USA, California, Santa Cruz

[MikeyLikesIt]

Welcome Greg, sorry I didn't get back to you about your e-mails. I don't think there are any teachers, though if you'd like, we can meet up and I'll show you what I can (it's not a whole lot, but it's a good start. The NPU videos and the Heather Clarke tutor are a really good way to go. Also the SF Pipers club has meetings the first Sunday of every month, that's this Sunday. If your free I could give you a ride to the meeting and they'll get you on a good start, they did for me.) What kinda set do ya got? There are a couple faster sessions in the works, though nothing definite yet. I'll get details a'flowin' as they come.

-Mike

[Grack]

Going to the SF Piper session would be fun. However, the pipe question was more specifically about my wife. She's wanting to take up an instrument....boy, did she pick one.... We don't own a set yet. I'll probably really start looking for a practice set in a few months.

Are there any makers in the Bay area?

Sessiong this Sunday, right? I was at the Aptos session last weekend. I didn't know many of the songs that they had on their list...though I suggested one or two that I knew, and they as well...

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

The only thing really Irish about Rosie's that I've noticed is the name, beer, and food titles. They tend to have a DJ play EVERY friggin' night. It's more of a chain pub than a real one. Poet and the Patriot sounds like fun, wonder if they'll let underage folks in.

-Mike

I need to find out more about them. I saw them featured in the Sentinel, but they sounded like they tended more toward poetry readings (gag!) than music, though the article did mention an open mike night. I'm not even sure exactly where they are downtown. Still, they may be interested. I'll see if I can find more information.

Yeah, Rosie's is a farce. When they don't have a DJ, they have jazz. Every time I walk by there, I yell "She's the star of the County Down, for Pete's sake!" (fortunately, this being Santa Cruz, no one really notices!).

Redwolf

There was a time about oh...8 or 9 years ago when Rosie's had a (generally) nice session. You remember that, don't you George? The original owner was an Irish guy from Dublin and was very encouraging about having regular sessions and music gigs there. Theo Paige and Lucas Levitsky had a regular gig there and David Brewer would work his charming, crowd-pleasing shtick on Highland pipes on Friday nights. Ah...those were the days. Then the bar changed hands...I think it was bought by a Pakistani family or something...Anyway, they weren't too big on the music and axed the whole thing. They also made some horrid changes to the decor...

Glad/surprised that the Britannia Arms session is still going. I wonder if I'd still know anyone there. Does Galt Barber still play fiddle around there? He's a great player.

[feadogin]

Going to the SF Piper session would be fun. However, the pipe question was more specifically about my wife. She's wanting to take up an instrument....boy, did she pick one.... We don't own a set yet. I'll probably really start looking for a practice set in a few months.

Are there any makers in the Bay area?...

Hi Greg,

I am happy to hear your wife wants to learn the pipes! We need more of those chick pipers.

There is a pipemaker in Marin County, John Pederson, who made my chanter. He has a shop in San Anselmo called Amazing Grace Music if you want to check it out. The next SF Pipers Club meeting will be up at his place, so that might be a good time for you to come up and have a listen to his pipes. (First Sunday in May, watch the Pipers' Club website for directions).

There is also another pipemaker I know of who lives up near Mendocino, I believe, named Michael Hubbert. I have not heard his pipes yet, but they are highly reccommended by some other musicians I know. I don't know of any others in California, offhand.

Hope to see you next month!

Justine

[Guest]

If you all want to meet and play why not at your house? Thats how Irish trad has been happening in Ireland for hundreds of years and the music is the better for it.

The Britania Pub! Sheesh the British have been whacking Irish Catholics IN Ireland for centuries and you guys would play in one or THEIR pubs? Me - I would probably shove a stick of dynamite in under the door!

Once travelling around the USA I decided to check out California, and on arriving at several destinations there was greeted by baseball bat wielding red clad youths advertising the Red Sox. IOW No Irish wanted here.
All of this reminds me of the lovely if stoic comment 'what goes around comes around'.

Later I was informed that the British underworld - criminals - ran the place.

So maybe you should arm yourselves with guns instead of musical instruments?

[Redwolf]

If you all want to meet and play why not at your house? Thats how Irish trad has been happening in Ireland for hundreds of years and the music is the better for it.

The Britania Pub! Sheesh the British have been whacking Irish Catholics IN Ireland for centuries and you guys would play in one or THEIR pubs? Me - I would probably shove a stick of dynamite in under the door!

Once travelling around the USA I decided to check out California, and on arriving at several destinations there was greeted by baseball bat wielding red clad youths advertising the Red Sox. IOW No Irish wanted here.
All of this reminds me of the lovely if stoic comment 'what goes around comes around'.

Later I was informed that the British underworld - criminals - ran the place.

So maybe you should arm yourselves with guns instead of musical instruments?

The Red Sox? Are you sure you were IN California? We have enough rivalry between the Dodgers (blue) and the Giants (black and orange) without rooting for a team from another state. Are you sure you didn't run into the Bloods or the Crips? I hate to tell you this, but they have nothing to do with anything from England (nor, FWIW, do the Red Sox!)

All I can tell you, a chara, is that the Britannia Arms is friendly and welcoming to Irish musicians and the two nominally Irish pubs in town are not. Make of that what you will. Heck, I tried to explain to the person at the Poet and the Patriot what a session IS and finally gave up in disgust.

We all (and I believe I can speak for the other sessioners, as well as my family) enjoy the sessions at Britannia Arms. We like being in a pub, where the spouses and the kids can play darts or billiards and where people other than our own little group enjoy listening and (sometimes!) asking if they can join us next go 'round. We do have one session at the NOAA building in Santa Cruz, and it's good fun too, but no where near the craic of the pub session. The pub culture is something that's lacking, frankly, in American life, and I'm happy to have discovered it here.

If it makes you feel any better, the people who own the Britannia Arms aren't "British"...they're Californians. If they choose to honor their ethnic heritage while still extending welcoming arms to ours, I don't call it a problem, I call it "progress."

FWIW, when I'm not playing in sessions, I'm playing for Morris Dancers...shall I stop doing that too, just because you have a problem with people actually getting along for a change? I also sing in an Anglican church choir...are you going to lob a bomb under that door? Ooo...she plays in "British" pubs and for "British" dancers, and sings in an "English" choir...someone call the IRA!

Grrr.

Redwolf

[Redwolf]

I looked them up and gave them a call. I spent several minutes trying to help the girl who answered the phone understand what a session is (she kept saying "we just stopped doing that," but what she was describing sounded more like a performance than a session). She told me they plan to re-start their "'Celtic' open mike nights," but didn't sound very interested in having a session there (even granted her rather vague understanding of what I was talking about).

You need to talk to Chris Matthews, the owner, or Chis Kelly, the manager about sessions. I'd love to hear music at the P&P every night!

Get back to me asap on this if I can be of any help. I'm off to Ireland for three weeks after April 14. I'll be back May 9.

Hayduke

Hi Hayduke,

Sorry I didn't see your post before. I just happened to swing through here tonight, responded to toasty's friendly little comment, and then realized there were a lot more posts here than there were the last time I checked!

At the moment, the only other musicians I know in the area are the NOAA and Britannia Arms sessioners, but I can put out some feelers to see if anyone would like to pursue the idea of starting a third session in the area. I know there are a few more experienced players who get a bit frustrated at the slower pace of our regular sessions....they might enjoy a chance to branch out (and you can never have too much Irish music, right? ).

The Sporting Pitchfork (can we call you "Pitch" for short? )...it's nice to hear that Rosie's at least used to be a real Irish pub. Drives my family crazy, because I insist on humming "The Star of the County Down" every time I walk by there.

I've never met Galt Barber myself, but Janet edits the local CCE newsletter. They just had a baby!: Conall David Barber, born 4/12.

Redwolf

[Redwolf]

Howdy Gents! Mind if I squeeze up to the bar?

I've put together the new Poet and Patriot web site at http://www.poetandpatriot.info. I'm trying to coax Chris Matthews and Chris Kelly into doing more outreach and more sessions.

Let me know what you'd like to see on the web site.

Hayduke

Nice looking site, by the way. When you get around to adding Irish links, you'll want to be sure to add www.irishgaelictranslator.com!

Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind meeting other people in the area who are learning Irish....

Redwolf

[MikeyLikesIt]

Yeah, we really need to get a faster session going on a regular basis. It seems all the really good players in the area have gone into hiding. I'm determined to get them out and playing again. I really want to get the Irish trad scene around here back up and going.

I finally started REALLY learning Irish a couple weeks ago. I got the basics down now finally. Maybe we can try some simple dialogues, Audrey, though since I'm learning Conamara and you Ulster, it may get tricky.

If there are any students at UCSC that linger around this board that I don't know about, I'm trying to start a new music ensemble with guitarist William Coulter. So far we have two guitars, two fiddles, two whistlers (myself included), maybe me on pipes (we'll see), and possibly a mandolin player. I'm looking for a soprano that could sing some stuff, including some tunes in Irish. I'm also looking for a box player and a flute player. Should be a load of fun and we'll get credit for having fun!! Unfortunately, everyone hs to a student at UCSC, teachers are ok I think as well. If we get it on its feet, everyone should to come to the shows next year to cheer us on and throw in the odd whoop.

-Mike

[Redwolf]

Yeah, we really need to get a faster session going on a regular basis. It seems all the really good players in the area have gone into hiding. I'm determined to get them out and playing again. I really want to get the Irish trad scene around here back up and going.

I finally started REALLY learning Irish a couple weeks ago. I got the basics down now finally. Maybe we can try some simple dialogues, Audrey, though since I'm learning Conamara and you Ulster, it may get tricky.

If there are any students at UCSC that linger around this board that I don't know about, I'm trying to start a new music ensemble with guitarist William Coulter. So far we have two guitars, two fiddles, two whistlers (myself included), maybe me on pipes (we'll see), and possibly a mandolin player. I'm looking for a soprano that could sing some stuff, including some tunes in Irish. I'm also looking for a box player and a flute player. Should be a load of fun and we'll get credit for having fun!! Unfortunately, everyone hs to a student at UCSC, teachers are ok I think as well. If we get it on its feet, everyone should to come to the shows next year to cheer us on and throw in the odd whoop.

-Mike

I think a couple of fast sessions would be a good addition. There's no reason we shouldn't have a thriving Irish music scene in Santa Cruz County. I'm not ready for fast play yet, but it would be nice to have something out there to encourage me to stretch a bit.

I wonder if that fella from Boulder Creek would be interested in getting something started up here in the Valley? There are a couple of pubs up here that might be approachable.

Not too great a barrier between Ulster and Connacht Irish. Some phrases are a bit different and pronunciation can vary, but I can follow Connemara reasonably well. I'm getting a bit of exposure to the Munster dialect too at the moment, thanks to a Pimsleur program I picked up (now THAT'S hard to follow, at least to my ear!).

BTW, if you're downtown at all Sunday, watch for the Morris Dancers! We'll be at Bookshop Santa Cruz in the early evening (sometime around 4:30, I think).

Redwolf

[MikeyLikesIt]

BTW, if you're downtown at all Sunday, watch for the Morris Dancers! We'll be at Bookshop Santa Cruz in the early evening (sometime around 4:30, I think).Redwolf

Wish I could be there, I'll be up north atthe pipers club meeting. Hope it goes well.

-Mike

[feadogin]

Feicfidh me thu amarach, a Mhichael.

Feadogin

[MikeyLikesIt]

Cinnte, a Jhustine.

[Grack]

Various replies....

Gosh darnit. Did I miss the SF Pipers club meeting again? I wanted to go this time. Argh. Okay, I'll kick myself and make sure I go next month.

Yeah, I got an email back from Micheal Hubbert with some pics, a pricelist and email address for references. I'd like to get up the the Pipers club and check things out.

feadogin, are you down in Santa Cruz with us? My wife would probably love to meet another female interested in the pipes...

BTW: Besides toasty's rant, I rather like the idea of meeting at someone's house. That would be great. I could sponsor a smaller-sized gathering (5-7 people) at my place once a month. It'd have to be on a weekend, as I work on the other side of the hill and get home a bit late. Something closer to full speed would be great. Anyone interested?

Ugh, Rosie's. I haven't actually been in there (not having lived in the area too long)...but I saw who was going in and out and heard the music from the steet and thought......Nope. There was an "Irish Pub" down in Long Beach with similar character...

[feadogin]

Various replies....

Gosh darnit. Did I miss the SF Pipers club meeting again? I wanted to go this time. Argh. Okay, I'll kick myself and make sure I go next month.

Yeah, I got an email back from Micheal Hubbert with some pics, a pricelist and email address for references. I'd like to get up the the Pipers club and check things out.

feadogin, are you down in Santa Cruz with us? My wife would probably love to meet another female interested in the pipes...

I am in Menlo Park, a bit of a drive but not too far. Glad to hear your wife is on her way to getting some pipes! There are a couple of us women pipers around, but one of them is about to move away, so it'll be nice to have another one in the area.

Hope to see you guys next month (next one may be in Oakland, keep an eye on the website closer to the beginning of June). Did you sign up on the pipers' club mailing list? You can do that on the website.

http://www.sfpipersclub.org/

Justine