Page 8 November 8, 2000
PnrtU nb ©beeruer
Focus
The Focus
Grateful Dead Songs Inspire Celtic Celebration
Take eight classic Grateful Dead
tunes, add seven seasoned music ians
who groove toajoyfulC eltic rhythm,
blend it with a healthy dose o f love
for both, and y ou’ve got one hell o f a
party! In this case, it com es in the
form o f a delightful CD, Wake The
Dead. An Irish w ake is a spectacular
cultural expression oflove and Wake
The D ead is nothing short o f an Irish
wake. From rock grooves and a touch
o f bluegrass to hot Irish reels and
hauntingly beautiful melodies, the
com bination puts forth a new kind o f
sound that conjures up memories o f
the “Old & In The W ay” bluegrass
sound;; and early Grateful Dead
vibes, familiar to Dead Heads
everywhere. The comfortable ad
aptations m ake it sound as if
these songs w ere written to be
perform ed in this manner, prov
ing once again that the m usic o f
the Grateful D ead is capable o f
crossing all social and cultural
boundaries, including a vast ar
ray o f musical genres.
C o - p r o d u c e r s /m u s ic ia n s
Danny C arnahan and Paul Kotapish
had found D ead tunes making their
w ay into their Celtic/folk sessions
for years, and although they both
harbored ideas foraC eltic D eadCD ,
neither had approached the other with
w hat seem ed like a “crazy idea.”
Then, as w ith so many “crazy ideas,”
the m om ent o f sanity happened when
it was spoken and another creative
gift w as put into motion.
The blending o f traditional Irish
jig s and reels together in one song is
hardly uncom m on in Celtic music;
how ever, the m elding o f such jigs
and reels with Grateful Dead songs is
a unique yet natural phenomenon.
The m elancholy and sincere version
o f “Black M uddy River” (Garcia/
H u n ter) flo w s e x q u isite ly w ith
“ B rig id
C r u is e ”
(T u rlo u g h
O ’Carolan, traditional Irish harp air),
“ Friend O f T he D evil” (Garcia/'
H unter/Dawson) blends effortlessly
with “Banks o f Lough G ow na” (tra
ditional Irish jig ) and “The R eunion”
(jig by Russ Barenberg). The joyful,
upbeat "C hina C at Sunflow er" and
“ Bertha” (both by G arcia/Hunter)
are seamlessly woven among “Christ
mas Eve,” “ Bank O f Ireland,” “The
Bear” (all traditional Irish reels) and
“Cliffs o f M ostar” (unreel based on
traditional Irish reel).
O ther Dead songs presented on
Wake The D ead range from early,
greatly-loved favorites like“Sugaree”
(G a rc ia /H u n te r), “ T h e W h e e l”
(G a rc ia /
V in ce W e ln ic k , p erfo rm in g on
V alentine’s Day 1995 at the Fillmore.
C arnahan was also on the 1995 trib
ute to G arcia CD , “ Eternity Blue.”
Paul Kotapish plays mandolin,
octave mandolin, guitar, and National
Steel guitar. He is equally confident
and inventive on every fretted instru
m ent and has m ost recently m ade a
nam e for him self with his concerts
and recordings w ith Kevin B urke’s
“O pen H ouse,” a headlining act in
Celtic and international folk festi
vals. His gifted guitar and mandolin
skills help drive “The Hillbillies From
M ars,” the “Q uirks” and other C ali
fornia-based acoustic groups.
M aureen Brennan, an accom -
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H u n te r/K re u tz m a n n ),
“ B ird S o n g ” (G a rc ia /
H u n te r) an d “ R ow
Jim m y” (Garcia/Hunter)
to the more recent “Touch
ofG rey” (Garcia/Hunter).
D anny Carnahan and
Paul Kotapish assembled
astellarcastofm usicians.
C arnahan provides vo
cals, guitar, octave m an
dolin and fiddle. H e re
leased his first all-origi
nal CD, “Cut and Run,” in
1994 on R ed H o u se
Records in the U. S. and
Fledg’ ling Records in Brit
ain, making “Ten Best” lists
from California to Italy. The
CD included“Laughing in
the Dark,” a collaboration
with Grateful Dead lyricist
Robert Hunter. Carnahan
also perfonns and records
with Henry Kaiser and was
part o f the band, “The Val
entines,” w hich included
H enry, Bob W eir and
plished early classical and folk harp
ist, brings her Celtic Harp to the
project. Brennan has toured through
out the U.S. and Canada and has
recorded with “Paradise Lost” and
“ Kingfisher.” She has released three
solo CDs and participated in the ac
claim ed “Harpistry” collection.
Vocalist Sylvia H erold has been
singing professionally for twenty
years. She is a m em ber o f the popular
swing trio, “Cats & Jam m ers," who
have performed together for over a
decade at major festivals throughout
the U. S. She recently released her solo
debut album, “ABowlofCiystalTeais,”
to glowing reviews in the U.S. and
Britain and is currently working on her
second album with the band“HotClub”.
Kevin Carr, plays uilleann pipes,
fiddle, and pennywhistle on If oAr The
Dead. Carr, an Irish piper par excel
lence, is best known for his work with
the cult contradance and concert band,
“The Hillbillies From Mars.” He is
renowned throughout the U. S. and
Canada and teaches extensively at mu
sic camps and workshops nationwide.