- May 3, 2008, Saturday at 8:00 PM
- Location: Community Christian Church, 4601 Main St. KCMO
- Buy tickets for Gan Bua!
- Prices are $20.00 general admission; $17.00 for MVFS, Crosscurrents members; Students (all ages) $5.00; Six years and under free
- More ways to buy tickets.
- Plenty of free covered parking: Enter just south of the church on Main street or just east of Main from 47th.
Gan Bua is five young musicians based in Chicago:
Jackie Moran (bodhran, percussion, banjo), an All-Ireland Bodhrán champion,
Chris Bain (fiddle),
Sean Gavin (uillean pipes, flute, tin whistles), an All-Ireland Flute Champion,
Brian Hart (vocals, cocertina, tin whistle), All-Ireland Gaelic Song champion, and
Brian Miller (guitar)
All from different places and backgrounds, each member brings the perfect ingredient to create
a powerful and cohesive musical display. Bua’s rich blend of stimulating instrumentals and spellbinding songs leaves the audience wanting more.
As Bain states, "We love the current line-up. Each
player is really, really good at what they do." Jackie Moran adds,
"We have a real unanimity of opinion in the band. We all love
traditional music and our sound is based on the groups of the 60’s
and early 70’s like De Dannan, Planxty and The Bothy’s." The response
to the group’s two albums and busy performance schedules indicate
a real connection with their audiences.
The approach is certainly a salute to the enduring power and
excitement of the re-awakening of Irish traditional music begun by
those groups of the 60’s and 70’s. "They really set the goal. We model
ourselves on them without trying to copy them in any way. We think
our sound is unique, but it certainly tips its cap to those groups," says
Jackie. Christy adds, "I grew up in a home where traditional music
was played and respected. My uncle gave me my first, full-sized
fiddle!" That instrument is still in his hands. An 1890’s German made,
Hopf, Christy holds onto it proudly for its history and its sound.
Part of the group’s unique sound, so based in the tradition, has to
be set to Moran’s unique percussion playing. The joke used to be in
America to try to find an album, which did not have Jackie playing
on it, so in demand was he. The ubiquitous nature of his percussion
goes way beyond the favoured bodhrán, and may include a full
range of instruments covering the world, really. It is always subtle, but
there. Add Bain’s percussive “northern style” of fiddle playing, and
the group’s source of its compelling rhythmic approach is obvious.
Audiences love the style as the group easily dips from tune to tune,
song to song, all selected by the band for the love of those tunes. The
transitions are seamless, and apparently effortless.
Gan Bua is a group that is just now coming to the forefront
internationally. It is part of the cycle in the music. As other bands
change, disband or simply fade away, the tradition is blessed by
what seems to be an inexhaustible pool of talent that comes to the
front of the stage. It is Gan Bua’s time. Here they come.
For more information about the band and its musicians visit their web site at http://www.ganbua.com/
|
  More concerts in 2008-2009!
We need help to develop more funding (sponsorships, grants, etc.) to allow us to book concerts! We cannot book concerts without knowing we will be able to meet our resulting bills. Please leave a message at the concert information line (816-691-8717) if you would like to help or send an email to president@mvfs.org.
We have taken cost saving steps to preserve the concert series, but the main problem is that people are just not coming to the concerts like they used to in years past. The quality of the concerts hasn't changed, but the public's interest has.
And we need some more people to volunteer for leadership roles! We are stretched to the max in finding new sources of funds, and trying to attract new audience members! In addition to volunteers for the concerts themselves, we need to find people willing to take on a continuing leadership responsibility for some of the ongoing tasks, such as publicity. Please email Valerie Andruss at president@mvfs.org if you are interested.
|
