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

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.