Sunday, July 26, 2009

bethlehem

as i ponder our impending return to bethlehem, pennsylvania,
the words of yeats again come to mind ...

And what rough beast, it's hour come round at last,
Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?

and it occurred to me that maybe we are indeed some kind of beast.
often, over the years, this beast BROTHER has changed its form.
and more often than not bethlehem has witnessed the new.
i look forward to unveiling the latest incarnation of the beast this week.

angus



Saturday, July 25, 2009

today

we are two years married today.

i just want to find the words
i don't want to say what she's already heard
i look for another way to tell her

i am the luckiest bastard i know ...

Sunday, July 19, 2009

home again

8:30am

home after 9 days on the road.
it was too hectic a schedule to bring the little family.
but that's the longest we'll be apart this year.
just as well. i believe he can manage but i begin to fall apart.
as yeats aptly put it ...

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity ...

you know. kind of like that.
well, any longer and i suspect that's what could happen ...


11am

but it was a good trip for the angusdrewdalbo celtribal trio.
i continue to be very pleasantly astounded
at how the sound, and the concept, evolve.
as excited as i've ever been.
maybe because i'm more aware of what's going on now.
i'm, how you say? not quite as clueless as i once was.

first time at colorado irish.
a marvellous 1 set a day long weekend.
a grassed amphitheatre.
a typhoon that held off til we'd finished our set.
as gaelic storm stormed the stage after us, so began the deluge.
3 songs into their set the weather was blasting sideways onto the stage,
blowing everyone away to seek shelter.
took me back to BROTHER at cherry creek arts festival.
also colorado. 2001?
luckily we were able to catch a full set of the storm(gaelic)
the next day. it had been a couple of years.
the capacity audience was in their palm.
and the first time seeing the elders for me that weekend.
i was entranced by their a capella 'men of erin'. beautiful.
ian apparently wrote it just after his dad died.
before we had to high tail it to the airport
we also caught 2 songs from the lovely eileen eivers and her band.
kick arse as always.

a couple of days later. river rhythms, milwaukee.
what can i say?
beautiful setting by the river. perfect sunset weather.
and it seems we broke the attendance record again.
with the band on a roll after a few shows in a row.
it pleases me that milwaukee remains a stronghold after all these years ...

pre show, milwaukee. from dalbo's drum station.

drew and i boarded a plane at 6am thursday
for our first ever new hampshire show.
this time t was providing the band heartbeat.
he drove over from the catskills and took me home the next day.
thanks mate. it was a good dress rehearsal for halifax buskers fest,
which will be drew, t and me.
the barley house was the venue. i recommend the food and the folks.
a small but enthusiastic introduction to the neighbourhood
before we play the new hampshire games next year(2010). just confirmed.
already looking forward to that weekend.
we've long been sung its praises by other bands that've played there.

but for now, home.
i walk in the garden, holding our little magical creature close.
lichey takes photos, picks flowers and blackberries.
the sun is high, blue the sky.
life is good.

angus








Thursday, July 2, 2009

costa mesa, celtic fling footage

we returned to 3 very different celtic festivals these last few weeks.
costa mesa scottish, arlington scottish, manheim celtic fling.
many years between visits.
long hot sweaty tiring weekends on funny little stages.
just as i remember.
wonderfully welcoming big crowds.
just as i remember.
here's some celtic fling footage from jen,
costa mesa footage from dick and cecilia ...




BROTHER At Costa Mesa 2009 from BROTHER on Vimeo.