I just came from a lecture-demonstration by the Eileen Ivers band at a Boston middle school. My company is presenting them tonight at Sanders Theater, an 1,100 seat theater in Cambridge (USA). We brought them into the school to talk about and play music for fifth and sixth graders. They were simply wonderful, playing Irish music and other forms of 'folk' music such as afro-Caribbean, blues and American Appalachian music. They each spoke about their instruments (fiddle, electric bass, percussion, guitar, pipes, harmonica and tap shoes) and demonstrated the role that it played as a part of the whole sound, but they each also gave a short history lesson and talked about the cultural blending that was a byproduct of bringing an instrument (e.g., electric bass) to playing a jig, for example. Simply inspired, and particularly excellent in the way they did not talk down to the young people. I'll be at their concert tonight, and I am anticipating that it will rock! If they come through your town, check them out!
Maggie McNally Director of Special Events and Volunteer Services Celebrity Series of Boston, Inc.
