Tonight was Different Drums of Ireland on the Heyde Center stage. The band was on tour all the way from Derry City and Belfast Northern Ireland. It was an interesting show. The second such interesting show I have seen at the Heyde Center featuring drums. The last time I was there it was for Japanese Taiko drums. The band, Different Drums of Ireland, played well. They involved the audience, even teaching us to clap out a beat by seating section. It was a fun show, a fascinating show, and I thank the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association for bringing them in.

That said, if I was disappointed at all, it would be in just one way. But, before I get into this, I have to explain where I am coming from. Until a couple of years ago, for the past twenty years, I was in a small community theatre group. Every spring, we staged an Irish Medieval feast, complete with musicians. For the first two weekends of March, I was totally immersed in Irish traditional music. Loving every moment of it, but listening to very little irish music outside of that time. When I first heard the Heyde Center was featuring a band with such ancient instruments as irish drums, I was really hoping for my springtime fix. But, it wasn't to be. My only complaint for the show was the mix. I would say not quite half of what they played, was what I would call contemporary Irish music. And, for my small part, it wasn't really what I was looking for. Does that make me closed minded? I suppose it does.

At this show, you are less likely to hear the traditional, Finnegans Wake, or Bonnie Hieland Laddie class of music. What we heard instead often were songs of modern thoughts. A song composed while driving down the road, listening to the bad news on the radio. So, if you are looking for the sound and thoughts of Ireland, as it is today, this would be your show.

So with these caveats behind us, how was the show? It really centers around two people, group founder, singer/songwriter Roy Arbuckle. And, Dolores O'Hare, who played Irish whistles, and Uillean pipes. Think bagpipes, but much softer sounding than the Scottish bagpipes most people are familiar with. Mic'd and amplified though, the sound and effect is similar, just a little less harsh. The guitar, played by Arbuckle was bright and lively. The combination of pipes and guitar, or pipes and whistle with the strong, multi-drum back beat was very nice. Sometimes the drums were a bit over powering, drowning out the two other instruments, but I think it was the effect the band was going for, the drumming was skilled and it worked for me. The music was good, and despite my complaints, every song did some bits of reel, or some traditional segment to placate us whiners. There was one encore. Its not exactly tradition bands will choose something totally out of character for an encore song, but it is at least common. The band did an excellent rendition of an American song. I won't give away the surprise, because it was too much fun. It was performed well and really sent the audience out with a bang!

The sound in the Heyde Center was certainly acceptable. Maybe a touch harsh and bright on the high frequency end of the spectrum, but the venue is what it is. The musicians seemed to have considerable difficulty getting the sound people to get the monitor speakers set to the right volume. The band also confessed some problems with trying to travel with their bag pipe. The reeds couldn't take the humidity changes and so the pipes were being temperamental. This answered my only technical complaint when I had noticed several times in previous songs where the piper couldn't seem to hit a low note on key.

	Different Drums of Ireland perform An Irish Party In Third Class
	Irish Uillean pipes with a hint of the movie Titanic as well.

 

Between songs, the accents were thick. I had some trouble making it out, and I was surprised about this until I thought about it more. I knew stage irish accents. Just because you spend two weeks walking around saying "Aye! I'll have a wee drop" doesn't mean you have full command when listening to a native.

All in all, it was a fun night at the Heyde Center. I do love Irish music in the springtime, and though the performance didn't fully satisfy that craving, it did very well. I recommend the Different Drums of Ireland to anyone seeking the current flavor of Irish tradition!

Hits: 528

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment