Irish band blends Gaelic, Scottish influences for folksy flair

Irish band blends Gaelic, Scottish influences for folksy
flair

By Allyson Harwood

Daily Bruin Contributor

In the age of electronics and technology, it is rare to find a
traditional Irish band that can be considered a supergroup. Yet
Altan, a highly-acclaimed folk band, brings the powerful music of
"Blackwater," their sixth album, to UCLA on March 9.

Staying true to Ireland’s traditional music was not a difficult
decision.

"There is enough variety and power in it without drastically
changing it," says guitarist Daithi Sproule. "So instead of going
off on tangents, we decided to go straight down the middle of the
road. At the same time, with the accompaniment and the colors that
you put into the tunes, you give it a more modern flavor."

Sproule, along with lead singer and fiddler Mairead Ni
Mhaonaigh, Ciaran Tourish on second fiddle, Dermot Byrne on
accordion and bouzouki player Ciaran Curran, form a tight band. All
have similar backgrounds and influences.

This band, together for 10 years, was forced to deal with the
death of influential member Frankie Kennedy in 1994. "That was a
huge blow. But he was ill over a certain period of time and he
wanted the band to go on, no matter what happened. He was really
the manager and the visionary of the band. Even though he’s gone
now, we’ve have him with us in our hearts," says Sproule. They
followed his request and kept the band going.

Many of the songs Altan performs were passed down from prior
generations. "We carry on tunes, mostly that we got from other
people, and we play them and present them as well as we can, as
beautifully as we can," says Sproule. "We make little changes, put
our own stamp on them all."

Altan’s song topics are traditional, also. Much of the music is
sung in Gaelic, Mhaonaigh’s native language, and contains Scottish
influences. "A lot of the vocal stuff is really just about love –
that’s the basic idea – love and sorrow," says Sproule. "Usually,
they don’t have a big elaborate story. There’s kind of a poetic
feeling behind them. Usually they are songs of failed love: women
rejecting men, and men going off and feeling bad about it …
Livelier songs could be about anything."

Mhaonaigh does not feel that singing in Gaelic is too difficult
for audiences to understand. "People usually get the gist of the
feeling. I’ve never got anything negative from the people," says
Mhaonaigh.

Even though Altan is primarily an Irish band, they aren’t
against the idea of working with American artists. "We went and did
a thing with Dolly Parton," says Sproule. "We went down to
Nashville and she wanted to do a live album. She hadn’t done one
for 200 or 300 years, and she wanted an Irish band to be involved
in it.

"We went down and did a couple of her songs, and then we did one
or two things with her band, including a song called ‘Barbara
Allen,’ which was on her album."

The band has been to America many times before. "We always have
a good time here," says Mhaonaigh. "We’ve been here about what must
be 20 times … We love America!"

Although Altan has been together for a decade, the band’s music
is still as vibrant as the first day they played together. "We
still give the same energy, if not more so," says Mhaonaigh.

Sproule adds, "With time, hopefully, we’re getting better and
stronger in our playing and our arrangements, but with no drastic
change in direction.

"It’s as if we have something that is working and is good. When
we go out and play gigs, we really love playing live and we put our
hearts into it and hope people like it. And people do."

CONCERT: Altan at the Veterans Wadsworth. 8 p.m. Student TIX
with ID: $8.00. For more info call (310) 825-2101.Comments to
[email protected]