We are less than two weeks from St Patrick's Day. What are your plans for the holiday?
I have a Bunch of shows starting with Bold Monk Brewery (Mar 5), Ironshield Brewing (Mar 12), and Three Taverns Craft Brewery (Mar 13). I also have an Livestreaming concert (Mar 10) and Coffee shows every Wednesday at 11 AM EST.
If that's not enough for you, I also host the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast and Pub Songs & Stories. There are literally HUNDREDS of episodes you can listen to. You can also check out my YouTube channel if you want some live concerts. Or check out Dragon Con Filk track for my show on Thursday, March 10.
If you're enjoying these features of Celtic musicians, you can help fund them by supporting me on Patreon. Subscribe to my Gunn Runners Club for just $5 per month. You get podcasts, a new song, a video and this blog. Most everything is available for free. But your generosity lets me know you appreciate all that I do.
You can also support the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Help our community celebrate Celtic culture through music. Please support my craft.
If you’ve been looking for a really solid band to add to your Celtic music collection, The BlarneyGirls is definitely one you should be considering! This trio offers guitar, bass and bouzouki, as well as expert fiddle play and gorgeous vocals. You couldn’t really ask for more…
Although the moniker hints that the band is all-female, you’ll find that two ladies and one gentleman make up this group. Soprano Liz Robbins sings with charm and feeling, Reva Paget’s skilled fiddle provides a beautiful through-line, and Michael Robbins selflessly offers a solid structure that really does the job of pulling it all together. The band has produced some all-music tracks, and many with vocals—with most drawing from Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton influences, whether they are original takes on songs or traditional tunes. There’s enough variety to keep things interesting, without making the albums feel disjointed or haphazard. They provide a nice mix!
Robbins has a vocal quality about her that won’t allow you to mistake her for anyone else—the pretty soprano rings out clear and true. No matter what they are playing, they make it all sound so easy. That, I suppose, is music as it really should be, right? The Atlanta-area trio has been playing for over a decade, and it shows! There’s an easy feel to their play, although the arrangements are by no means basic in terms of execution. There are no amateurs among them, that’s for sure.
Albums they have out include “Life As We Know It”, “No Malarkey”, and “Play Nice”, and each is worth a listen in its own right. I especially enjoyed songs such as Tell God and the Devil, Garden Valley, and P Stands for Paddy, but there is certainly quite a selection of music to choose from. This is one of those bands that it’s really fun just to sample what they have, as it’s quite a mix of music. Do yourself a favor and check this musical group out—they’re definitely worth a slice of your time.
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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.
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