Live Review
Tim O'Brien
Bluegrass' Green Roots are Showing
Bluegrass has been springing up through the cracks of mainstream music
the past few years and the 23rd annual North Texas Irish Festival gave
its nod to the mountain music, proclaiming this year's theme--Bluegrass
has Green Roots.
Three time Grammy nominee Tim O'Brien headlined this year's fest,
held at Fair Park in Dallas March 5 and 6. With fine weather and
four
stages of continuous Celtic music, Scottish dance and storytelling, the
fest, sponsored by the Southwest Celtic Music Association, drew record
crowds.
Music was the main attraction, and as always, local artists like
Brothers Three, the Irish Rogues, and Seamus Stout were featured.
Need
Fire, comprised of some former Kildare band members made their debut
providing the rock and roll that Ireland has come to represent.
Tim O'Brien performed twice during the two day fest and carries
clout, being the president of the International Bluegrass Music
Association this year. His most recent release, Traveler, he
calls his
most autobiographical record to date. All of the songs are
original
compositions except for "I've Endured" by Ola Belle Reed and David
Arthur Reed, which he performed at the fest. You may hear this
song
and others on local Americana radio station KHYI 95.3 known as "the
range" to its loyal listeners.
O'Brien began with "Wandering" on his Sunday set from 2000's Real
Time, a collaboration with Darrel Scott. Accompanying O'Brien at
the
fest was the extraordinary young fiddler, Casey Driessen and John
Williams on concertina, flute, and button box player. When the
three
performers let loose on two jigs from West Clare it was electric.
At
one pont Williams was playing two flutes simultaneously.
O'Brien's hauntingly beautiful fiddle solo opened "Love is Pleasin"
off 1997's When No One's Around. Of course, the somber mood was
broken
by "Cornbread Nation", a theme song O'Brien wrote for a radio station
that will be on his newest cd in the works. Also on that release
will
be "Pretty Fair Maid in the Garden", a more traditional ballad that fit
right in at the Irish fest.
"Lost Little Children" tells the sad tale of immigrant children
sent to the United States ahead of their parents, many destined
never
to reunite. The lost chiildren had no money, and no family when
they
came, and yearned for their home and loved ones.
O'Brien closed with "Another Day", dedicating it to all those who had
lost anyone close to them recently.
To find out more about Tim O'Brien see
www.timobrien.net If you
missed him at the fest, I'm afraid it will be awhile before you will
get to see him locally. He is headed for a concert tour of
England and
Ireland.
More information about this year's North Texas Irish Festival and
Celtic music in general may be found at www.ntif.org
Susan Moore
dallasmusic.com