Irish Fest Preview: Local Bands

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Milwaukee Irish Fest, probably the biggest and most prestigious Irish music festival in the world, is the place to see the biggest names in the Celtic music world, whether it’s actually just “Irish” or Celtic-ish music, or the real deal traditional players from places you've never heard of and pubs in faraway Irish towns.

But there’s more to it than that; thanks to Irish Fest, Milwaukee has a thriving Celtic music scene and has had one for quite some time. These local acts are invited to perform at Irish Fest and play there year after year, and for all of them it’s the sort of opportunity that bands in other towns around the world would give anything for. Sure, they tend to either play early in the day, or on the smaller side stages, but the chance to meet, mingle and play with the greatest players and singers in the world is something that certainly rubs off on our local musicians.

So here’s a look at some (not all; too many to fit in one article) of the local players you'll find at Milwaukee Irish Fest. Whether you’re going early in the day or later, seek them out and have a listen. I’ve divided them up into some basic categories: Trad, Folk Bands and Folksingers.

Trad

“Trad,” short for Traditional music, is the old school, acoustic, and mostly (but not all) instrumental music of the Celtic lands such as Ireland and Scotland. Here you'll find the jigs and reels that make you want to dance; at its heart, trad is dance music, although there are plenty of slow numbers as well. And to that end, keep in mind that not all the trad is at the stages: you'll find it at the Dance Pavilion, where there’s non-stop dancing all day long, the Gaeltacht Tent, where the Gaelic language, storytelling and musical traditions are kept alive, and at the Irish Music Sessions, where musicians just get together and play informally all day.

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Áthas (pronounced ah-huss) are a three-piece guitar/fiddle/bohran (Irish drum) band well known for combining killer trad tunes with rather unexpected other stuff thrown in. They're a fixture on the Milwaukee scene and their bodhran player, Amy Richter, has branched out to play beyond the local market, such as in Chicago and on tour with renowned Irish band Danú. Saturday August 20 12:15 p.m. at the Miller Lite Stage; also playing at the Dance Pavilion. athasmusic.com

Atlantic Wave - Full disclosure, this is my band. This is our 18th season at the fest and we play a mix of Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton (Nova Scotia) tunes and songs with guitar, vocals, two fiddles and bodhran. One of our fiddlers is Milwaukee Celtic scene veteran Ed Paloucek, and one of his kids will be sitting in with us this year. We’re awful; give us a pass! Saturday August 20 4:45 p.m. at the Vizzy Stage. atlanticwave.us

Frogwater - The venerable Frogwater is a husband-wife duo of Susan and John Nicholson on fiddle and guitar, with some vocals as well, whose lineage goes back to the ‘90s Milwaukee band the Gillies and long-gone pubs like Nash’s Irish Castle and the Black Shamrock. Not limited to Irish music, they've been known to dash off some old-time fiddle and bluegrass, and they never cease to amaze us with how much sound they can get from just two people. Friday August 19 5:45 p.m. at the Vizzy Stage; also performing at the Dance Pavilion. facebook.com/frogwatermusic

Gray, Gosa, Noyes and Langby - This group of local trad session stalwarts features multi-instrumentalists Asher Gray and Randy Gosa (known for flute/whistle and guitar/banjo, respectively), two-thirds of the former group Cé when they were a bit younger, who are reuniting this year for the Cé Reunion at the Celtic Roots Stage on Saturday. They’re joined by Molly Noyes on woodwinds and Uilleann pipes, and Olivia Langby on fiddle.  Saturday August 20 12:15 p.m. at the Celtic Roots Stage.

Cat and Hare - a newer Milwaukee group made up of members from other bands: Jeff Ksiazek and Amy Richter from Áthas, Christian Wandzala from Leaky Bellows, and Olivia Langby from Gray, Gosa, Noyes and Langby. They dig deep into the Irish-Scottish tunebook for great trad tunes. Saturday August 20 11:15 a.m. at the Lakefront Brewery Stage. catandhare.com

Tis - (Tis the band!) have been around a while and play their brand of Celtic trad on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and, somewhat unconventionally, a drum/percussion kit. Be sure to catch them at the Vizzy Stage on Sunday. Sunday August 21 2:15 p.m. at the Vizzy Stage. facebook.com/TIS.The.Band

Blackthorn Folly - Born in the heady environs of Paddy’s Pub on Milwaukee’s East Side, Blackthorn Folly has seen many lineup changes through the years, but their set list has always featured a mix of trad tunes and folksongs. Their current version features fiddler Heather Lewin of Áthas. Sunday August 21 5:15 p.m. at the Vizzy Stage. blackthornfollyband.com

Folk Bands

These are the bands—some of them actually rock bands—that play the folk songs of Ireland and Scotland: the drinking songs, the songs you know, the songs you love, and the songs you can sway to, especially in a pub, and especially if you’re wearing a kilt.

Reilly - Led by local music impresario Tinker (Michael Tierney) of Beatallica and Spoof Fest fame, Reilly are another band that's been around a while. They’re a rock band with an acoustic vibe and a professional edge and their shows are known for their mix of old favorites and their own originals. Saturday August 20 1:30 p.m. at the Ciderboys Stage. reillyrocks.com

Dublin O'Shea - Did someone say Scottish party time? Because that's what these guys are, so don your kilt and make sure you have a ride home after the gig! Saturday August 20 6:15 p.m. at the Vizzy Stage. dublinoshea.com

Hearthfire - A folk-rock band with a fiddler, Hearthfire are known around the Milwaukee scene for their originality, playing their own self-penned songs along with a range of Celtic folk and rock songs. Sunday August 21 1 p.m. at the Village Pub. hearthfireband.com

Tallymoore - of all the local bands, Tallymoore is most known for their harmonies. They play their acoustic sound with close vocal arrangements and new takes on Celtic favorites as well as lesser-known songs. Friday August 19 7:15 p.m. at the Lakefront Brewery Stage. tallymoore.com

Derek Byrne and Paddygrass - Led by Irish expat Derek Byrne, who cut his teeth playing in the cast of Riverdance, Paddygrass is a fluid group of musicians backing Byrne’s banjo-driven versions of classic Irish songs, with American southern gospel, country, and other styles, and often with Irish step dancers. Friday August 19 7:15 p.m. at the Vizzy Stage. derekbyrnemusic.com

Gleasons - OK so they’re really a rock band, but their Celtic rock versions of Irish songs are a crowd favorite at Irish Fest, so give them a listen Saturday at the Ciderboys Stage. Saturday August 20 at the Ciderboys Stage. thegleasonsmusic.com

Folksingers

These guys deserve their own category; they’re solo acts and they’re all from across the Pond and live here in Milwaukee. They'll play many of same songs as the folk bands, but they're more likely to break out something that just might bring a tear to your eye.

Barry Dodd - Dublin born balladeer who’s a fixture at County Clare Irish Pub in Milwaukee. Friday August 19 4:30 p.m. at the Village Pub. barrydodd.com

Jeff Ward - from Carlisle, northwest England, Jeff plays a variety of folksongs, often with his band, although it looks like he’s solo this year at the fest. Saturday August 20 12:30 p.m. at the Lakefront Brewery Stage. jeff-ward.net

Ian Gould - Vying with Derek Byrne for the title of hardest working Milwaukee Celtic singer, Belfast, Northern Ireland born singer Ian Gould accompanies himself on folk classics, rock covers and originals, and is known for his habit of getting into fights with leprechauns wherever he goes. Sunday August 21 2:45 p.m. at the Village Pub. iangouldmusic.com

Phil Rubenzer Tribute

A special Thursday night event is worth mentioning when we’re talking about the local bands. Phil Rubenzer, a fixture of the Milwaukee scene going way back, passed away in May of this year, and his friends and family have organized a memorial set dance and session for him Thursday night, August 19, at 8:15 p.m. at the Dance Pavilion. A session is when a group of musicians gather and play (instrumental) tunes together.

Rubenzer was primarily a bodhran (Irish drum) player, but he also played the whistle, and was a teacher and set dancer. He was a founding member of one of Milwaukee's early influential Celtic trad bands in the 1990s, 180 and the Letter G. But his legacy is his self-published book, Midwestern Irish Session Tunes, which is a compilation of sheet music for hundreds of Irish tunes, used by countless players to look up or learn tunes, and used by the Irish Fest Summer School and School of Music.

“Back in the day he was religious about taping sessions wherever we were in the Midwest so he could document the tunes for his book,” said Ed Palcoucek, Rubenzer's fiddler bandmate, now in Atlantic Wave. “He played bodhran mostly, one of the best I’ve ever played with. He played differently for every tune. He knew the tunes.”