Before I write about the latest band I’ve fallen in love with, I haven’t forgotten about the 30th challenge. It hasn’t happened yet due to the weather, but hopefully it will happen some weekend soon. I could have done something simple on my birthday to finish off the list, but I wanted to end on a real high, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do when I get the opportunity.
Last Saturday I went to McGrory’s with one of my best friends to see a band I’ve only known about for the last year and haven’t stopped listening to during the last month. August Wells are made up of Dubliner Ken Griffin on vocals and guitar, and American pianist John Rauchenberger. Griffin’s song lyrics can be both humourous and thought provoking. His baritone voice quickly catches your ear and keeps you listening. Rauchenberger doesn’t only have a great sirname, but he is one of the most creative piano players I’ve seen in a long while. Together they are a great combination, and equally brilliant when you hear them play live.
McGrory’s is a lovely venue near the Donegal coast. Unfortunately I think it could be managed more efficiently at times where the music is concerned, and advertising of this gig could have been much better. As a result, the band were moved from the back bar to the smaller front bar due to low ticket sales. The small number of us who bought tickets got our money back, but it meant that we had to listen to them play along with lots of other people who had come for food and drinks before, and weren’t paying too much attention. The venue was quite noisy, but when we got seats towards the front soon after it started, we enjoyed it much better. The performance was relaxed and straightforward, with a couple of short breaks for encores. When it finished we had a nice chat with Ken and John. I think they were surprised when we came to buy CDs, and that two people in the crowd where very enthusiastic about their music! They said that they felt it was unfair that we couldn’t hear it as well as we might have wanted to because we’d bought tickets, so they put us on the guest list for the following night’s performance in Derry, which we weren’t able to attend. Still, it was a very kind gesture.
I’d definitely recommend both albums, ‘a living in a dying game’, and the new one ‘madness is the mercy’ if anybody is looking for new music that’s clever but easy to listen to. Most of the bands I go to hear play are bands or artists that I’ve already seen before, so this was a nice opportunity to hear somebody new. Hopefully they’ll get a better reception on the rest of their Irish tour and come back again soon.
Paws For Thought 