"Grada" & "Pitch the Peat"--Great Irish Bands

Last night Linda and I went to the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland and heard 2 terrific Irish bands. The first band is from Greater Cleveland (though 3 of the members were originally from Ireland). They are called "Pitch the Peat." http://www.pitchthepeat.com/

They are probably the best traditional Irish band in the Cleveland area. Their fiddler, Nikki Custy, is a tremendous musician and a fine composer of songs and tunes. The flute/whistle player (Pat Custy) is brilliant and I talked to him for a while. He said, "Wait till you hear the next band--'Grada.' Their whistle/flute player (Alan Doherty) is way better than me." And he was right. "Grada" was fabulous, the most ecstatic, fun Irish music I've ever heard. Their virtuoso fiddler, Mattie Mancuso, an Italian-Irish-American from Brooklyn, New York, pulled out a trumpet during one of the tunes and played fabulous jazz trumpet, in a weird fusion of Irish trad and jazz. Alan Doherty and bodhran player, Nicola Joyce, are wonderful vocalists; and Joyce's bodhran playing is simply fantastic. We had a great time at this concert.

Something that struck me as a bit odd: two members of this band are from New Zealand! Grada represents a fusion of cultures and music genres. Here's the band's web site: http://www.gradamusic.com/

Both bands have deep connections to the great city of Galway. I'd love to live in Galway for a while, close to the university, the vibrant town, the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, and the western sea.