Keith Harkin 2017.

So its been a hot minute since I’ve done any sort of blog post…I am sorry. Weddings, travel, back injuries galore, ya its been a tad hectic around here. But for those of you who have stuck with me I have one seriously fun post!

I had the pleasure of getting to see Keith Harkin in concert yet again. Basically if the guy is in town I am trying my darnedest to go see him. Essentially the only time I’m not there in the audience blown away by his talent is if I absolutely could not miss work. That’s just about the only thing that’ll keep me away.

I never tire of seeing Keith, because he is the musical equivalent of fine wine, he gets better with age. I had a particularly wonderful time at his last concert in Dallas at the historic Poor David’s Pub. Keith has really honed his style and is uniquely himself, a true artist’s artist. He cares about his music, he’s not out to please people and do what’s popular at the moment. His evolution of art is not to keep up with others but to nurture his own individual voice both literally and figuratively.

Please tell me I’m not the only one getting serious Stevie Ray Vaughn vibes here.

I cannot encourage you enough to check out this class act. Keith is by far one of my favorite artists out there. He manages to bring all demographics together with his art, music that everyone from the grandest babies to the greatest grandparents can enjoy. True art is timeless and knows no boundaries, this is something Mr Harkin truly exhibits. You can find more info, buy merch, etc through his website and be sure to follow him through his twitter and instagram

Merry Keithmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Boy oh boy are you guys in for a treat.

The Sunday before last I had the great pleasure of seeing the incomparable Dave Bakey and Keith Harkin in concert at Poor Davids Pub. You may be asking yourself why is this good news for you? Well I didn’t go to the concert by myself, my wildly talented photographer friend Amanda of James Seip Photography came with and took PHENOMENAL pictures of the gig. Seriously this girl is  a photography God! Bow down to her greatness!

These guys were my last concert of 2014 (as far as I know none of my other bands are coming back through Dallas in the next few days) and what a way to cap off the year. Honestly there is nothing I enjoy more than going to gigs, I may have zero musical talents of my own but being surrounded by incredible music and real musicians is my idea of heaven on earth.

*angelic lighting for heaven on earth reference*

I know I say this every time guys, but seriously this show was even better than the last. Keith is a real artists’ artist, his vocals are nothing short of amazing, his stage presence is undeniable, and his lyrics are pure genius, and Dave, well where does one even begin with Dave? Dave is hand to God one of the most incredible guitarists I’ve ever had to good fortune to hear. So when he’s inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame just remember I called that one coming from a mile away 😉Awe that smile. Now if you were unable to see Keith this year fret not, because tomorrow he is having an online gig on Stageit that everyone is invited to attend. So if you need a last minute gift idea, or to make up for buying a not so well received gift, or want to buy yourself something nice simply buy a ticket to the best online concert ever. Also be on the look out for Keith’s second album next year. Anyone who listens to this gentleman’s music has been excited for the long awaited second album…but I don’t know that anyone’s more excited than Keith himself.

Clearly excited 😉 and with good reason. After an er… um…less than ideal experience with a record label, Keith found he works much better without restraints and busted out to produce an album that is 100% him, and I for one could not be more thrilled by this. You cannot put this man’s talent into an “appeal to the masses water down your artistry kind of box”. So let’s stick it to the record labels and buy the hell out of Keith’s album the minute it drops, ok?

Again I want to extend a huge thank you to my dear friend Amanda for taking such incredible photos, to everyone at Poor Davids for being total sweethearts, and to Dave and Keith for filling our lives with incredible music and joy. I’m very excited to see what this next year holds in store for you both. Come back to Dallas soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! XOXO

Keith Harkin at Poor Davids

Hello all! Today’s post is all about my fabulous Saturday night. I was fortunate to attend/handle merch at Poor Davids Pub for the Keith Harkin gig, and man it just never gets old…I look forward to every gig of Keith’s like its the first time, and when its all over I leave even happier than the last.

Fortunately this go around I was actually able to step away from the merch table for a bit and snap a couple of pics of the opening act, Phoebe Hunt and Connor Forsyth. All I can say is wow! The amount of style and artistry they brought to each song was astounding. Both are phenomenal writers Connor is master of the keys and Phoebe’s voice is the kind of voice that you would want to have singing the soundtrack of your life. The depth, soul, and incredible variety this lady displays is absolutely mind blowing, not only does she have the voice of an Americana bluesy gypsy angel she can tear it up on the fiddle as well as the guitar. Can you tell I have a bit of a girl crush working? This duo is musical perfection and I implore you to see them live. Keep up to date with Phoebe and Connor through http://phoebehuntmusic.com/home 

Odds are if you’re a regular here on my blog you know my love for Keith Harkin’s music. If this guy is in town I go to his show, simple as that. Keith is not to be missed. I am constantly in awe of this gentleman, his vocals are so strong and invoke so much emotion, his skills as a song writer are incomparable, and his ability to merely play the guitar in such a way you’d swear he was playing with a full band is just outstanding.  I’ve been pretty blessed in my concert outings and have see many a highly skilled artists, but I can truly say Keith still stands out as one of the most talented acts I’ve ever seen. The man doesn’t hold back, he pours his heart and soul into everything he does and it so evident in his music. The crowd, setting, and how tired this weary traveler is have no bearing on his performance he truly lays it all out there and its pretty magical to experience firsthand. If you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere Keith has a gig you really HAVE TO GO! Keep up to date with this phenomenal guy through his website and his various social media platforms (facebook, twitter, and instagram )

As always Keith absolutely killed it, and was kind enough to play several of his new songs. Just when I think this guy cannot get any better he does, the new songs are just out of this world amazing and have me chomping at the bit for his next album…which according to Keith shouldn’t be too far off now. YAY! So now more than ever is the time to hop onto the Harkin bandwagon because I know he’s only going to continue to grow stronger and stronger as an artist, which is really saying something because this guy has Herculean musical strengths 😉
describing his parents’ “domestic bliss” 😉
Everytime this guy plays he shares his soul and its just beautiful.

This guy is the best and that’s all there is to it.

Now here are some pics my sister snapped of me working the merch table…and amazingly I don’t look as lazy as last time 😉
See I’m even grabbing shirts here!Of course it wasn’t all hard work though haha 😉

I had such a wonderful time and want to thank everyone of you who came out to show your support, and an extra thank you to those of you who had to put up with me selling merch again. I really hope you all enjoyed this post and that you show these multi-talented musicians your love because they really deserve it. Happy Wednesday.

An Evening with Keith Harkin

Last Thursday I was fortunate enough to attend/work the merch table for the Keith Harkin gig at Poor Davids Pub.

The night started off with a stellar performance from The O’s (sorry I didn’t take any pictures I was manning the merch table at that time). I must say Poor David’s certainly knows how to pick talent, not once has there been an opener that I was unimpressed with. But I have to admit The O’s particularly blew my mind. They are true performers, their music is absolutely spectacular, and their between song banters are priceless. Lucky for me The O’s are a Dallas based band so they have lots of local gigs coming up, but they also do quite a bit of expansive touring so if you’re not a local fret not. Check out their site http://wearetheos.com/ listen to their music, go to a gig, and have a blast!

Now for everyone who bought merch thanks for being so sweet and patient with me, I’ve never worked in any form of retail (I’ve always been on the creative side of work) so this was quite a new experience for me. Despite being “out of my element” I had an absolute blast, interacting with everyone was quite a fun experience, and I hope I get to go it again soon! I think I met just about everyone who came out that night, you all are excellent shoppers 😉

Here are some pictures my sis took of me looking like the least helpful merch worker in the world. To be fair though these were taken after the show when less shopping took place.

I swear I did more than just stand around with my hands on my hips. 

Keith you sir are a joy to work with.

After the O’s Keith took the stage and delivered an incredible performance as per usual. After seeing an artist perform live several times suddenly their shows can seem a little less exciting, but I’ve seen Keith on multiple occasions and I still walk away saying “That was the best show yet”. I think its because Keith has found the perfect balance to his gigs. By playing his own original songs, Celtic Thunder favorites, and classical covers like End of Innocence and Heart of Saturday Night Harkin has insured that no matter your musical taste there will be something that you will absolutely love. You can check out his site here http://www.keithharkin.com/ and keep up to date on touring and find all the links to his other social media platforms that are full of good craic!

Now Thursday was a good night, but it was a very emotional one too. Just the night before, fellow Celtic Thunder performer George Donaldson passed away. One particularly touching moment of the night was when Keith performed Caledonia as a beautiful tribute to his dear friend. George is a great man and will be sorely missed.

As you can imagine everyone who knew George is incredibly shaken, and his friends and family would really appreciate that you respect their privacy as they go through the difficult grieving process. Should you wish to make a gesture to George’s family you can make a donation to help further his daughter’s education through the Celtic Thunder site https://www.celticthunder.ie/content/george-donaldson-0

Let us remember to tell those in our life how much we love them, we never know long we have on this earth. God bless you all and Rest in Peace George.

Keith Harkin Concert Pictures

Okay so I am finally posting this blog, sorry for the delay but there were a lot of pictures to go through, story of my life… Anyway I had the pleasure of seeing Keith again on Saturday. Now one might think that after seeing someone a few times it wouldn’t be as fun, exciting, or whatever positive adjective you care to use, but I must say I enjoyed myself just as much maybe even more than previous shows. Not only is Keith an incredible musician but so are the guys he is with, David Bakey is a phenomenal guitar player, and Barry Kerr is quite the jack of all trades, playing wind instruments, vocals, and the mandolin. I could yammer on and on about what a fabulous time I had, but I am sure you would all rather just see the photographs, so here they are.

Dave Bakey

Barry Kerr

Keith Harkin

The Band

This may be one of the most infectious smiles I have ever seen. 🙂

Gorgeous McPherson guitar!

what a smirk!

To say it was a great concert would be an understatement, on top of getting to hear the guys rock out, I managed to get my picture taken with Keith even though the guys had a long bit of driving to do afterwards, talk about someone who is great to their fans.

If you have the opportunity to see Keith perform do not hesitate, buy those tickets it may be one of the best purchases you make all year 😉

Here is a link to some of Keith’s tour dates check em out and see if he’s playing near you http://www.keithharkin.com/tour/

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you all have a Happy Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music Monday No. 7!

I think this Music Monday should more than make up for my rather lazy post last week. Today’s post is about a concert I went to on Saturday…But not just any concert, I went and saw Keith Harkin! Fangirl if you wish 😉

The opening act was Aidan, a wonderful Irish music ensemble from Austin. The group consists of Jeff Moore, Christopher Buckley, and Jon Milton.  Jeff has been playing guitar for 35 yrs, is known as one of the Southwest’s most notable Irish musicians, and has performed alongside notable Irish musicians such as Cluan, Gilmer & Moore, and the Sarah Dinan Band.  He has also played with internationally touring musicians like James Keane, James Kelly, John Williams, Johnny B Connolly, Joe Burk, and Jerry Holland.

Jeff Moore.

Christopher began playing violin at 3 years of age then 9 years later he began learning Irish fiddle. In 2001 Christopher moved to Austin and soon after he and Jeff started playing together as a Texas Irish group Cluan. On top of that Christopher has performed with the Blaggards, and continues to play with The Tea Merchants, who won the Austin Music Award for Best World Music.

Christopher Buckley.

Jon has studied Irish music, culture, and history for over 15 years, he was greatly inspired by the great piper, music collector, and story-teller Seamus Ennis. Jon has been a regular at Celtic Festivals as well as session musician in the United States and Ireland. He has become a fixture of the Southwest traditional music scene, and has been performing with Jeff since 2010.

Jon Milton.

I was greatly impressed with Aidan, the moment they started playing I felt as though I was in a great little pub in Ireland listening to one of the local bands. So if you are craving a bit of Ireland but cannot manage a trip just yet, might I suggest going to see Aidan perform? You will not be sorry. You can check out their website for future tour dates here http://aidanmusic.com/

After a short intermission Keith took the stage. This guy is such a rock star, you could feel how excited everyone was to see him. Keith is no stranger to large crowds of adoring fans, after all he has been performing with the musical phenomenon Celtic Thunder since it started. However just this past year his solo career has skyrocketed! Keith was one of the very first musicians signed with Verve Records, whose new chairman is none other than David Foster. As well as releasing his first album back in September. The album quickly shot to number one in newest releases and number two in bestsellers on Amazon! Talk about successful.

I have been to a few of Keith’s gigs and I find myself having an even better time than before. During this show Keith was playing with Barry Kerr (flute player) and Dave Bakey on guitar.

 Great guitar playing!

The set consisted of some classic Celtic Thunder favorites such as Lauren and I, some covers Everybody’s Talkin at Me, and some of Keith’s own songs Nothing But You and I. Every song was fabulous. As someone who has gone to her fair share of concerts I have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly. There have been times where I absolutely loved a band’s album, then saw them live and was so sad, because they sounded like a terrible cover band of themselves. I can tell you that Keith sounds just as incredible live as he does on his album. Which is saying a good deal. If you have the opportunity to see him live do not hesitate! Buy those tickets, because he does not disappoint.

Killer vocals!

During the concert Keith said something rather exciting. That come the end of of February he will be touring with a band! I’m crossing my fingers that he will come through Dallas! Because his shows are just too good.

Not only is the music top notch, but the interaction with the audience is really funny! In the picture above he was teasing someone about recording the show.

Looking through my viewfinder only to see Keith staring me down was rather startling. Whoops I’ve been caught 😉

Rather pleased with how this shot turned out.

Not only did Keith put on a stellar show he even stuck around to sign poster, cds, and pose for pictures. Seriously he is such a good sport, I have no idea how he does it. I would’ve been far too exhausted for all that. But I suppose thats why he is a rockstar and I am a photographer/blogger 😉

I’ve met a few musicians but I must say Keith is one of the nicest I have ever met. I mean the guy remembered me from a previous show of his and from my blog *swoon* Talk about a sweetheart haha. You can find more out about Keith on his website http://www.keithharkin.com/ or through the Celtic Thunder website http://www.celticthunder.ie/

I hope you all enjoyed this Music Monday post and that you all have a Happy Musical Monday! CHEERS!

Music Monday No. 5

Yes yes yes I know, last Monday I did not post. Shame on me, all of that bragging about how consistent I was being then…BOOM! No post. I do however have a good excuse, the internet was down. See a very reasonable excuse indeed ;).  Anyway today is a recommendation for an incredibly talented singer! Drum roll please…

Emmet Cahill!

I’ve made it well known that I am quite the fan of all the Celtic Thunder men, every guy is extremely talented and brings so much to the table. But today I thought I would focus on the classical singer of the group Emmet. I was so fortunate as to see Emmet perform alongside Keith Harkin at one of Keith’s solo gigs. I must say I was completely blown away, Emmet is a surprisingly strong singer for someone as young as he (I believe he is 22). Of course one does not need to be middle aged to be a great singer, but you can almost always hear a notable improvement from someone who is older. Well Emmet is quite the exception to this, he voice is so strong and pure that you would believe you are listening to a well seasoned man, of shall I say… advanced age 😉

I did a wee bit of research on Emmet and it is no wonder why he is so talented. From the young age of 5 he was learning to play the piano, and by 7 was taking voice lessons. When I was that age I was just trying to avoid soccer practice 😉 I wasn’t very disciplined haha. From there Emmet went on to win a music scholarship for highschool. Then he continued his studies of piano, organ, violin, and vocal training for the next few years. Another impressive accomplishment was the fact he earned a degree in Musical Performance from the rather prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music, talk about dedication to ones craft.

Paul Byrom left Celtic Thunder in 2010 to pursue a solo career, so auditions were held in June of that year, and it isn’t any surprise to me that Emmet was chosen to fill the void, and to become the classical singer of the group. Emmet is winning over more and more fans with every performance. Singing the likes of ‘Kindred Spirits’ written by Phil Coulter specifically for Emmet, the beautifully haunting ‘Isle of Hope’, and the giggle inducing ‘My Irish Molly’. As well as singing Celtic Thunder favorites like ‘Galway Girl’, ‘Seven Drunken Nights’ and many others with the rest of the Celtic Thunder guys. So that is why Emmet is the topic of today’s Musical Monday Post.

You can check out some of Emmet’s music on his youtube channel and I highly encourage you to subscribe to it.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn0PIUMHZwycQj8-Jd2g_yg/videos?view=0

You can also like his page on Facebook and keep updated there

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmet-Cahill-Official-Music/158928754151170?fref=ts

Or you could even follow him via twitter

https://twitter.com/EmmetcahillCT

Whatever you do, I highly encourage you to check him out. I hope you all enjoyed this post, and be sure to let me know what you all think, I adore hearing from you guys. As always have a very happy and Musical Monday! Cheers!

Music Monday.

Hello blog readers. I thought I might try my hand at a new regular, scratch that make it semi regular (this is me we’re talking about after all) blog post series, titled Music Monday, this can be about my favorite cd, song, musician, music video, or whatever else I am currently digging that relates to music. So for today’s post I thought I might give you a cd recommendation. I bought myself Keith Harkin’s debut album through Amazon, it arrived last Monday, and I have been unashamedly playing this single cd all week.

Fabulous album cover 😉

OK so I can hear what some of you are thinking, “uh huh sure it’s great, whatever you’re just one of those fan girls, who would buy his cd even if he sounded like a dying cat”. Well you my dear are wrong, very rarely do I buy cd’s. Most of the time I wait for it to hit youtube or pandora cause I’m cheap like that. I also don’t just get the sudden urge to buy whatever music, since I work hard for my money, I want to know that what I am buying is going to be great! Well I hadn’t any doubts, cause I have been to two of Keith’s shows and each time I was blown away by his beautiful vocals, and killer guitar playing skills. Seriously even if Keith wasn’t as good-looking as he so obviously is, I would still be just as much of a fan. Because you cannot argue with raw talent! Honestly I feel like that is the best description I can give Keith…Raw talent! His cd has finally been released and I would highly recommend that you go out and buy yourself a copy, and then buy a copy for someone that you like, because music this great deserves to be shared with the masses.

 everyone with the ability to hear would love this album!

Keith has some of his own songs on this album which are sublime, as well as compilations and some fabulous covers of classic songs (Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me is my favorite cover). Every song knocks it out of the park though. There is truly a song for everyone on this album, so no matter what your musical tastes may be you will not be disappointed. I have placed the links below to where you can buy his album. Hope all of you have a very Happy Musical Monday!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keith-harkin-keith-harkin/24997900?ean=602537115488

http://www.amazon.com/Keith-Harkin/dp/B008N5UX8S

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/keith-harkin/id559958870

http://www.celticthunder.ie/content/keith-harkin-keith-harkin-cd

Concert Photography.

So the other night I went to a concert, with some of my favorite people. It was a really great venue…for being up close and doing a little photography! We got their shortly after the doors opened, so I was able to position myself quite close to the stage. Added bonus though, was that I brought my 300mm lens, so I could get right in their face all from the comfort of my seat. This was my first time photographing a concert, with all the equipment I would normally leave at home, because of rowdy concert goers. But since the setting was really relaxed I was able to get some great pictures of Elizabeth Wills, Emmet Cahill, and Keith Harkin.

Elizabeth Wills was the opening act for Keith, now I will be honest my expectations for an opener are always pretty low. But in this case was pleasantly surprised with Elizabeth. She has an amazing folksy sound and pretty much everything she preformed was her own. So be sure to check her out http://www.elizabethwills.com/!

After Elizabeth, Keith Harkin of Celtic Thunder was up, a nice surprise though was that Emmet Cahill came too. Emmet is new to Celtic Thunder he joined in 201o, and I must say is immensely talented for someone so young (21) he has a beautiful classical voice and winning personality. You can check him out at http://www.emmetcahill.com/ There is much more information about him on his website, including a long list of musical accomplishments, that would take quite a while to list on my blog, so be certain to pop on over and check him out.

Emmet Cahill and Keith Harkin. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how adorable these two are? 

Keith Harkin, the main reason everyone came. Keith has been with Celtic Thunder from the beginning, 2007. His musical style is sort of hard to define, some of his influence include Tom Waites, Neil Young, The Beatles, and Bon Iver, so there is a little something for everyone when he performs. Keith not only tours with the world-wide phenomena that is Celtic Thunder, but he does individual tours, rocking out with his McPherson guitar and wonderful vocals, and winning hearts all along the way. All of his fans are currently waiting on his solo album, it has taken a good bit longer than originally thought, mostly because he has signed with someone new, just a little somebody known as DAVID FOSTER! Color me impressed. David has discovered house hold names like Michael Buble and Josh Groban. So I am certain even bigger things are in store for Keith. http://www.keithharkin.com/

Keith Harkin. Good grief! The way he plays guitar is like nothing I have ever heard before! So much talent.

His hands just fly when he is playing his guitar!

He was just killin’ it. and I loved every minute of it. When the concert ended, the guys stuck around to pose for pictures and sign things, so naturally I had to say hello, how much I love their music, and of course have my picture taken with them. It’s not everyday you get to be around gorgeous Irish musicians is all I am sayin’.

Keith was real sweet, even though just about every woman in the place was clamoring for his attention, he managed to give real attention to his fans individually (myself included) *swoon*.

Then I went and said hi to Emmet. He was such a sweetheart, great people skills, and really down to earth. He and I actually talked for a little bit, so that pretty much made my night. *swoon again*

All in all I had an amazing time and can’t wait to see these guys again. I hope everyone enjoyed this post! Happy Tuesday!