I wish I could say I was booked at the Georgia Renaissance Festival this year. Alas, they didn't respond to my emails. It turned out okay though. I have a FULL schedule in the coming months, including a bunch of St Patrick's Day shows in the Atlanta area. Check my calendar for details.
In the meantime, I have another CD Release Party scheduled for tonight in Lawrenceville, Georgia. It's from 7-10 PM. I hope to see you there!
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Some bands have professional polish, some have incredible musical ability, while still others sing like the angels themselves. The Barehead Bards have a completely different skill set—they enthusiastically present music they love, strumming along and harmonizing while spreading joy along the way! This certainly isn’t a bad thing to be known for…we could all use a bit more of the spirit and fun this band delivers. After all, Celtic music is nothing if it isn’t full of feeling and flavor, right?
Irish tunes, fiddle music, and drinking songs are among the things that you’ll hear the Barehead Bards play. They describe themselves as, “bringing unrehearsed foolishness together with a moderate amount of musical ability and an unreasonable amount of banter.” While this is certainly a clever way to talk about themselves, they are actually being rather modest. When you listen to them, this isn’t amateur hour at all—no drunken rants, marching band sounds, or mismatched harmonies. What it seems they are trying to convey is that they play without pretentiousness, which I’ll give them a two thumbs up for, and I think most will agree.
The Barehead Bards are at their best when they are making merry, and there’s a lot of that going on! Two digital collections of music are available for download—and the names are a tip of the hat to the group's sense of humor, as they are titled, “You Asked for This” and “You Asked for Something Better”. Neither of these is a polished studio recording—in fact, they’re simply live music that was recorded, but there’s nothing wrong with capturing the spirit of this band as they sing to a crowd. Indeed, it may be the best way to relay the energy they have when they play and sing together.
Whether you’ve seen this Atlanta-area band play in person, or you are just up for listening to something new, the Barehead Bards are definitely worth checking out. They’ve been playing together a while now, and make a fine addition to the city’s vibrant Celtic music scene. Have a listen!
You can find out more about Barehead Bards here.
Find more about Atlanta Celtic Music and Musicians.
Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among other magazines, and for the Celtic Music Magazine for nearly 15 years. You can reach her through her website at CatherineLTully.com.
