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Indulgers weave celtic sound into their rock
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FarkRAPID CITY - Damien McCarron grew up in Dublin, learning the Gaelic language and traditional Celtic dance and listening to U2.
So it isn’t exactly a stretch that he blends traditional Irish music with good old fashioned rock 'n’ roll in his Colorado band The Indulgers.
“I’m a kid from Ireland who’s very well steeped in the traditions,” he said.
McCarron left Ireland in 1990 to try his hand in the American computer industry. Music, however, was never far from his heart.
“I dabbled a bit in music through the years. … I was always keen on it,” he said. “But I never considered it anything more than a hobby.”
That changed eight years ago when McCarron met Mike Nile, a former bass player for Mick Fleetwood. “We hit it off and started a band,” he said
The pair added drummer Pat Murphy, bass player Chris Murtaugh and fiddler player Renee Fine.
“We knew when we had a fiddle player that we were heading into the Celtic world,” McCarron said.
The Indulgers have built a solid reputation in Colorado and throughout the country for their Celtic-infused rock music. For six years, the band played a monthly gig in Las Vegas, and McCarron believes they’ve played just about every Celtic festival around.
He isn’t particularly surprised by the popularity of their Celtic sound, a phenomenon he believes started about six years ago with “Riverdance,” the Irish dance show.
It’s a craze that continues to thrive, partially because so many Americans view themselves as Irish, even though they may not be able to pick out Ireland on a map.
“I guess the Irish have been coming over for so long that some of them have lost the connection mentally, but they aren’t willing to give up the heart of it,” McCarron said.
People are drawn to Celtic music because it tells stories, and it makes people feel connected, McCarron said.
“The Irish know how to have a good time. … Irish music has stories and characters in it. It will make you feel up,” he said. “It won’t bring you down.
“I believe there is a certain amount of our culture that connects people. We are a very social people, the Irish.”
The Indulgers recently finished their latest CD, “Out in the West,” a look at the history of the Irish as they made their way into the American West. They’re also working on a documentary about the band, a look at the oddity of being a Celtic band in the middle of Colorado.
“We’re becoming filmmakers. We bought Macintosh computers and cameras,” McCarron said. “It’s hilarious, really.”
But he believes it’s a story that needs to be told. And he’s glad to do it.
“There aren’t many like us,” he said. “We just kind of tell the story of how odd it is to be us.”
If you go
What: The Indulgers in concert
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2
Where: Friday concert is at Dublin Square Pub in the Raddison Hotel. The Saturday concert is at Memorial Park.
Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com
Gathering of the Clans invites people to join in
The Dakota Gathering of Clans begins at noon Friday, Sept. 1, at Memorial Park in Rapid City.
The gathering, formerly the Dakota Celtic Festival, is free to the public and continues through Saturday.
Clan organizers invite people to participate in the cultural activities during this year’s gathering. Those activities include a kids Celtic music competition at 6 p.m. Friday, sponsored by the Celts of America, as well as Saturday morning workshops for Irish step dancing and Irish Ceili (group) dancing, taught by the Molly Bennett School of Dance in Denver.
Local group String Thaw will perform, as will Colorado Celtic rock band The Indulgers. (See story).
There will be children’s activities throughout the day Saturday, including piping and dance demonstrations. There will also be a pet parade, a haggis toss, Celtic costume contest, best knees costume and the Wallace Sword hold.
A traditional Kirken of the Tartan service will begin at 9:30 a.m. Sunday Sept. 3, at First United Methodist Church.
For more information about Dakota Gathering of Clans, go to www.BlackHillsCelticEvents.org.
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