Music Monday: Keith Harkin Band

So it took me absolute ages to post this feature…I’m sorry but vacations, sickness, and just the fact that I took a ton of pictures meant I had my work cut out for me. I swear all of my posts these day’s begin with an excuse…shame on me. Anyway back in December I had the great pleasure of attending a Keith Harkin Band gig, yep that’s right a Keith Harking BAND! I’ve seen Keith perform many a times and I am always blown away by his artistry and musicality, but oh my goodness to experience the kind of energy that is brought to the stage when there is a full band is nothing short of AMAZING! I had such an incredible time and I’m sure you can tell from the pictures everyone else was too! 

If you weren’t fortunate enough to catch Keith at Poor Davids back in December fret not because he’s coming back March 18th and you can reserve your tickets here if you’re not able to make the gig might I suggest purchasing Keith’s LONG AWAITED SECOND ALBUM: On Mercy Street Here. Every song is so raw and honest you feel as if you have your own private show with Keith right there. I hope that you all enjoyed the pictures and that you all continue to support true artists like these lads here! Cheers!

 

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

Fashion Friday Poodle Hair

Yes I know, guilty yet again of outfit repeating. But can you blame me? I am absolutely in  love with this chambray shirt. It’s super cute and quite functional. A lot of the time button downs can be a bit constricting, but I wore this outfit while working the merch table at a Keith Harkin performance last week, and let me tell you nothing will put a shirt’s comfort level to the test like the diving through mountains of merch at the beginning of a gig, and I am pleased to report my new shirt passed the test with flying colors. So ya I will continue outfit repeating without shame!

This shoot was a good bit of fun cause I was having a pretty fun poodle hair day, my little sister’s pug decided he would join in on the “modeling”, and turns out apartment complexes have quite a few photo ops. So a good time was had by all.

Frank is the real model clearly.

Bandana: Cavenders I think but I cannot find them on their site I did find some at REI though.

Earrings: I borrowed them from my mom but you can purchase some from Claires

Shirt: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Flats: Payless

Hope you all enjoyed this post and that you have a great weekend. Happy Friday!

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 at Poor Davids Pub

On Saturday I had the great pleasure of seeing Keith Harkin perform at the awesome venue that is Poor Davids Pub. If you aren’t familiar with Mr Harkin I demand you remedy that this instant! The blog can wait http://www.keithharkin.com/videos/ So good right? Well let me tell you this Keith is just as amazing (if not more so) live as he is recorded. Keith’s talent feels of a different time, like back when musicians were musician, not just people with the right connections, and is it any wonder? Keith has been passionate about music since he was a small child, singing at the age of four, and learning classic songs like “Everybody’s Talking At Me” and “Where Do You Go To My Lovely” from his father. His father is also the man who gave him the push (and cab fare) to audition for the Irish singing group Celtic Thunder, that he has been with since its very beginning in 2007 and continues to sing and write songs for to this day. As if that wasn’t enough Harkin is also signed with Verve, put out his debut self titled album in 2012, which he wrote several songs for, and even managed to do a solo tour across America last spring. Just thinking of all the work this man does makes me tired 😉That smile thoughDave Bakey, a badass guitar player and all around great guy, was supposed to accompany Keith, but unfortunately he fell sick and couldn’t make it. So not wanting Dave to miss out on some of the fun Keith gave him a call that way we could all tell him how much we love him. Too sweet.The man sings his heart out!Sassy face 😉Even though he was super busy needing to pack up and hit the road he stuck around to talk to fans and sign merch…and even take a pic with little sis and I. What a guy!
Regardless of your personal taste in music I can guarantee you will enjoy the musical stylings of Mr Harkin. Keep up to date with Keith through Celtic Thunder http://www.celticthunder.ie/tour his official website http://www.keithharkin.com/ and/or through his various social media platforms https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keith-Harkin/110997345657482 https://twitter.com/keithharkin http://instagram.com/keithharkin

PS the holidays are fast approaching and nothing could make a better gift than Keith’s self titled album which can be purchased anywhere you find music really, but here are some links through Celtic Thunder http://www.celticthunder.ie/content/keith-harkin-keith-harkin-cd Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Keith-Harkin/e/B0090QIRDW/ref=sr_1_2_acs_ent_artist?qid=1385510527&sr=8-2-acs and Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keith-harkin-keith-harkin/24997900?ean=602537115488

Hope you all enjoyed this post and that you have a wonderful Wednesday!

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!