugh. Hoad, a founding member of The Elders, is extremely glad that the band acted upon Byrne's suggestion to go, believing that "it's always good ... to sort of measure what you're up to against some people that have never heard you before." Certainly, based upon what's apparently popular in Ireland now, The Elders style is something that may well have not been heard before or too often there. "Ireland is full of boy bands and pop," explained Byrne. "It's a small population. It's three-and-a-half million people and now we're being influenced by the world economy ... and MTV and kids are walking around, sucking in everything they can. It's a very diverse country right now I'd say. (There's) a lot of foreigners in Ireland now from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds." "There's more over here I think," Hoad said of the number of bands in America who play Celtic rock. "We searched the music tabloids and stuff, but I didn't see anything like that (in Ireland). It was all rock stuff and, like Ian said, boy bands." Their enthusiastic reception there was all the sweeter to the band members, especially since, as Byrne pointed out, The Elders are "writing songs about old Irish stories." For Byrne himself, the tour of his homeland was particularly special because playing Celtic rock had been a dream of his for a long time. "I played in rock and pop bands in Ireland for years, but I always wanted to play Celtic rock," he said. "It had always been in my heart for as long as I can remember. ... That's why it was so exciting for me to go back with the lads and play there. I knew it would go down greatly. It was beyond my expectations." After being so well received there, The Elders are planning on making a tour to Ireland an annual event now. "This was kind of a trial and error," Byrne said of their just-finished tour. "We didn't want to play the big venues because it was too much of a commitment and PR and expenses on advertising. We wanted to play the smaller venues, basically just covering the costs of going over, which we did. (We wanted to) just get right up there, face to face with the people and get close to them. ... to get the real, legitimate response from the people without any hype. "We just threw ourselves onstage in front of whoever we could get in front of us. What was cool about it was after each gig it kept creating momentum, like a snowball going down a hill. People from previous gigs would follow us to the next gig. By the time we did Johnnie Fox's, which is the highest pub in Ireland and a very, very cool place, ... everybody that was there knew us and knew the music." Unsurprisingly, the tour has reenergized the band's creative juices. Hoad mentioned that they'd probably start the recording process for a third album in November with a release sometime next fall. "We're actually starting to kick around song ideas and getting to work writing on that," he said. "There are a few songs that are already written." Hoad noted with a laugh that their Ireland experience has provided them with some great song ideas, with stories ranging from the obscure to tales of a young Ian Byrne getting in trouble.
KANSAS CITY STAR When they first started performing around Kansas City several years ago, the Elders were a band of novel renown. Their sound was relatively new to the local music scene -- lively Celtic/roots rock -- but at first the Elders were better known for where they'd come from. All were former members of several famous local/regional bands, including the Rainmakers, Fools Face, Shooting Star and the Secrets. Today, the Elders have laid their old lives to rest and secured their identity as a rollicking Celtic-rock band. Next month they'll put that sound to a big test when they tour Ireland for 10 days -- a tour put together by the band's new lead singer, Ian Byrne, a native of County Wicklow. "Fortunately I still have a lot of friends and contacts in the business over there," Byrne said Tuesday. "So we'll be able to slip in a whole bunch of back doors instead of having to go through the normal apprenticeships to get on radio and TV and into the clubs." Byrne made his contacts back in the early 1980s, when he was in the band Regent Street, a rock band that never quite made the big jump into the major leagues. "We had a record deal with Virgin, and we played with a lot of the big bands, like Simple Minds, the Boomtown Rats and U2 way back in their early days," Byrne said. "We played the Live Aid gig in Dublin in 1985. "But we hit a plateau and realized we weren't going to go any further. On one hand, I had the band, and on the other I had a wee son and a wife. I chose the wife and child." In 1987, he and his family moved to Kansas City, hometown of his wife, Kathy Quinn, the morning traffic reporter for Channel 5. Byrne dabbled in the local music scene, but he didn't run into the Elders until eight months ago, at the home of Brent Hoad, the band's fiddler and mandolin player. "My daughter, Andreina, goes to Cure of Ares school with Brent's daughter, Sophie, and they're best friends," Byrne said. "Through Sophie, we got invited to Brent's Christmas party, where the Elders were playing unplugged. I was blown away." The timing couldn't have been better. The Elders were about to lose founding member and vocalist Michael Bliss, whose wife had been transferred to Connecticut. "We had about 80 percent of the material for the new record done, but none of the vocals because we knew Mike was on the fence about leaving Kansas City," said Steve Phillips, the former Rainmaker who sings and plays guitar for the Elders. He also co-produced the band's new album in his Big Time Studio. "We didn't really say, `We need a new singer,' but we asked Ian to stop by the studio. He's a drummer, so he came in and sat in on drums and sang some backup. He'd never been a front man, a lead singer, but we started talking about the idea." Once Byrne got used to the idea of being out front, things started to click. "Things were a little rough at first," Phillips said. "We
coached him as much as we could, and he developed real quickly. He's become
a great lead singer." "At first I surrounded myself with all these percussion instruments," he said. "They were my security blanket. For the last few gigs, I've gotten rid of them. I still whale on a big drum -- it's like a battle drum that's leading a bunch of Celts down the hill after the Romans. I also whale on a washboard, which has become very popular. "The response has been good. A lot of the dedicated Elders fans say they like the new look." The other test comes in about three weeks, when the band begins its 10-day tour of Ireland, which includes stops in Galway, Dublin and County Wicklow, Byrne's old stomping grounds. "When we come back," Phillips joked, "we'll be an international band on both sides of the Atlantic, not just a local band." Byrne has set up gigs on RTE, the Irish national television station, and several radio gigs all over the country. The Celtic-rock scene in Ireland, he said, isn't as big as it is in America, but there's an appetite for it. "It's definitely more evolved in America," he said, "but there's been something of a rebirth, and you've got to give credit to `Riverdance,' which opened a lot of people's eyes to contemporary Irish music. A lot of young people realize it's not just old moms and pops sitting on the porch singing `Danny Boy.' "This is what I've been wanting to do for years: take Irish music and give it a kick in the arse."
HEART OF AMERICA IRISH LIFE At a time when Kansas City needs something, or someone to get behind and tell the rest of the world, "this is ours - and we're proud of it", The Elders, in their latest effort, "Pass it on Down", come out swinging for the fences. Much like when Mike Sweeney comes to bat for the Kansas City Royals, you want the Elders to send it out of the park, and they do. Each song, from the first pitch with "Packy Go Home", to the walk-off home run with "Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands" takes you to a different part of the park, with its own story. The Elders have a lot going for them. First, they are wicked fine musicians. Their passionate onstage performance carries over big time on this album. Whether on stage, at an Irish Fest, or in the studio, they give one hundred and ten percent, and they're a nice bunch of lads in the bargain. Outstanding production values make "Pass it on Down" a pleasure in any environment. You can actually hear the instruments AND the lyrics! The cd cover art makes you long for the days of vinyl, when you could appreciate the cover art while enjoying the record. Still, "Pass it on Down" had to pass three major tests before becoming official "Road Trip Music" for my family. First, the whole clan must like it - all 5 of us - a tough hurdle in itself. Second, The Elders have given us 13 songs, not simply music. You will be singing along! Lastly, the crucial road trip test. I popped the cd in the car player, somewhere in South Dakota, in the dead of night, on my way to the Sturgis motorcycle rally. I played every track - no skipping - twice - AND sang along! Very soon, you may pass, on the interstate, a red Ford Escort with five passengers singing, what appears to be "Ten Pound Earhole." That would be my family and the Elders. I can, with no sense of guilt or hesitation, shamelessly say, "buy this cd!" Then see the Elders at a Kansas City area Irish Fest - and sing with the boys! After all, they're ours and we're darn proud of them! —John S. Holmes JOHNSON COUNTY SUN While they may call themselves The Elders, this group of experienced, talented musicians certainly aren't ready for the retirement home, especially when you listen to their lively and infectious style of Celtic rock music. "This is not a story of over-the-hill rockers," said Brent Hoad, violinist/vocalist for The Elders. "It's a story of guys who discovered this music and approached it as students of it." The band's formation can be traced to 1997 when, upon his return from Los Angeles, guitarist/vocalist Norman Dahlor met with Hoad, an "old mate" from The Secrets, to discuss forming a Celtic rock band. Both musicians became excited about it and The Elders was born. The band's members believe that they've tapped into a unique musical niche with their style of play. "There are different genres within the genre," Hoad explained. "The number of bands that fit on the same bill as The Elders can be counted on one hand. We know them all too." With that in mind, one might wonder if there's much of a following for The Elders' particular brand of music; however, the demand is so high for their self-titled debut album, which was released one year ago, that it's now in its third pressing. "We really had no idea that it would be this popular," Phillips explained. "We just wanted to try something new, and it's fun to play." "Once we started getting into it, we discovered just how much there is to it. Mixing up the old traditional stuff and throwing in all of our influences, the rock, country, bluegrass and a twist of Celtic, I think we came up with something unique. No one is doing it quite like this."
The Elders believe that their musical style not only transcends the generational gap, but also the hip alternative crowd and the classic rock crowd for instance. Although they've been approached by a couple of big record labels, Hoad said that they feel good about having an independent label. "Since we really don't fit comfortably into any radio format that's out there, other than NPR (National Public Radio) or something, we feel like we're in a good position to cruise under the radar of the traditional music business and retain ownership of all our masters, copyrights and so forth," he said. When asked if they were happy with where they are, Phillips summed up the band's ambition by saying, "We're happy with where it's going but we're never happy with where we are." —Michael D. Smith
PITCH WEEKLY This six-piece boasts former members of The Rainmakers, Shooting Star, Fools Face, The Secrets, and the Tommy Shaw Group, the music they play is Celtic. "If you can play this type of music, why wouldn't you want to?" multi-instrumentalist Brent Hoad asks rhetorically. "The traditions of Celtic sounds and language are very deep, and we may never get to the bottom of the well, but it's something that we continue to explore and grow with. But as Hoad warns, you do want to show up to see The Elders with your game face on. "We've always cautioned people that we're rowdy and loud and may cause a few heart attacks, so make those people sit down before we start or at least get in the back of the room." This doesn't sit well with some of the limey kinfolk on the Celtic festival circuit that The Elders plan to hit over the summer and fall. "It's louder than the other stuff on those tours," agrees Hoad. "I mean, you come and see things that are kind of delicate and precious and we come on like a 400-pound gorilla. I know there are Celtic purists that might have a problem with that, but I don't, because I'm feeling it, and so are the other guys. We're there to have fun, have a rowdy time of it, and entertain people as well." If the group's CD is any indication, the Elders' music is something more than entertaining. There are all the elements of Celtic pub rock that make you shut up and drink while you're there, but the lyrical content and rock rhythms that infuse some songs make the album one well worth listening to with a hangover. The record's second track in particular clues the listener in that this is not your standard pub-rock fare. —J.J. Hensley |
