Help: Irish sessions in Boston

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 17 May 00 - 07:27 AM

I too miss the Paddy Burke sessions, and my regret is that I didn't go more regularly when I lived in MA. Barry, Shay, Judy, I miss you, although South Florida is wonderful in many ways. Incidentally DebC is flying down here first week of June to sing at our club in Homestead.

Murray

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 17 May 00 - 07:17 AM

Chantey and Aoife:

If you have a chance really do try to make it to Paddy Burke's. I was visiting Boston last month and had a chance to stop by. Boy was it a treat!!! Judy, Shay, Barry, DebC and the others are truly fantastic singers. It felt like we were old friends sitting in someones living room. They were very encouraging (even to someone like me who is just starting out!). Now I'm trying to figure out how to get back!

JAB

P.S. Sorry I missed you Peg. Hope to see you there next time I'm in Boston.

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Judy Predmore
Date: 17 May 00 - 02:24 AM

Chantey Ranger, Paddy Burke's singers session at 132 Portland St, 3rd floor, Boston near North Station, starts around 9:30 - 10 & goes to midnite - 1am on Wednesdays. We'd love to hear a few chanteys, & may even sing one or two. I'm going to the Mystic festival, & Barry probably is too.

Aoife, We had some fairly young people at Paddy Burke's a few weeks ago, & a bartender noticed them going upstairs & came up & carded them. Only one was under age, but it was a special occasion, some people from Ireland, some family members, & we are sort of a private party upstairs, so they just stearnly said no liquor for the underage person. I'm sure that was very much the exception. Bars are very liable these days & are supposed to card everyone who looks under 40 or something ridiculous like that. What happened to the days when underage people were allowed in but were stamped & had to wear an underage bracelet?

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 17 May 00 - 01:57 AM

I just realised I never mentioned which Wednesday I'll be there. June 7. On to take in Mystic Seaport's festival later that weekend. Thanks again, mudcatters.

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 17 May 00 - 01:40 AM

You mudcatters are very generous with your info and your hospitality! Barry, Peg, Liam's brother, hope to see you in Boston. The Burren sounds like the place to go with a fiddle, and Paddy Burke's singing session sounds inviting. Can you tell me how late they usually go? Note to Liam's brother - after I saw your message I retreived the tapes from the outbox from work and wrote a note to enclose with them. So today they started the journey from a second trip to internal mail, to U.S. mail. Expect them in a week. As Bullwinkle would say, "This time for sure!"

Peg - I'm pro-bodhran and I vote!

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: GUEST,Aoife
Date: 16 May 00 - 05:53 PM

Is there an age requirement to get into these pubs? I am only 17, but love to sing and play traditional music and would love to check out a session since I just graduated from high school. I wouldn't try to drink or anything, I just am curious to know whether a musician, no matter what age, would have trouble getting in.

Thanks, Aoife

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peg
Date: 16 May 00 - 03:03 PM

Dan:
it all depends who is there. When I see the names of who is leading the sessiun (in their ad in the Emigrant every week) I might go based on that; but then they switch often enough, too! If I know a friendly face who I know won't mind a song or two (or who I know will almost always ask me to sing one) I will stop in with my boudhran and play and hope to do a song or two. If I am just stopping in for a drink I feel comfortable enough with some musicians to ask if I can do a song...depends on the vibe...more and more lately there are lots of younger musicians there I don't know (lots of fiddles!) and in those cases it is very "tune" oriented...

Mondays is always Johnny O'Leary and Vinny Costello leading the dance tunes, both great guys and Vinny sings a few songs himself...other days of the week it varies with who is there...

cheers,

Peg

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 16 May 00 - 11:57 AM

Hi Peg!

I just might drive over from CT and check out the relative stillness of the midweek Burren when our chanteyranger is in town.

All the best,
Dan

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peg
Date: 15 May 00 - 12:40 PM

Dan; I have found the weekend does indeed make a diference at the Burren; it is very crowded and loud Fridays and Saturdays...comes of it being the most interesting bar for people who just want to drink, never minding whether there is live Irish music or not...still the crowd is usually okay, if you like crowds... but on a Monday, say, it is much quieter, so that is when the set dancers come into the front fresh from their hour of lessons in the back room and dance their stuff while the musicians play dance tunes...when the dancers take a break, sometimes some singing happens! Though those microphones are not singer-friendly...

cheers, Peg

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 15 May 00 - 12:07 PM

Hi Peter!

Good to hear from you. We were with your colleagues in New Bedford over the weekend.

Go to http://sites.netscape.net/folkmusic/links

Go further down the page to "Irish Music Sessions."

Then click on "Worldwide."

Then click on "USA."

Then click on "MA."

I particularly like Mr. Dooley's on Sunday nights. I found The Burren is really very loud although I enjoyed meeting the musicians there. It was a weekend; perhaps that mattered.

Call me if you can come by NYC. When I'm free, I go to sessions on Wednesday and Saturday... sometime on Tuesday.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peg
Date: 15 May 00 - 11:53 AM

Bob Childs? His instruments are the stuff of legend in these parts, so I have heard...

Chantey, keep me posted on your whereabouts it would be great to hook up with ya! stop in at Paddy's wednesday, I will be there for sure (after many weeks of being unable to)

peg

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 15 May 00 - 11:14 AM

Hi Chanteyranger, if you make it to the singer's session I'll be looking for ya. Barry

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 13 May 00 - 04:51 AM

Thanks, Peg and M for the info. I'm a new Mudcatter this year, and just learning the ropes, so I will check the forum before starting a thread. Yes, lots of good info in the "Boston" category. Peg, maybe I'll meet you at a session there. I'll be staying at the home of a fiddler friend, Laura Risk. Do you know her? The maker of the fiddle I'm picking up is Bob Childs. Anyhow, thanks again for the suggestions. Thanks again, M, for steering me to the forum.

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: M
Date: 12 May 00 - 04:48 PM

I posted the same question on February 18th--search the Forum under "Boston." You'll find quite a bit of info. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Help: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peg
Date: 12 May 00 - 11:22 AM

hey, I live in Medford!!! welcome.

as for Wednesdays, we have a lovely singers' session on Wednesday at Paddy Burke's near North Station. Thursday there is Matt Murphy's in Brookline led by Shay Walker who also leads the singers' sessiun but it is more instrumental I believe... those are the ones I know off the top of my head; then there is The Burren in Davis Square (right near Medford in fact!) which has a sessiun EVERY NIGHT...I do not go there very often but it is usually lively until pretty late...

Peg

Subject: Irish sessions in Boston
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 12 May 00 - 01:26 AM

Can anyone recommend an Irish session in and around Boston happening on a Wednesday or Thursday? I'll be staying in Medford for two days, travelling from California and picking up a new fiddle in Cambridge. I would love to break it in at a session. I play at a session in Berkeley, Ca, but don't know much about the Boston scene. I'm aware of some of the session etiquette and have no need to bull my way in, but is there anything I should know about sitting in at a session out there? Are there sessions that are more welcoming to newcomers than others?, Thanks, Mudcatters, in advance for any suggestions.