Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!

Subject: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 06:13 PM

Received a great CD, the other day, from Don Meixner, a Mudcatter whom I am proud to call "friend." He has been generous in sharing his many talents with us, including that of silversmith and, now, we finally get to *hear* more of his musical talents, as he and his band, The Flyin' Column, have made their first CD!

I don't know why it took thirty years for them to record but it was worth the wait. Appropriately enough it is titled Finally. As they put it "The Flyin' Column was Celtic before Celtic was cool!"

Don has a beautiful voice and his "mates," Billy Delaney - vocals & guitar; Jimmy Flynn - vocals and bass guitar; Joe Davoli Jr. - fiddle, baritone fiddle & mandolin (Ya gotta hear Joe fiddle!); Mike White - drums, do a terrific job. Don also rings in with well-honed talent on banjo, guitar and harmonica.

Most of the songs are Trad. as Don put it in a note, "just a mix of songs typical to the band." Those include Come In; Red is the Rose; Coulter's Candy; Kelly the Boy from Killan; The Irish Rover; Danny Boy; and, Tell My Ma. Others include: Sonny's Dream" by Ron Hynes, a very poignant song about a boy and his lonely mom, with a dad who went off to sea; Bill Staines' Rye Whiskey Joe; Ian Tyson's Four Strong Winds; Billy's Song by Janice Farrelly and band member, Bill Delaney; and one by our own Don. See next paragraph...

I love your song, Photographs...made me cry.The music and the words are timeless, poignant, and you all, Mudcatters, need to hear this song. I will let Don tell more of the story, if he chooses. It is obvious this one came right from his heart. A friend visiting a friend and going over pictures and memories of Ireland...just beautiful.

It is obvious these Five Handsome Dudes (ya oughta see them, ladies!)have been together, blending their voices and instruments, for quite awhile, though one of 'em doesn't look a day over 20 and the others can't have been together over 30 years, they don't look old enough!*bg* There is an ease there one doesn't hear with groups who are "newish" together.

I can imagine a rousing crowd enjoying The Flyin' Column as much as I am, plus they'd hopefully have the room to kick up their heels and dance to some of the cuts, too. It's pretty hard to sit while listening to some of these. Obviously the guys have a good time with it. They've even got authentic "pub-sounds" clinking away in the background on one of them!

Anyhow, I don't know near as much as the lot of you, but I know what I like to listen to and I will be playing this CD over and over. I LOVE putting a voice to the name and a fine voice it is, no matter what he might have said in his vibrato thread.:-)

Now, question, Don, please tell me more about the baritone fiddle. Bigger? Just different strings and tuning? And, how old IS that kid, anyway? You guys sounds GREAT. CONGRATULATIONS!!

kat

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: DonMeixner
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 06:57 PM

Joe Davoli is 31 and a fiddle wizard. The Baritone fiddle is strung heavy and tuned lower. It is also bigger than a violin but smaller than a viola.

Kat, go ahead and scan the cover if you want.

Thanks for the kind words about Photographs. My best friend Don Austin was on his way back to Ireland for an extended visit. He got Bronchitis and had to postpone his trip. I was working in his home town and nearly stopped by to visit him on my way home. I knew he was sick and probably wasn't up to a visit so I went home instead. Some time in that afternoon or nightime he died of heart failure. I have wondered since if I'd have stopped by things would have turned out better.

And yes, it took awhile to release this thing. But Billy has stock in an 8 track business and we were waiting to be sure CDs weren't some kind of fad.

And its not my band, its our band. That many Irish guys couldn't stay together under one leader that long, they lack the organizational skills. Just think if they'd joined up with the Highland Scots the two of them could have kicked the English back to Normandy. But alas, no enough organizational skills.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 07:17 PM

LOL...I knew you'd nail me on the "our band" thing. Sorry, but YOU are ours!**BG** Is the 8 track business up for sale?

Thanks for filling in the story about "Photographs." I wasn't sure if you wanted it public or not. Speaking of, I'll get the album cover scanned in this evening. Interesting about the fiddle and sure, doncha know the Irish always have a way of looking younger than they are? 31, you say?

Thanks, again, Don, I am really enjoying THE band....kat

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: DonMeixner
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 09:10 PM

He's Italian.

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: MMario
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 10:03 PM

So was St. Patrick!

"What kat said" regarding the CD - and my favorite is 'Photographs' as well. Don gifted me with a CD at last months open Mike in Jordan - and it's received a lot of play time already - I just couldn't put a review into words.

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 01:20 AM

If ya wanna get some Toronto airplay, slip one to me Don.

Dremil Boy

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: GUEST,The Real Flying Column
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 02:50 AM

Don ...

Perhaps you are aware that a fairly popular band in Ireland during the 70s was our very own "The Flying Column"? Very big with the Long Kesh/Green Cross/National Graves/Bodenstown lot. (Ah those black and bottle-green combat uniforms! And the yellow neckerchiefs! Takes me back!)

They were VERY political and had very close links with Oglaigh na h-Eireann.

Tiocfaidh ...

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: DonMeixner
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 06:25 AM

Hi Guest,

We learned that a band was called The Flying Column from Ireland about 12 years ago. They had broken up by then and I was told and one of the members had passed away. Frankie Curran told us their version of Four Green Fields was the besy ever. I had also heard that they were very politcal.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 07:04 AM

Congratulations and best of luck with the disc, Don.

All the best,
Dan

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 07:45 AM

Ah, that's all right then, Don. So if some new rock band formed and fancied calling themselves "The Birds" or "The Beetles", you'd think that it was OK for them to use such a name?

I think I'll form a band myself and call it "The Bothie Band" ... slightly different spelling so no danger of it being confused with the real thing! (Or Plankstie ... that's got a good ring to it!)

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 08:49 AM

Hi Guest

You missunderstood something I think. The Flyin' Column has been a band in Syracuse New York since 1970. My understanding is the Irish Group wasn't known in this country till sometime later than that. We had no knowledge of the Irish band until ten years ago. Who has priority rights to the name? They because they are Irish or we because we may have had the name longer?

I don't believe that we have hurt their business or they have hurt ours.

Now I wasn't there at the very beginning, I came on board a few years later. But if I had my choice we would call the band either Old Blind Dogs or Sorcha Dorcha.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: InOBU
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 09:27 AM

Good man yerslef DOn! ANd as I said in another post, I really like your song Photographs! I hope to see a whole CD of your writing. Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: leprechaun
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 11:10 AM

Can I expect to see this CD in record stores? How do I get my hands on one? I'm willing to raid my hidden pot of gold.

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 01:57 PM

leprechaun, send Don a PM and he'll fill you in...for at least a few pieces of eight or dubloons or whatever kinda gold ya got:-)

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: leprechaun
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 10:32 PM

Thanks happykat.

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Apr 02 - 09:30 PM

The Flyin' Column Offical Page

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Apr 02 - 09:31 PM

Hot Damn it worked!

Subject: RE: Review: Don Meixner & The Flyin' Column CD!!
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Apr 02 - 01:19 AM

HEY! Pretty kewl! Esp. since I haven't scanned in that cover! Sorry!

Ya know, I was gonna say you guys reminded me of the Clancys and Makem, as well as TKT, BUT I remembered how much my bro hated being compared to other composers and pianists and I wasn't sure, so....nice to see my ear was working right...had some of the same influences going on there, at least!*bg*