After so long, it’s showtime again. Join us!
SO I’M A BIT giddy this week. Because for the first time since last July it’s showtime!
It was meant to be live. Theatres were expecting to be allowed to open in the month of December (remember December?) and I had seven nights booked in the Hawk’s Well leading up to Christmas. Limited numbers, but still, playing live would have been amazing.
That didn’t happen. I remember getting a text from Hawk’s Well director Marie O’Byrne one Friday evening in late November saying it was looking good for theatres to get the nod. Then a second text a couple of hours later saying it wasn’t going to happen. It was like a punch to the stomach.
So we booked recording dates for early January. Then we cancelled recording dates for early January. And when we finally secured recording dates where we felt we could record safely, quite a few of the original musicians who hoped to be involved couldn’t make it for various reasons.
But we had enough. And for those who could and did come in, it was magic. A taste of what is used to be like and what it will be like again. Playing to an empty theatre is better than not playing at all.
So we recorded 30 songs in three days. Audio and video. All live takes. And we had such fun. Such craic. While getting the job done.
Bridget Callaghan came in to do a duet with her son Tabby. And revealed all his childhood secrets in a chat afterwards. A recorded chat!
Dave Flynn told us about the time he was asked (no joke) by another Dave Flynn to change his name. And proceeded to tear it up on some Stevie Ray Vaughan tunes.
Steve Wickham told us he’s back in college. And we got to play some of Steve’s brand new lockdown songs – just gorgeous.
We recorded a piece so fast and difficult that even Niamh Crowley had to practise it.
Ken ‘Tonto’ McDonald was so happy to get out of the house that the garda at the checkpoint on the way in had to tell him to stop chatting and move on. Eddie Lee put down the camera for a few days and discovered he could still play great bass.
Sandy Kelly reminisced about our famous gig in Vicar Street a couple of years ago, and explained why singing The Isle of Innisfree makes her so emotional. Then she sat straight down with Seamie O’Dowd and they blew us all away with a beautiful new song of Seamie’s.
But apart from all that, it was two feelings that stayed with me most. That joyful feeling of walking in the stage door and seeing a baby grand over on the far side of the stage. And the tiredness that kicked in on the last day. We came through it and pushed on, but it was great to be really tested by these hectic recording days again.
It would be lovely for as many Sligo people as possible all around the world to watch this show with us. Not A Theme Night will be on tomorrow, Friday, and Friday week, February 26, both shows starting at 8pm. Tickets from www.hawkswell.com. Kieran Quinn plays piano and brings people together in music. He can be contacted by email at kieran@kieranquinn.ie. More at kieranquinn.blog
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