From that first electrifying U.S. performance in 1996 at Loon Mountain to the amazing time spent in Scotland during the 2006 tour and into 2007 – Graham, Ziggy, and the various players that comprised the Glengarry Bhoys entertained, inspired, and perhaps most poignantly -- left an indelible, endearing mark on many hearts.

How special you are.

I remain amazed by your perseverance over the years – developing separate careers in tandem with the band, maintaining a relentless travel schedule, contending with the often unseemly music biz, honing your musical talents -- all whilst keeping families together. Your love of performing and continuing the tradition of Scottish, Celtic, and Canadiana music resulted in a determined force that overcame so many obstacles, it seems incomprehensible that the journey will come to such an abrupt, unjust end.

How fortunate we are to have experienced the Glengarry magic produced by the Bhoys. So adept at reinventing traditional tunes into a unique, addictive sound, coupled with talented, heart-felt songwriting with lyrics for lovers and those pining unrequited love.

Festival crowds from ages two to 82 danced, clapped, and jumped in the heat of the summer sun, amid deluges of skin-soaking rain, and even in gator territory. Tales of such adventures and shenanigans all documented for fhans and friends around the globe to see how the Bhoys were faring, and determine when will we next meet again.

When turtle shells turn to Christmas bells.

With a tear racing down my cheek, I say farewell to the Glengarry Bhoys. My wish for each of you is a life of health, love, happiness & fulfillment, and prosperity (for good measure). Every time I hear a whistle in the crowd, I’ll turn my head it its direction and smile. You have a special place in my heart.

Raise your glasses just once more ye friends of yesterday.

Everlastingly grateful,

PC

For some 10 years we have battled the weather, endured bus/truck breakdowns, struggled with maps and got lost, manoeuvred venues and promoters, endured the US dollar crash, lunar-like increases at the pumps, survived the music business in general, and somehow we always managed to stay ahead of the tempest: but alas, a lump on a gland in my mate’s throat will be our Waterloo! Luckily it was found out early and with its possible removal he’ll be ok. His doctor, ever the humourist, said he might sound a bit like Lou Reed but he’ll be ok!

In short, touring at the pace we have for the last decade has paid its toll on all our systems I guess, and the time has come to take a final bow. It is not the way we would’ve liked to pack it in, but one never chooses when and how to schedule such calamities.

We didn’t come to this decision easy I assure you. Tim, our terrific agent and friend, was tasked with cancelling sold out houses throughout the fall and winter, but we just couldn’t tax Graham’s malady anymore than we had already.

Paradoxically, many of the shows and venues that had eluded us all these years had finally contacted the Roots Agency for pre-contractual negotiations for 2008 – Damn!!

But what an odyssey! Tours to Scotland and Ireland; from Newfoundland to Alberta; from Maine to New Mexico and Florida to Iowa. The smiling faces of thousands of people – great people – good friends all! Ceilidhs, after show get-togethers, a few pints in parking lots. Police officers all over North America, that gave us speeding breaks, boosts, rides, beers, and directions. The regular buds – the best of friends – helping us with gear, merch, and libation. We owe you so much.

So here we are, Graham and I, back to where we started, the two of us. In 1996 it was but a dream to play a few gigs in the U.S. A duo at Coleman’s in Syracuse. A trio at the Loon Mountain games. A quartet with Ewen McIntosh and Derek MacGregor at the Mid-Winter Celtfest. And on…. What a journey! What an experience! What a thrill! What a blessing!

There are no words that can effectively render our sincere gratitude. We will keep our site open. We will keep you in touch with our goings-on. We will no doubt dabble in music and recordings and we will not say goodbye……

A tantot mes amis.

Ziggy

Thursday nights in Albany are amazing. There is so much to do and so many things to see in the State Capital.

Tonight found us at the empire state plaza for a free out door concert with the Prodigals and the Saw Doctors. Ten thousand people filled the stairs of the plaza and gathered in masses around the stage; it was the perfect setting for a concert. The attendance tonight was larger than any Alive At Five in the downtown core. After the concert we headed to a local establishment with friends and a few pints before heading back to the hotel for a good nights rest.

Next morning we headed to Buffalo for the Buffalo Irish Festival that was held at the Hamburg fair grounds, and on Friday we performed to a packed tent to some of our cherished fans that braved the pending storm that never came. After the concert we had a few jars with our good friend Seamus Kennedy at the hotel, we pulled out the guitars and played for a few hours. Seamus is one of the funniest guys I have ever met and has a plethora of music in that cranium of his, a resource I wish I had.

Sunday afternoon we headed back to the festival for two shows and a couple of cool pints. I always enjoy walking around talking to new and old friends and meeting some great people. Watching the kids slowly walking up to you asking for a picture or autograph something that always amazes me. I stood with some great Buffalo coppers for over two hours reminiscing about days when Ziggy and I were on the job. I gotta tell ya I don’t miss being a cop. I prefer to stand on that stage end entertain for hours on end playing the songs that I wrote while the audience is yelling out song titles from previous albums. We pulled a few old songs from the vault that are on our Exile album and a few for the Home Again CD and a few that will be on our next album that we are throwing into our repertoire.

Another great weekend of late arrivals, near car collisions and helicopters, a weekend of reuniting and late night parties at the hotel bar. It was a grand weekend.

This weekend coming will be a brutal travel week. We start out flying from Albany to Kansas City for the Kansas City Irish Festival then return on Sunday for the Capital District Scottish Games then off to Newport Rhode Island for the Irish Festival there.

I guess I should get some sleep eh!.

Until next time my friends

Graham

Tonight we performed to 357 people that braved the touchdown of a tornado, pounding rains and high winds. AS we kick off our set with a blistering set of pipe tunes performed by Ewan Brown, we joked about the bright yellow Porsche that was parked near the stage that left its roof down which quickly became an expensive yellow hot tub.

After a few pints and a good nights rest we awoke to the sun and some hot weather as we traveled down the I-87 to Pawling, New York for a concert at the Town Crier Café.

After arriving at the Café we ate a real nice spaghetti dinner and consumed a few cocktails and started our set (which I must admit was one of our most musical sets we have ever performed) with lots of dynamics and syncopation.

The next morning finds us at Hunter Mountain for the Scottish festival, great crowds and some great sound guys from Louisiana. Our good friend Mike Durrick was there to help us with sales then off to the lovely (NOT) hotel at the Villa Vosillia, something that is still stuck in the forty’s. Oh well it’s a place to lay your head.

Sunday came with larger crowds a more enthusiastic audiences, pipers were evry where and the music was awesome. We have the pleasure of sharing the stage with Andy Cooney, Black 47 , Eileen Ivers and some terrific Irish dancers,

Home for two days now before we head back to the Capital region of New York and a free concert with the Saw Doctors at the Empire State Plaza.

Hope to see you there.

Graham # 1

North America’s most prestigious Highland event, with North America’s largest massed pipe bands (75+), the Canadian Heavy events Championship, and the North American Pipe Band Championships, are held every year in Maxville, not too far from my home. Maxville is in the center of Glengarry and was so named because of all the resident surnames that started with Mc or Mac.

Note I mentioned “Highland” event: the Scots settlers in Glengarry Ontario are from the highlands, mainly of Jacobite stock, exiles all! There are Scottish games etc… throughout the world, but for us, it’s a “Highland Games”….no haggis tossing, no knobby-knees contests, no cheezball best dressed kilted-persons and, well, you get it now

It’s about Gaelic singing, highland dancing, quality pipe band contests, step-dancing, highland fiddling, pibroch, and meeting Glengarrians that always come back home that weekend. And ceilidh-ing our arses off! We use the noun ‘ceilidh’ as a verb. Everything is; ceilidhed last night; lets ceilidh; we come to ceilidh etc…

Luckily the GB were not playing Friday night, so I headed off at 6pm with my oldest, Lindsay, to “ceilidh”! And ceilidh I did! It just went by too fast but I digress….

It was great to see Hadrian’s Wall ripping the overflowing 6000 + filled beer tent. On stage was; Ewen McIntosh (former original GB member); Richard Irwin (the best Celtic drummer anywhere); Ashley MacLeod from North Glengarry; my former neighbour, horn-honking Terry O’Farrell; front man and best-know Glengarry musician, Neil Emberg; the North Glengarry ‘mangler’ himself, Nelson MacPherson; and finally, from Montreal, the incomparable Dave Gossage. In a word—wow!

I hooked up with my old GB bandmate ‘Chummy’ (Derek MacGregor) in the Angus Gray Hall, and we had a hoot talking about old times in the early GB camp. Derek is back in Kingston Ontario working as a haute-cuisine chef in a swanky restaurant called “Le Chien Noir” and, he has been married for a year! Chummy married? I still have a hard time getting my head around that concept. It was good to see him again. He promised he’d do a road-trip or 2 with us in the future.

Back home at 2am, hurting, I crashed, woke up with a vicious hangover, and reluctantly – nihilistically headed south to Sandisfield Mass.

The Sandisfield Arts Center:

There should be a standard by which venues call themselves “Arts Center”, but needless to say this one would probably not qualify. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a terrific venue: clean, great stage, great acoustics, and great organizers, seating capacity of approx 75 .Yes. That’s it! The seating capacity. Lets start the standard there shall we. All kidding aside it was a fun evening way off in the Berkshire Mountains with some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable celtic music connoisseurs.

It was quite hot and muggy. Jameson worked his magic by not putting any drums through the system. Nor pipes, or voices, or bass, with a little bit of fiddle and guitar. Phew! Tough work eh Jay? Nonetheless, like true professionals we delivered and the compact audience responded. That’s what its all about. That, plus a great rider on our contract that provides for a vegetable platter, meat platter, snacks, wine, Guinness, and Coors light for the 2 old guys in the band! We’d like to thank the “kids” from Rhode Island who drove 3 hours to bring us the world’s best ever “dynamite” subs!! Thanks so much….

After the show we drove an hour to the nearest accommodation and turned in at 1 am. An early morning wake up call from Graham, some naked hi-jinks, a quick run through the seedy section of Springfield Mass, and we headed off to the inaugural Nashua Valley Folk Festival.

The Nashua Valley Folk Festival:

I love folk festivals. Ubiquitous in the north-east U.S. as they are, they offer us a chance to deliver celtic music to folks who wouldn’t otherwise go to a celtic show. Moreover, it provides us an opportunity to be the ‘different’ act. What a line-up! Arlo Guthrie, Gandalf Murphy’s Slambovian Circus of Dreams (that’s their name, and they sell coffee too!), Mustard’s Retreat, and an array of other great folk artists, most of whom belong to the same talent agency: the Roots Agency.

A perfect setting in a regional park, next to a large pond with a natural amphitheatre type circular slope, professional stage\ lighting\ sound, topped off with a terrific VIP tent for the musicians.

It was great to see so many GB friends that travelled great distances to see us, and as always, it was great so see “the biker-mamma” and a very slimmer version of Joei Mason—wozzywowow!

It always takes a few numbers to break that folkie-sit-down-in-my-lawn-chair-and- absorb-the-music-stereotype, but invariably we manage. Blistering pipe tunes, intricate fiddling, challenging songs of loss and joy, and they always stand up and cheer! Did I mention that that’s what it’s all about?

After our mid-afternoon show we headed for the cd tent where we were met by a long line of cd purchasers waiting for autographs. We bid adieu to our friends and organizers and departed into a most beautiful sun-setting drive home through the White Mountains of NH and the Green Mountains of Vermont.

I am truly blessed! Merci a tous! That’s what it’s all about……

Zig

Ode to Shelley Downing:

I’d be delinquent if I didn’t take an opportunity to wish my old bandmate, Shelley Downing, all the best as she embarks on the next stage of her life, leaving the full-time stage as it were, to a more stable and predictable life with Jason her boyfriend, Barb and Gord (mom and dad) and sisters Tammy and Donna: The nicest family you’d ever want to meet! Touring is a tough life and I can only imagine how much tougher it is a on a girl stuck with 4 guys in a van, although Miranda often reminds me, and I sympathize.

My oldest daughter Lindsay used to be in an international touring highland/Canadian step-dance troupe with Shelley, and would tell me how outstanding a fiddler and step dancer she was. She’d suggest what the GB really needed was, Shelley Downing. As did Ewen McIntosh who knew of Shelley’s prowess and talent. We met her when she was in the Brigadoons at a few festivals and were simply blown away by her entertaining qualities. It wasn’t long after that we put the offer to her, and she accepted. It quite simply launched us into another category almost overnight, and I thank her for her 5 years with us.

One can’t help but get caught up in her enthusiasm and innovation. She beamed on stage and was a riot off stage. She was the only GB member that kept in touch with me during my bar exams sabbatical, and I thank her for that. I was extremely disappointed when she left but that’s a common occurrence in this buiz. In fact, 5 years with the same band in this buiz is a very long time.

I can say without reservation that Shelley is truly one of a kind, and I can only hope that she will grace us with appearances now and again.

Good luck

BY: Ziggy – the old *&%$#*@ of the band

The view is spectacular as you round the last bend of Highway 22-people are there by the tens of thousands! The music is of all styles and varieties as are the people who attend this event. There is not a single police officer, fire truck, security guard…there are no gates nor are there any fences & each and every person at the festival is a volunteer who continually have a smile on their face along with a helping hand to offer. I’m taking about The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival nestled in the hills of Hillsdale, New York.

Falcon Ridge is a folk festival with a twist and a flare all it’s own. Everyone comes and camps for the weekend-there are no hotels for sixty miles! You bring your own beer or wine and relax in the sun and listen to some of the best folk music the United States has to offer.

We had the extreme pleasure of sharing the stage with Dan Nivarro – John Gorka & Ellis and the Dust Poets. As we traded stories and songs the audience was willing to sit there and listen to the details of each selection of music that touched some part of them, which pulled them into our world for that short moment in time.

Friday and Saturday was the highlight of Irish festivals in New York State-we were one of the headlining acts at the Great American Irish Festival in Herkimer County just outside of Utica. I must admit that this is the best and most organized Irish festival in New York State if not the country, and take it from us (a band that performs close to 150 concerts a year!) that this is one of the best festivals.

A blistering set on Friday night with thousands in attendance at our concert set the stage & we did steal the show. Saturday had us performing in the late afternoon to a rousing audience that left no one sitting. A special thanks to Matt Sullivan for a job well done; the volunteers, again, were amazing and friendly. We played along side such notable bands as Eileen Ivers – Enter the Haggis – The Elders – Hair of the Dog – Shamus Kennedy – The Prodigals – Paddy Noonan – Searson – Rathkiltair – Milish – Fieldstone – Kyndrid – Cassidy / McCale – Pat Kane – The rebel band – Cliudan - Gerry Dixon – John Gilligan – Vince Colgan and Rattlin Bog…all great entertainers and very professional, talented induviduals.

Next week we will be performing in the great State of Massachusetts-check our site out for more details.

The Glengarry Bhoys would like to wish former Bhoys member Shelley Downing-all the best in her future endeavors. Shelley is a wonderful performer and a joy to watch on stage. Good Luck Shelley.

A special prayer goes out to our good friend Ellie as her mother passed away this weekend – Ellie, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Until next time

Graham Wright

The show went as it usually does: full of energy and lots of noise and response from the audience. There were even more people there this time than last which made it that much more fun to play. When we were done packing up it was back to the hotel for some of us and not so much for others.

The next day we travelled south to the state capital. We had the day off so we simply checked in to our hotel and took it easy. Our good friend Donald stopped by and took us out for a night on the town. What a great time to be had in downtown Albany on a Friday night. We went to a place called the Bayou and saw this great local band Ten Year Vamp. Lots of fun. Thanks Donald.

The next day we awoke and made our way to the evening's venue. The show on Saturday was a private function for a long time acquaintance of the band. It was a lot of fun too. How could it not be with an open bar and some delicious food? After packing up it was time for bed and a morning departure for home.

We were home for a brief time, about a day and a half, and then it was back to NY for the 60th annual Clinton County Fair. We have played this fair a few times now and it's getting to be routine. It was a great show and I think there were more people there this year than last year. The grandstand was nearly full and the area in front of the stage was shoulder to shoulder. Lots of fun on the stage that night and we were followed by a great fireworks show.

The band is off for an entire week for the first time in a while. I know for some people this is a much needed and well deserved break. We are back in the Albany and Utica areas the last weekend in July so come out to a show and say hello.

See you soon,

Graham S

Saturday started early with hundreds of pipers tuning and preparing for solo competitions, as early as 6 am. Damn those pipers - lol. The parade of pipe bands marched through the town at 1pm kicking off the band competitions, including the George Washington Academy pipe band from Edinburgh Scotland.

Our Saturday set was slated for midnight so I had lots of time to check out the competitions, talking to piping friends and checking out the vendors selling their wares including my personal kilt maker Pete from Canadian Casual Kilts.

The entertainment ran on time today and we were able to play a full set with encores to a full beer tent and a huge line up waiting to get in to see us.

After the set the Bhoys headed over to Tony and Catherine Doherty's, Hosts Extraordinaires, for some grub and some bevys - medicinal purposes only of course. Tony was also in charge of the entertainment for the games and the beer tickets. Thanks Tony !! A job well done !

Sunday morning I lucked out and was able to pack up my camp before the rain set in. just enough rain to make the rest of the day hot and muggy. 6 pm was our final set and Graham closed off the games by singing 'Flower of Scotland'. We headed for home, a 2 and a half hour drive for me!

Thanks to the Fhans that crossed the border into Canada for the weekend festivities. Also a welcome to the new Fhans that discovered the Bhoys for the first time, including my highland dancing, camping neighbors that are now competing in Scotland as I write.

Well that's all for now.

Until next time .

Ewan

Anyway - After our hold up, we continued along on our merry way. Jim Thorpe is a very picturesque town named for a Native American Football player, Track and Field Olympian and all round amazing athlete. We played at the refurbished Mauch Chunk Opera House, which was a lovely venue. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Thanks to an amendment on our rider, the wine for me is now always my favorite - Australian Shiraz. Not as if I need a mood enhancer with the fun of playing music for a living but it's pretty sweet when I've got good red wine on hand.

We enjoyed the show so much and on top of it we had some surprise audience members! Darling Jane (my couture connection) was there and Annie, a force of nature and splendid friend just back from Ireland. We met them at the pub afterwards and had some drinks although I was severely reprimanded by the bartender when I tried to eat a gift brownie from Brenda. "If you had more food than frozen pizza's here, I'd order from you!" I didn't really say that but I thought it loudly!

Back to the hotel -hmm.....I'm not sure if we can call it that. It was above a pub and I suppose bijoux and European might be used if I was in a euphemistic mood. The stairs were narrow and numerous like in Amsterdam and the rooms could be more likened to closets. The worst part - especially considering my lone female state in a continent of men, we had one bathroom to SHARE!!!!

At least our wake up call came early in the form of church bells, which tolled - no joke - for half an hour. So we packed up and hit the road.

We arrived in Greenfield, MA at the lovely venue, which is also an energy park. What a wonderful idea. The stage is powered by solar energy. They have many displays around the park and the volunteers are wonderful and knowledgeable. It was a very fun concert with an enthusiastic crowd and a guest fiddler - well done Zoe. You were fabulous. I hope you had an amazing trip/birthday in Ireland.

Speaking of Ireland.....I'm getting excited. There's so much I want to do. I hope I'll have some partners in crime on the trip!

Have a great week everyone. Hooray Live Earth!

Miranda

I apologize for my tardy report on the Celtic Fling in Manhein Pa., but it’s been a hectic summer. Trying to balance a full time law practice and simultaneously, being a full-time touring musician can be, well, trying!

This, our 6th appearance at the now well-established and renown Celtic Fling, was the best as far as weather goes, attendance, merch sales, and crowd enthusiasm. The only downside was that someone had us lodged 20 miles up the road as opposed to across the road at the Hampton. Shite!

As festival gigs go, next to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, their performers’ schedule is the toughest: with 3 shows per day, topped off with a compulsory ceilidh at day’s end, which just doesn’t seem to end.

We got to see some great friends throughout the weekend and can’t thank Deb and Edie enough for their assistance at the merch table. Again this year, we ran out of Mill Sessions on Sat. Damn! Therefore, we apologize to all those who wanted and couldn’t purchase their album of choice on Sunday.

Like other years, we got to chill out at the pub on the hill in between shows with some great musicians: Scythian, Ice Flu Wagon (they’re a riot!), and fellow Canucks, the Tartan Terrors (now they’re an extreme riot!) just to mention a few: as well as our good friends Nan Kruzinski – the coordinator for the Pittsburgh Irish fest and Tim our agent. Many a draught was drunk, or is that dranketh??!! I was particularly impressed with the Elders, our new Roots Agency-mates. They are great musicians as well as vocalists, and have a Saw Doctors feel.

If you’ve never been to the Ren-Faire itself, that alone is worth the trip to this lovely rolling Amish Pa countryside. It’s like a mediaeval Disney theme park, complete with Bishops, Knights, Lords, Ladies and wenches in the pubs (I kid you not!), not to mention some too-intense-axe throwing actors.

They ran out of booze, food, parking places, and by all accounts, could’ve used a few more “Ye Olde Toillettes”. The Globe Theatre, where we performed, was jammed packed for every show and the audiences got into every performance.

. Looking forward to the Falcon Ridge Folk Fest and the Great American Irish festival, what I consider to be one the best Irish festivals around and for sure, the BEST in New York state! Don’t forget we’ll be playing in Albany the 22 Aug with the Saw Doctors and the Prodigals at the Empire State Plaza. Should be a Hoot!!!!

A tantot et a la prochaine!!

Ziggy

So here is how it went down.

Start: Drive 7 hours to Buffalo, hop on a plane and fly to Minneapolis, hop on another plane and fly to Kansas City, rent a van and drive to Des Moines, get out of van set up, shower return to venue then perform. Go to hotel sleep for 5 hours and do the above in reverse. (hop in van drive to Kansas City fly to Minneapolis, fly to buffalo, drive to Homer, New York. Phew!

Middle: arrive in Homer, get to venue set up, return to hotel and shower arrive back at the venue and perform to a sold out audience. Get up in the morning go for a run, have some lunch then rehearse and perform again. Rush to hotel sleep till six am then drive to Connecticut to perform.

End: after performing in Connecticut drive home ten hours. Ah what a wonderful four day adventure from the Midwest to the east coast.

So after that quick description of our travels here is how our four days played out in a little more detail (minus the travel).

We arrived in Des Moines where we were greeted by our good friend Charlene who happens to own (That Irish Shoppe) then taken to the outdoor venue that is situated in the downtown core of the city, which has a back drop of the River (The Des Moines River). Our audience was a hefty size for Des Moines (900- 1200) people, that came out with their blankest and coolers, they enjoyed the concert from the protective confines of a man made outdoor amphitheater. We had the crowd up and dancing, jumping around and having a rare old time. After the concert we didn’t have a lot of time as we would only get 5 – 6 hours sleep before the drive back to Kansas City. So off to the hotel for a cat nap.

Next day we arrive in Homer New York to one of our favorite venues, the Homer center for the arts which is a beautiful theater that has been converted over from a Anglican church. Our first night was sold out as was our second night, we also chose to record a live album however we are not sure when it will be released. I joked that we would call out new album (LIVE IN HOMER – D’OH) get it?

I had the opportunity to be taken to four vineyards for wine tasting, and please take my advise on this, do not purchase wine after your second or third vineyard as all wines no matter what color or flavor taste the same. (Thanks Matthew and Genna)

Next morning we headed to Connecticut for the Fairfield Irish Festival and shared a few jars with our friends Searson. The festival is much better than it used to be and the stage setup is wonderful as are the staff, they take care of your every need. (thanks) Well that was all the excitement for this weekend, next weekend we are off to The Celtic Fling, (WOO HOO).

Graham

This past weekend we found ourselves at the 14th annual Riverfront Irish Festival in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. This is a splendid location for a festival; the weather cooperated after a bit of a rain scare on the way down; and turnouts were the best in this festival's history.

This was the Bhoys' second appearance at the Riverfront Irish Festival, as we were there last year, and we were hoping things would go as smoothly and well as they did last year. The organizers and sound crew didn't disappoint - everything was perfect.

We closed out the night Friday with a great, well-balanced set put together by Zig - he's getting awfully good at writing out those sets. Graham had the large crowd in the palm of his hand, and was able to get them to do anything - the beer vendors probably had something to do with that too though. After an encore we did a quick tear down, signed some CDs, and then headed across the street to the hotel. We met at the bar downstairs with some friends and longtime fans of the band for a couple of drinks before bed.

The next morning Graham and Zig took part in a 5km run while the rest of us stayed in our comfy beds. Well done guys! I'm glad it was you and not me. With two sets on the agenda for the day it was going to be a fun one.

Our friends and fellow Canadians Searson were at this festival as well - it seems like we will be seeing them a lot this season. It's always fun to share a stage with them and after trading sets we again closed out the night. The crowd was even bigger than the night before which made it that much more fun for those of us on stage.

After the show it was back to the hotel bar and then a little get-together in our good friend Donna's room where the alcohol was free flowing (especially the Crown Royal) and we were provided with many delicious brownies (thanks Cheryl). It was a bit of a late night which meant not enough sleep, but it was all in good fun.

We only had one set to worry about on Sunday, and again, the turnout was the best this festival has seen on a Sunday. It was another great show, which featured Ewan in a big purple hat at one point. We were packed up and on the road home shortly after 4:00pm which doesn't happen very often.

Big thanks to everyone who helped us with merchandise and loading gear - you make things that much easier for us. Thanks to all our friends and fans who came out and entertained us after we entertained you - you take far too much care of us.

We are all over the place next weekend. It will be another tiring, but fun excursion I'm sure. See you all sometime again soon.

Graham S.

Thursday found us on our way back to our local haunt in Plattsburgh, The Naked Turtle. Here there is always a good time had by all. With a quick set up and soundcheck under our belts we sat down to a great taco buffet, cold beer, and great service from the staff. The first set went well, fairly laid back and very musical.

During our break G2 and I were corrupted by our fav Vermont fhans who made the journey to the turtle and who passed us squirt guns. In the second set at every opportunity, Miranda and some of the audience felt the wrath of G2 and myself. (Bhoys and their toys.) Strangely enough, now that I think about it - Turtle Pee didn't make an appearance. Hmm.....

as per usual after packing up we all hung around to hone our libation arts and chat with some of our fhans. Its rumored I was seen cutting a rug on the dance floor with Miranda. (I don't believe it.)

After a great sleep in and a late check out Friday morning we headed to Londonderry NH to the Tupelo Music hall, the B.Y.O.B theatre. What a concept !! This is yet another venue with great staff and great meals for the band even if there was" no prime rib !!!" This show was quite comical as we were being heckled by some ladies in the front row throughout the night, but Graham was able to dish it back in good humor. This is one of our favorite places to play and this night was no exception. We had an absolute blast. After the show we bit the bullet and headed for home. Only a brief 12 hours (!!) and then a few days off.

Till next time, Slainte !!

Ewan

Let it never be said the Glengarry Bhoys are weary of travel. Having said that, this quick tour of Illinois and Pennsylvania was, let's say, intense!

After many attempts to have us perform at the renown "Irish Cottage" in beautiful Gelena Illinois, our agent finally had us, in what I'm sure he thought was the general vicinity of Chicago, and booked us. So we set our sextant for Gelena and left Glengarry in the wee hours to pick up the rest of the band in Kingston and Toronto.

I was confused as to why we were leaving so early and chalked it up to Smitty, our very capable navigator and coordinator of all things geographic, wanting to get there early to, chill? Well, after he passed around the usual thorough itinerary, it became quite obvious that Gelena really wasn't on the way to anywhere - allow me to elaborate!

This was a 'buttressing show' to facilitate the Gaelic Park Irish Fest, however, it is in the far north-west corner of Illinois, a full 3 hours past Chicago, on a curve riddled 2 lane road. I must say though that is was a road through some of the most beautiful hilly farm country I've ever seen! Pastoral settings, manicured properties, and an array of mountaintop executive class resorts. Who knew?

The "Irish Cottage" is a misnomer in every sense. It is a resort where no expense was spared to make it look like an Irish hamlet street front, complete with a phone booth, various shops, and an authentic Irish pub - which is more of a showcase cabaret styled nightclub in reality.

We were greeted by the owner with a smile, a hearty handshake, and a pint. I knew this was going to be a fun gig. Jameson, sound tech supreme, put us through our sound drill - post 16 drive, and we retired to our gorgeous large private suites for a few hours rest.

This a favourite stop for Celtic marquee acts: the Prodigals, Gaelic Storm et al.... And now we know why.

At Showtime, the large club, with a great elevated stage, was full. Stories of folks traveling long distances to see the Glengarry Bhoys are legion, but we were surprised to hear that people had been calling for weeks for reservations from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, not to mention from all over Illinois. They're reason we'd inquire? To see you guys they'd reply; that the GB rarely come out to the mid-west and they journeyed to get the chance to see us. Quite humbling.

We had a blast, 2 encores, an open invitation to return anytime, and made many new friends, not to mention a slight hangover.

We left at 930 am to beat the Chicago holiday traffic but alas, as we approached the windy city, the traffic snarled: Memorial Day gridlock. Damn! With a 2 hour addition to our 3 hour drive to south Chicago, we arrived at the new Double Tree hotel in South Chicago and rested before we made our way to the famed Chicago Gaelic Park.

Two days, two shows, great venue, superior sound, great hospitality, excellent crowds, and great bands - what else could you ask for in festival? Nothing! Thanks Chicago - we love you! It was topped off by seeing our good friends, Dan, Michele and Michele and so many others... Early Sunday found us with another marathon drive. This time to lovely Jack Frost Mountain in Pa.

We arrived at about noon at the five star Split Rock Lodge Resort to settle in before we headed to the Celt fest on beautiful Jack Frost Mountain for their 21st annual Celtic Festival. The organizers are best and run a well oiled event. It was a quiet afternoon crowd as our good friends and neighbours from the Ottawa Valley hit the stage.

Nonetheless, as Searson got into high gear the tent filled and liked what they saw. We followed suit to an over-packed tent and Graham put the enthusiastic crowd through their paces: everyone was on their feet, Ewan ran through the crowd piping, Miranda wowed them with her angelical voice, and Smitty and I held down the backline! It was awesome - an encore roar and we put this show to bed!

We hung out after chatting with good friends; Brenda, Walt & Marilyn, Bob & Jean, the Philly Cops, and so many others! Moreover, we got to see our fav and agency cousins - Eileen and Immigrant Soul. A perfect day! A perfect weekend! A few quid and wets - life is good!

Je vous adore tous, et comme toujours, a la prochaine!

Cheers,

Ziggy!

The champions are really the boys in the bhoys who did all the driving. Thanks guys! I really appreciate it. I had a nasty fall off my bike (no, not a motorbike) and hurt my arm quite badly so I was popping painkillers like bon bons and little use to anyone. (Toronto streetcar tracks are treacherous!)

We arrived around 5am and settled into (also respective) beds for some shut-eye before the shows. The festival was lovely. Everyone was extremely friendly and the food was delicious. Little did I know when I ordered a 'side' of fries it would take myself, Jay and Ewan to finish them! Smitty stayed in the van and escaped the sun's vicious rays and Jay and Zig showed off their Canadian Winter Bods and played football. Graham watched with amusement.

"I love watching the two guys who can't throw a football throw a football". Ha. Our afternoon show was great fun. It was quite hot outside the tent so being in the shade was a nice break. The crowd was enthousiastic and there were several familiar faces. Several people there are going on our Ireland trip in the fall so we talked a bit about that afterwards. (So excited!!!!) We shared the stage with some other fine bands - 'Iona' from the area and a very entertaining sea chanty band who's name escapes me at the moment but were great nonetheless. Zig, Smitty and I were blessed with hats from a fantastic hat vendor....I'm sure you'll see these fine chapeaux later on as it gets sunnier and sunnier. Thanks Hat Vendor. We'll see you in Bethlehem, PA at the Celtic Classic. (Where Bhoys fans can top off their look in similar style!)

The evening show was also a blast. The rain that had held off all day came down in torrents. It didn't dampen our spirits. In fact, we had an absolute blast. Thanks to everyone who braved the rain and stayed for the encore!

You can see some of the festivities at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6LSD5C4ZG4

Also thanks to Jane who gives me my designer dresses and estrogen fixes. I've never had so many beautiful clothes before! You should see my closet laden with goodies! I'm going to the opera this week so maybe I'll have a place to show some off! (Those sentences were more for the girls.....you understand).

Lots of fun things coming up.....Festivals galore. This is my favorite time of year - except for Christmas, my birthday, Summer Solstice in Kensington Market, Bastille day in Paris.

Okay. What evs.

xo, See you soon j'espere!

m.

Tonight finds us at the Lay-Z- Boy theater at Monroe college again a beautiful theater which hold about 800 people where by the had an attendance of 750 patrons / fhans

In the morning Zig and I had a wonderful run up and down the farm roads that run between the theatre and the hotel, a few miles there eh Zig.?

The next morning we headed to the West side Irish American Club in Cleveland Ohio to a sold out house. I have to tell you Pat the organizer is one of the n9icest people we have ever had the pleasure to deal with what a wonderful lady. The room was packed and ready for an all out party. Thanks to all our friends for helping us with CD sales and hauling gear around. You kids are the best

Next morning a short 10 hour drive home to gear up for another blistering weekend ahead.

Until next time
Graham

It was a pleasure to appear as one of the Star Performers for the Albright College Star Series of 2006-2007. The venue was the Albright Chapel on the Albright College campus, and what a lovely venue it was. Part of our contract agreement for this show included us putting on a little workshop for some young musicians, so after a quick set-up and sound check we made our way downstairs to a room full of excited string players. After noticing the abundance of violins in the room Miranda took charge and (even though she was feeling very under the weather from experiencing the flu for the past few days) led a great clinic. The rest of us fielded a few questions in relation to our specific instruments, role in the band, and life on the road. We then played a few tunes for the group before making our way to the green room to get ready for the show.

The stage was warmed for us by students from the McCune school of Irish Dancing; a combination of soft and hard shoe routines got the audience ready for our show. The house was full and the audience showed their enjoyment with lots of clapping along and cheering. Fun was had by all and after a quick tear down and load out we made our way to the hotel for some sleep in preparation for our early morning departure.

Saturday's wake up call came much sooner than hoped, but after a quick shower and a cup of coffee it was easy to get out the door and on the road again. This day's destination was one of our favourites - the Polish American Hall in Uxbridge, MA. Hosted by our good friends Joei and Steve we always have a good time. Steve prepared a huge feast and dinner was included for folks who wanted to come a bit early and enjoy a buffet-style meal as well as the show.

We played two full sets of our favourite material including a few new tunes. The audience was great - filled with lots of familiar faces (including Bonny "the loud" Macleod all the way from Maine). And before we knew it the show was over. A big thank you to Joei and Co. for setting up and monitoring our merchandise, to Steve for the terrific meal, to Linda and Larry for the birthday cake (it was Graham's birthday on the 9 th), and to "the kids" for the delicious sandwiches - they were great for the ride home the next day.

Speaking of the ride home, we were told there was a bit of a low pressure system moving in, another Nor'easter it was called by others. We awoke to a lot of rain and as our altitude increased the rain quickly turned into some of the biggest snow flakes I've seen this year. After seeing a number of cars in the ditch we decided to take our time getting home. Ewan got us through the worst of it and once we were past Albany it was just wind and rain to deal with. Patience prevailed and we all made it home in one piece. Personally, I've had enough winter for this year.

We have next week off, which is kind of nice. The last six weeks have been rather busy, so it will be nice to catch up on some sleep before the busy festival season starts. Hope to see you all at a show sometime soon.

Graham S.

FOREWORD:

Jammed in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, not to mention on the same night as the hockey game of the decade: Montreal Canadiens vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs, was the inaugural Glengarry Bhoys foray into the old city of Guelph Ontario – gulp!!

Saturday, the 07th of April, 2007.

At 9 am, Graham picked me up at my dad’s and we steamed west on the Trans-Canada to pick up Smitty in Kingston. It felt weird not going through Customs, which is typically what we do. Disorienting I confess, but there are literally hundreds of Tim Horton outlets between Glengarry and Guelph – I kid you not – which dislodged the routine breach somewhat.

After picking Smitty up, we headed straight through Toronto onto Guelph. Where were the rest of the Bhoys you may ask? Ewan lives close-by in Barrie and chose to shuttle himself there in the ‘Shrek-mobile’, Miranda is originally from Guelph and was spending the Easter weekend with here folks, and Jameson was previously booked for a studio recording in Toronto.

THE OLD CITY OF GUELPH:

Guelph is a city of 118,000 seemingly well-off residents, judging by the many many old, ornate, large, well-kept, and stately looking homes. It is approximately an hour north west of Toronto. Besides being home to the very talented Glengarry Bhoys’ fiddler, it is also the home of the world-renown Sleeman’s Brewery, and the world-renown University of Guelph. This university is famous for its scientific agricultural research facilities, as well as its Nutrition Faculty, one of the world’s premier nutritional research labs. It is where both Mr. and Mrs. Mulholland are employed: Mr. Mulholland is a professor there and Mrs. Mulholland is a Librarian.

THE WAR MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM:

Like an old Victorian Courthouse on a hill, the War Memorial Auditorium, commemoratively constructed in honour of the 50,000+ Canadian soldiers who gave their lives in WWI, is now part of the university.

Words alone cannot describe the outside structure, nor the elaborate stone work inside – obviously built when detail was still an integral part of construction trades. As musicians, what struck us, was the stage, the 600+ seating, and the perfect acoustics.

As I previously mentioned, Jameson was off that night, but his college sound-engineer teacher/mentor, Beau, was his substitute. Might as well get the best eh? In no time Beau had the intricate sound equipment settled and we pulled off a perfect sound check. All was in place for a good show, but would anyone show up? Miranda was understandably nervous, and I will admit, so was I.

When we got to our hotel, there was a deli spread in our rooms complete with, Sleeman’s beer (my favourite), Guinness (Boner’s favourite), Sharaz (Miranda’s favourite), and a bottle of single malt (Smitty’s absolute favourtite). Our good friend Lorraine from ‘Weir Productions’ pulled out all the stops on the hospitality front.

After years of playing in second rate grungy rock clubs, I can tell you that nothing compares to walking on stage before a soft-seat theatre, a sober appreciative audience, with a confident and capable band able to put on a great show – which is what we did – judging by the crowd response, people spontaneously dancing in the aisles, and the ‘encore’ roar of approval at show’s end!

THE SHOW:

Our fears of poor attendance were quickly quelled – surprising us all – including Lorraine. Simply introduced, under a centre spotlight, “…Ladies and Gentleman, the Glengarry Bhoys…” the audience applauded as we walked on!

In dark silence, Miranda’s voice wooed the audience with her unique and captivating a capella rendition of “She Moved Through the Fair” – followed by the multi-cadenced traditional Irish fiddle medley – “Brian Boru’s March”. In full Highland regalia, Ewan took the relay with his new medley, also with his new “A” key pipe chanter (a lower keyed chanter enabling ease with the similar pitched violin), sponsored by MacLellan’s Pipe Supplies of SC, and we settled in for an innovative and musical evening. It was perfect! The songs. The inter-action. The music. Just perfect!

I’ve been a professional celtic musician for many years and know the importance of a “front man” that can effectively take an audience through a kaleidoscope of emotions and elevate them to a perfectly timed pitch at show’s end. I’ve been lucky enough to have played with many such singers/ front men, but I say this without reservation, Graham does it better, with more ease, at each and every concert we do, than anyone I’ve ever played with, or seen for that matter! He is simply the anchor of the Glengarry Bhoys, and though many may try to emulate his style, none can render similar results, I unabashedly submit! And he did in Guelph!

I can also say without reservation, that this present make-up of the Glengarry Bhoys is simply the best. It excels musically at each and every show. Smitty’s ability to predict and mirror what I do on the drums, is un-paralleled, and his Queen’s Music Degree in bass, clearly comes through, as does Miranda’s McGill Music Degree in voice and violin. Many may say a music degree doesn’t mean anything, but I can tell you, personally, that it demonstrably shows through at each performance: so tasteful!

A special thanks to Lorraine, her crew, Beau, my band-mates, and all those that braved the cold and snow travelling from as far as London, Ajax, Fergus, Kitchener, Cambridge and beyond to make our first show in Guelph a overwhelming success, and Miranda very happy!

Merci a tous et a la prochaine sans doute!

Cheers,

Ziggy

The doors opened on time and the theater began to fill up. Home made cookies made their way back-stage minutes before show time so we all filled our faces with the decadent treats then waited in the wings for the lights to dim. I don't know about the rest of the Bhoys, but this is the time I like most heading on stage, every thing disappears except for the music and interaction on stage, interaction between us and the crowd. Yes this is the life! The first set went without a hitch, very musical, I thought. Intermission as always another fun time, seeing familiar faces from past shows, and drinking partners from Scotland. And also meeting new people that love the music as well.

Second set started with a splash as Miranda and Graham collided just before walking on stage and spilling Miranda's wine all over. Sticky hands , sticky fiddle , Black clothes. Yes, that's why we wear black; to cover the wine and Guinness stains. The secret is out. Young Dancers filled the orchestra pit this set dancing to fast and slow. Even some great break dancing happened. Celtic break !dancing! Sign up at your local dance studio now!

The skirl o' the pipes, the Flaming fiddle, enhanced with drums and guitars. Vocals to set any mood. Why would I want a regular job? But then its over, the stage lights fade, the house lights guide the audience to the lobby .The music's over, back to reality. Zig and Miranda head off to sample the offerings of local pastry chefs and i go back to my room for the evening to watch a movie, relax and think about being on stage.

Till next time

Ewan

This installment begins in Plattsburgh, NY at Olive Ridley's. It is a fine establishment with a fabulous new stage and we had a blast. It was a packed house and there were many familiar faces in the crowd. The wonderful staff - many of whom we know from the Naked Turtle - kept our glasses full and our spirits up. The next morning brought some bad news. Our show in Manchester was cancelled due to snow. The upside to this was that we had much more time to drive the 15 hours to Merrillville, Indiana for THE BIG DAY.

T.J. Maloney's and the Radisson Hotel! Soon to become our very own Hotel California. St. Patrick's day started off well with our first beverages around 2pm. My fine wine was in a plastic cup, which felt a little odd but hey, in a pinch, right? we played two shows - one in the pub and then again in the giant ballroom. The craziness of the pub and the siege on the bar spared us all terrible hangovers...we had a really great time.

The next day, as agreed some of us met in the lobby and headed over to 'smokey bones' a cookhouse specializing in giant portions of meat. I'm not sure I've ever eaten so much in my life.

this was followed by a quick trip to 'le target' and then back to the hotel to get ready for our "hair of the dog" set. We had a wee after party in Michelle's room (thanks for the photos, you wonderful woman) and hit the hay. THEN......(da, da, da, DAHHH) tragedy struck.

Our trailer was broken into and Graham Smith's acoustic bass was stolen along with some other important things. Many swear words were uttered but I won't reprint them here.

Tragedy part 2 - On our way to 'Pete's Liquor Barn' (no joke), Jay, Ewan, G2 and I noticed that the van was emitting a horrible smell.... It was the fan belt. simple part but not so simple procedure. More cursing!!!

Several days spent faffing around the hotel while fretting about the van and the theft. Poor Zig and Graham...As if they needed the extra stress!!! Luckily there was a Starbucks in the hotel and by the end of those 6 days the barristas knew what I like (tall, dark, strong....) and there was plenty of time for endless games poker.....in which, for once, I didn't come last.

Sadly, Vanna White wasn't ready so we had to rent some vehicles to get us from point A to Point B....This will figure in later in the narrative.

Our next show was in South Bend, Indiana - home of Notre Dame. (Zig's fave). We had some interesting matchmaking with table one and table two at the Fiddler's Hearth and some spontaneous slow dancing to 'Over the Mountain'. The wonderful Dan showed up with some wine for me (much appreciated) and then I met the ND boxing team and had some tequila....Ask Zig about the ride back to the hotel, rolling wine bottles and pizza calls.....Needless to say, I had a crashing headache the next day. Oh! The shame of trying to forget what you can't quite remember!

Next, and as it turned out, last, we were in Springfield, Ohio. What a lovely theatre! We were treated very, very well although I'm not sure who decided enchiladas and beans were a good idea to give a band taking the stage..... We had a great show with a hydraulic stage addition for Ewan to show off his piping strut and for me to do some flashy step-dancing.
A great night overall.

We had another small catastrophe in deciding what our next move would be...in the end, the heroic Graham W. and Jameson drove the rental vans back to Merrillville and the Radisson hotel. (See, you can check out any time you like, but you can NEVER leave.) Meanwhile - the lovely and sainted Donna drove to Springfield after receiving my text message that we were up a creek. She delivered us into the hands of another lovely and sainted lady, Sue and stayed with us to relax with some wine, girly movies and chatter. (Might I just say how nice it was to hang out with those two and have some good, old school girl gossip!)

The next day found us in Sue's pickup heading towards the true north strong and free....somewhat exhausted, with wry smiles and much shaking of our heads. "It doesn't rain, but it pours" tour 2007 was finally over.

Thanks to everyone who stepped up and saved the day. Thanks for the supportive emails and phone calls. Mille fois merci!!!
Big love and thanks from all of us.

XO
Miranda

9pm comes quick as we gear up for our extensive tour through the mid west in the month of March. Our Road kill segments this month will be completed each day we are on tour to keep you all up to date on the gruelling touring schedule we have ahead of us this month.

Kissing my girls goodbye is always tough, Lexie quizzes me on my return date and Mackenzie wants to know if I’ll miss her birthday again (fortunately I’ll be home for her birthday this year). In the hours leading up to my departure we have eaten dinner, watch cartoons, and play Super Mario for hours on end, Kisses all around and promises of presents upon y return and tears are shed (from me) and out the door I go.

Zig and I head west to pick up the rest of the gang at their respective locations dotted across Ontario then we hit the Detroit border crossing and the Ambasador bridge (scary). Eight hours down with nine more to go.

We arrive at our destination the following afternoon to a great spot which is located in the heart of downtown St.Louis 1.2 miles from the arch. We were greeted by a warm and welcoming staff, fed like kings and queens, offered a few choice beverages from the beer menu then a quick setup then a well deserved nap in our private condo. Zig and I went for a nice long run down to the arch and around the downtown core.

The show was wonderful and we unleashed our brand new long sleeved tee shirts that sold like hot cakes more beer and food was consumed and some new friends were met and partied with. After the concert we sat at the bar and laughed till the wee hours and each one of us disappeared into the night back to the condo for a well deserved sleep.

6:30 am “I CAN’T SLEEP” oh well on with the running gear and out for a run in the morning fresh air only to return to realize I forgot to take a key to the condo and I found myself roaming around outside in a cold sweat till the rest of the band awoke to let me in, this only ocured when I started throwing rocks at the window to alert my fellow band mates that I was starting to freeze. The Dublin pub staff arrived at 9:00 am to cook us breakfast and sent us on our way, now we are on highway 44 heading south to Dallas for our fox TV performance tomorrow morning, nothing like another 13 hour drive to start the day.

Okay talk to you all tomorrow, unless something really interesting happens, I’ll keep you all posted.

Graham

Day # 3 (Dallas)

Arrive in Dallas at 10:00 pm head to bed for our performance in the morning. there is nothing like driving for 13 hours through the mid west, very flat.

Fox TV studios at 6:30 am for a few tunes and soup, yea that's right soup, there was a chef on the show cooking and we all were given samples after we played.

Drove dowm to the festival dropped off our gear, now it's time for a wee nap before our concert tonight a 10pm. the weather is awesome today, I think it will be a great day for Zig and I to go for another long run to shake up these road soaked bones of mine.

Until tomorrow

Graham

Day # 4 (Texas)

Tonight we head to the festival to perform our first concert, This is a great state everything is big, and hot. We perform on the main stage as the headlining act tonight and tomorrow. As we are shuttled to the event by our driver we can see that the festival is starting to fill up with patrons and the beer is starting to flow.

We take the stage and kick into some blistering reels and slowly build this Dallas crowd into a frenzy, Three encores later we head to the product table to meet everyone and behold we bump into people from Buffalo (Chris and D’Arcy) good times, then we head back to the hotel bar for a night cap. Ross from the Houston highland Games was there along with a ton of people I haven’t seen in years,

I sat with Brian McNeil (battlefield band) had a few laughs about growing up in Scotland then off to have a few more with the Town Pants. Miranda was holding court in the corner and Jameson, Graham and Ewan were bouncing from table to table partaking in conversations that revolved around physics and modern science, nah! they were just drinking scotch but that sounded more interesting.

Off to bed now for an early rise, Zig and I are going for an early morning run to shake off the cobwebs. Today Ziggy got the chance to run inside the Mustang's stadium, it's good to be King eh Zig?

More news to follow tonight.

Graham

Day # 5 (Texas)

Another day on tour, another beer, another Irish stew, another night in a hotel and two great concerts. Today with a large audience where everyone was screaming and jumping we took the stage again, Ewan’s new jig set, that will be on our new album, was outstanding. Ewan has a great ability to seem together flawlessly sets of tunes that capture the attention of the listener and takes them through a musical journey. Great work Ewan.

Graham, Miranda and myself spent 45 minutes hunting for the hospitality room, Ziggy whisked off to set up his drums, Ewan was spending money at the vendors and Jameson was looking for a heater to keep warm. Today was chilly, to the point of requiring winter gloves and jacket, but once we took the stage the heat (and feelings to our fingers) quickly returned. I totally enjoyed myself today, not only on stage but walking around talking to people hanging out having a few pints and yuks with new and old friends.

The Texas Irish festival is located at the State fair grounds that is surrounded by two monolithic buildings that house the festival. Our stage is located outside between theses two buildings in a large open air tent with a massive stage. Today we hung out with the Blarney Boys, The Town Pants and Jiggernaught. Good Times Good Times.

Okay time for bed, it’s now 2am, back to the festival tomorrow and possibly a few jars for good measure.

Graham

Day # 6 (Texas)

Today the weather has turned for the better, possibly 60 – 65 degrees, much better for the hands when you want to perform. We are the final concert of the festival today, we are so looking forward to the show.

We arrive at the festival about 5pm and head over to the hospitality room for a few pints and some food and then say our goodbyes to our fellow musicians that we performed with over the weekend, thank the volunteers and shuffle over to the stage for a rousing audience that were waiting in anticipation for our final show, then we kicked it into high gear to finish off the 25th anniversary Texas Irish Festival.

After the concert and a few more goodbyes we headed back to the hotel for a few pints and a good nights rest before we start our journey north to Omaha, Des Moines, Chicago, Toledo and Jamestown New York. Six more days on the road and then home to see my girls.

The Texas Irish festival boasted 40 thousand people plus, and the staff and volunteers worked flawlessly to give the musicians and patrons a seamless weekend. Great work was done by all.

So it’s now 7 am and I’m off to the breakfast buffet to store up on more carbs, then possibly a quick run to shake the cobwebs from my weary heard. As I sit in y hotel room looking out the window I can see the musicians from each band slowly heading to their cars as we all disperse to our next concerts. It’s a lot of fun being a musician and a lot of fun doing something you love to do.

Hope to see you all soon.

Until Tomorrow

Graham

Day # 7 (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas)

Today is a travel day heading north to what we expected to be colder weather, however, the weather in El Dorado, Kansas is a nice 75 degrees and sunny, the entire trip so far today has been warm, something that was unexpected but welcome.

Travel days are always tough, you reminisce on days past and concerts performed, we put our heads together on how to make our shows better, more musical and entertaining, then we hit all the fast food joints to ensure the french fries have consistency and the burgers are cook to fattening perfection, (they do).

We have chosen to stop in El Dorado for the night. After a log week of touring sleep becomes paramount when you tour as much as we do. So here I sit nodding off writing my journal watching Dustin Hoffman on television hoping that I can actually sleep tonight. Jameson is in control of the remote so you get to watch every channel 20 times in an hour, at least we don’t have to watch sports 24 hours per day.

Until tomorrow and our Concert in Omaha, NB

Graham

Day # 8 (Omaha) A early morning rise, heading north east to Kansas City then north to Omaha, NB for our concert at the Dubliner. Our hotel is located at the Horseshoe casino, what a tempting thought that is. Okay, I went to the casino twice and lost $5.00 not to bad, I think I just paid for two of their light bulbs to stay on for 20 minutes.

We performed at the Dubliner which was packed, and that’s awesome for a Tuesday night. It was great seeing Charlene and Todd form “That Irish Shoppe” in Des Moines. After a few sets and pack up Ziggy, Jameson and Myself headed to the casino for a wee bite to eat then bed.

Now we are heading north to the wild Rose Casino, This should be good, I’ll keep you posted

Graham

Day # 8 (Omaha)

Arrive at the Wild Rose casino to a warm reception, headed straight to the concert hall and proceeded to set up and sound check, then moved our portable home(suit case) into our hotel.

With three hours to spare I head to the casino to wager my luck at the tables, after an hour I was up $20.00, now it’s time to perform. Once the concert was over and an enthusiastic crowd roared for more we headed either to our beds or the back to the slot machines, where I sat and lost my winnings, so that’s enough of casino’s for me until we return next year. Graham Smith did win about $145.00 at the poker tables, way to go G.

Early rise tomorrow for our long drive to Chicago.

Graham

Day # 9 (Chicago)

The Bally Doyle is a huge Irish pub located in a eastern suburb of Chicago where the young upwardly mobile people reside and homes are just way to expensive, to night the room is packed beyond capacity and we take the stage and kick some butt

The drive from the casino took us almost 10 hours, we are wiped out, time for a nap, not much interesting happened today.

Day # 10 (Toledo)

Mickey Finn’s is always a great venue, all the major acts pop in here before heading to Detroit or Cleveland and bigger venues. Trish (the owner) treated us like kings with food, wine, and beer. We had a great time chatting with out friends from Detroit, Cleveland, Ann Arbor, Chicago and all points in-between.

Tomorrow is our last concert of this tour before we get home and I see my two little ones, it’s Mackenzies 8th birthday and I cant wait to see her, oh and I must picj up the customary travel gifts from daddy, you know, the sweat shirts, fridge magnets, and such, the kids just love getting gifts each time I’m away.

Graham

Day # 11 (Jamestown)

Arrive early and set up, the place was packed and we kicked it into high gear, what a great time, after the concert the organizers had a suite open on the 8th floor for us, with food, beer wine, and all sorts of goodies, and good friends. After filling myself up to the brim with food and drink I hit the hay for the 9 hour drive home to see my wee ones.

Life is good, see you all next week when we start our next 12 day tour.

Graham

We all met in glorious Glengarry early Saturday morning under snowy skies with the news that the Glengarry Bhoys bus has been sold. Good news but I will touch on that later. So into Vanna White we all piled (the Bhoys van and cargo trailer) and started our short trek to Albany N.Y. Once on the road, we all start our usual habits including exchanging news of our past week and upcoming events, reading books, newspapers, playing on laptops, cell phones, ipods , comfy pillows and stretching out on the bench half our sizes - except Miranda, who fits perfectly. As we entered the Adirondack Mountains the weather started to clear, the sun came out and the view was spectacular. What a great area to spend some time. We got into Albany in good time thanks to Ziggy’s awesome driving ( just ask him, he’ll tell ya) and got an early set up at the W.A.M.C. performing arts studio.

My new piping set called “Tippy Canoe” started a very musical evening with an enthusiastic crowd clapping and cheering throughout the performance. Our friends Olivia and Chelle helped us close off the evening with some great dancing. Libation time. Off to Maher’s public pub for some funny stories and great company with some of our Fhans. Here we were confronted with the longest list of beer I have ever seen (but no Coors light, poor graham1) Maher’s also had the largest collection of draft tap handles I’ve ever seen. Great place, traditional Irish feeling. It was such a good time.

On Sunday, we headed for Lake Placid N.Y. to Whiteface Mountain ski resort. After battling icy hills and cold shuttle vehicles we were set up and rockin the hills with the sound of music….yet another great venue and lots of familiar faces filling in the crowd. Whats the french word for ski bunnies??? ( just kiddin')

Well as I mentioned earlier we have sold the tour bus so I will leave you with a few of my memories of the bus.

Home away from home.

“Sssstart the jenny im ffffreezing.”
Ah my own bunk, Road to bumpy to sleep.
Balancing act in the little bhoys room.
New batteries for the bus, more new batteries, more new batteries.
In-flight movies, TV bouncing off the floor.
“Tags up? Tags down? Tags up? Tags down?” Ect.
“Who ate my chips? Who threw out my…? “
“Whats that smell?”
“Is your bunk made?”
Border patrol searches.
Hot wired battery charger.
“Whoa! tippy canoe “
3 ½ hour drive to airport in 2 hrs.
“How do you work this DVD?”
Broken jenny again.
Bottles of Jamieson in the cupboard.
“Who’s got the keys?”
“Can I shag my girlfriend on your bus?”
Fhan socializing.
“Whoa, you have a tour bus? p> Home away from home.

Living the dream
Ewan

I LOVE NEW YORK!! Driving past the east side of Lake Ontario in the winter however, blows, literally!! For some 8 years now we’ve been driving back and forth down I-81 and have seen it all as far as wintery weather is concerned. And every time I get an urge to complain about Glengarry winters, I think of the poor frozen folks of Watertown and Oswego….and I, reservedly, digress…[1]

For more than a week now these hearty souls have been getting pummelled by Lake Ontario effect snow. I mean 120+ inches in the matter of days – not to mention the cold winds that carry it! It’s a 2007 disaster zone in every sense of the term.

Once again we experienced it this past weekend: both to and fro. Like a Steven King movie, driving along a dry road on a sunny winter’s day, out of nowhere it appears: blinding snow squalls leaving one in a state of vertigo not knowing if you’re on a road or in the middle of field (minus the axe-wielding hitch-hiker with a case of Bud Light!)..

Two Live Rochester Radio Shows in One Morning – Phew!!

Graham and I left Glengarry last Thursday afternoon (note: sunny and dry). I drove the van and trailer to Smitty’s in Kingston while Graham followed in his Suburban. This complex driving arrangement was to facilitate our Toronto contingent (Ewan, Miranda, and Jameson) and to save Graham and I driving all around Lake Ontario – which in retrospect, might not have been a bad idea…ughh!

A few Tim Horton stops, the van safely at Smitty’s, we commenced our Antarctic Scott-like journey past the Oswego county tundra!

It Snows Big in Oswego County!

It can’t happen twice in the same week eh? My famous last words to Graham as we entered the belly of the beast. Like a time warp, we were in it, and I mean in it. Transports all over the road; 12 foot high snow banks; blinding snow squalls; drifts up over buildings; squad cars with hazard lights on all over; only one lane down the interstate, barely; cars in ditches from the previous day covered in snow; nobody on the road, well, except for two meteorologically challenged travellers from the north!

With knuckles blanched at the wheel, Graham manoeuvred his 4-wheel drive Suburban through the blizzard at 2 miles an hour for approximately 20 miles. And all of a sudden we were out of the storm on dry roads again and on our way to Geneva..

Next morning Graham and I were guests on the most listened to morning talk show in NY. “The Big Weaser CBS Morning Show”, a Howard Stern-like shock jock, put us through our paces for some 20 minutes. It’s a casual affair where 5 spontaneous wordsmiths, sitting on leather couches, spin the day’s news and take calls from a variety of wackos. Its really fun listening, if you’re in your car, but sitting amongst these challenging interviewers was some stressful I tell ya.

The ‘Big Wease’ et al, played the Birkin Tree and Wondering, and interviewed us about Canadian Celtic music, the band history, our extensive touring schedule, and our upcoming show at the “Smith Opera House” in Geneva. He advised us that Bruce Springsteen launches every one of his tours from the very venue. Wow! Our second radio show was at the Rochester University campus. It was a live performance and interview on the Rochester ‘AAA’ (adult alternative) NPR station.

As if NASA planned (minus the space diapers!) the rest of the band met us at the campus and in we went for a live performance and interview with Scott Regan, one of Rochester’s favourite radio characters. Scott led us through a similar routine and we played ‘Itchy Fingers’, ‘Return to cape Breton’, and ‘Hero’ (which he particularly liked). It was all done acoustically and very well if I must say so myself! A full 40 minute segment done, we drove to Geneva as another blizzard was being spawned.

Geneva’s ‘Smith Opera House’

Through drifts covering the road to Geneva, we found, what I consider to be, the most opulent concert hall I’ve ever seen. Ornate pilings, two levels, a grand stage, a full stage crew, a superior sound system, and 1438 seats. Yikes! Also the biggest concert hall I’ve ever played at. Local radio stations were warning people to stay home. This was going to be, we estimated, a quiet evening.

What the heck! The venue put on an excellent catered meal, supplied us a case of Guinness, a case of Coors light (for the old guys in the band) and a bottle of Merlot for herself. We checked into the New Ramada Inn on the Shores of Lake Seneca – which curiously was not frozen over. Hummmm…

Luggage stowed and a quick shower – we made our way back to the Opera House. As 8 pm got closer, the house started to fill up. The manager was amazed. We had already surpassed the attendance record for this season’s “World Showcase” series, and in one of the season’s worst snow storms! He said people had pre-purchased tickets from all over, even from Pa.

It was, I think, our most musical performance thus far. The acoustics were superior. The audience was the most appreciative we’ve ever played for. We had a hoot! Ewan also premiered two new medleys: a blistering set of jigs he titled “A Destructive Swath”, and a slow aire – strathspey – reel filled medley called “Tippy Canoe”. Judging by the ovation, I’d say he nailed two unique numbers – marinated of course in the Glengarry Bhoys style! “Tippy Canoe” also showcases both Ewan and Smitty through an intricate strathspey solo. Very entertaining!

Miranda displayed some new Glengarry style steps she learned from a Glengarry teacher, Meghan Bold. The Bolds are our neighbours and Meghan danced and toured with my oldest daughter Lindsay. The MacCulloch “Glengarry Dancers” are a dance troupe that tours around the world. Great Glengarry music and dance ambassadors!

Graham wowed the audience with songs such as: Sergeant Where’s Mine, True Born Irishman, Over the Mountain, Bonnie Broom, Wondering, and Let It Rain – to mention a few. With witty oration, Graham inter-acted with the crowd and found out, amongst many things, that Lake Seneca is the deepest in the US – hence the void of ice-fishermen! Apparently it’s some 720 + ft deep (or was that meters?). So deep, the US Navy trains there for sonar – who knew? No Loch Ness type monsters however.

If an overwhelming standing “O” with cries for “Encore”, and an intense onslaught at our swag table are any indicators of a successful night, I’d say we bagged that one!

Thanks Geneva! The “Smith Opera House” has already booked again for next year, so we’ll see yaz in twelve months eh!!

Next morning we bid adieu to our band mates and Graham and I decided we’d try the I-81 again and guess what……agghhh!

Looking forward to seeing our friends from the NY Capital District next Saturday at the ‘Live in Albany’ radio NPR-WMAC concert, as well as our friends from Lake Placid next Sunday at the “Show on Whiteface Mountain”.

Until the next time, aurevoir a tous et a tous bonne chance!

Ziggy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Graham’s latest roadkill

A leisurely drive down the I81 is a common occurrence for the Glengarry Bhoys, we stop at customs do our ritual of passports and a huge discussion on when we will be performing close to Watertown so the custom officials can come check out a concert, then head south to the I476 to wherever our travels take us on a certain weekend.

This weekend took us to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the Stabler Arena for the first annual Winter Classic Celtic Festival that is sponsored by the world famous Celtic Classic held every September in Bethlehem, PA.

As we arrive in Hellertown, PA our hotel was the Holiday Inn Express that just opened and it was the first hotel that I have been a guest at (and there has been many) that has a 42-inch flat screen television. You gotta love those types of Televisions.

We arrived at the venue 3 hours before our concert to unload, eat, and drink, not necessarily in that order. We performed at 90 minute show opening for Eileen Ivers possibly one of the best Irish Fiddlers on the circuit today. Attendance was great for the first year and I’m sure it will grow to the magnitude and status of the Celtic Classic.

The next morning I went for a 3 mile run through the countryside in the winter chill and returned back to the comfort of my room and flat screen television to hang out till our concert that evening, again we arrived 3 hours prior to our concert to capture the dazzling performance by Solas (amazing band). The Bhoys then kicked it in until the wee hours and headed back to the hotel for some libations and well deserved sleep.

Sunday morning we did the opposite, headed north on the I476 and the I81 whereby we were captured in the middle of the worst snow storms of the year in Watertown, NY. The snow was so horrid that most of the drive was at 1 mile per hour and we counted 46 cars in the ditch along with 1 tow truck and 1 police car (thanks Zig for the awesome driving). As soon as we hit the border the sky was clear and we headed home to watch the super bowl, GO COLTS…..

All in all it was a wonderful weekend, Special thanks goes out to John Sweeney, Greg Cunningham, Meredith and Cindy. Thanks to everyone for heading out to the concerts this past weekend, we had a great time.

Graham # 1

A good number of folks turned out on this frozen night to see us and join in our celebration of the great Robert Burns who took the Scottish literary world by storm in the second half of the eighteenth-century. Our tribute to him included a rendition of his song "Braw Lads o' Gala Water" which will hopefully be making an appearance on our next album. Big thanks to Chris for all his help and everyone that came out on that bitter night.

After a leisurely morning and a late checkout (something we rarely get to enjoy) we were back on the road. This day's destination was a gorgeous little theatre just outside Peterborough, NH. The Peterborough Player's Theatre was founded in 1933 and has been offering high-quality theatre and music for over 70 years. The 208 seat theatre is located in a converted 18 th-century barn and it even has a huge fireplace in the lobby. Easily one of the nicest places we have played.

Another great crowd turned out on this night and after warming ourselves by the fire we hit the stage. It was nice to see some friends from the area; a big thanks to Joei and company for helping with our merchandise (and for the candy - you are too good to us). Also a big thanks to Deb for the homemade lasagna and side dishes - delicious.

After a light dusting of snow the next morning we headed south for Madison, CT. A much warmer part of the country this was - there wasn't even any snow on the ground. Our concert location for this evening was the North Madison Congregational Church. The show was part of their "Fire in the Kitchen" concert series.

It was nice to see some more friends and long-time fans - they seem to find us everywhere. The sandwiches were as tasty as ever. A wonderful turnout and a beautiful sounding room made for an all-round great night (the free ice cream after the show didn't hurt either). We owe our gratitude this time to Charlie - he took care of us very well this night. After four left turns and a couple of rights we were at our hotel and in bed, for the next day brought an early departure.

The occasion on this past Sunday afternoon was the "Half-Way to GAIF Hooley" which was an event that celebrated the Great American Irish Festival's many volunteers, sponsors, and supporters. The event was sold out which is a terrific sign for the summer festival. Announcing the addition of a third day and musical acts like Eileen Ivers, this festival is truly going to be known as The Great American Irish Festival.

We shared the entertainment responsibilities at the party with Cliudan and the Butler School of Irish Dance. It was a really great party and it looks like the festival is going to be awesome. It will be held at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds near Utica, NY on July 27th-29th this year, so add it to your calendars and make plans to attend. It will be great.

Next weekend we are travelling to Bethlehem, PA for the Winter Classic. It should be a blast.

Until next time,

Graham S.

Last weekend Ewan, Graham 2 and I could be found in the wee hours of the morning, traipsing around Toronto's Pearson International Airport. We were headed to Orlando for the Central Florida Highland Games. Somehow, we were routed through Houston (!?!) so we had some good ol' airport fun there watching all the boots and big hair go by.

We arrived in Orlando in time for cocktail hour (which had begun a little early for our compadres - the fearless drivers, Zig and Graham 1. We played a short set at the Hilton Hotel for the Festival's Pub night and then got some well deserved shut-eye in preparation for our day in the sun.

The morning was cool-ish but I brought my 45 sunscreen and slathered it on very liberally in case. We set up and lo and behold there was the sun. It was a very bright and sunny and turned into a beautiful day.

We were joined at the festival by Enter The Haggis - other Canadians, so we talked of the frozen north and mutual friends. The Wyndbreakers also performed several times that day and the crowd was large and lively. Right behind the stage was a large pond full of alligators! They were just sunning themselves and lethargically watching the activity. There was also a swarm of buzzards overhead who had no doubt heard the bagpipes and thought something was dying! (Sorry, Ewan).

We played again that night back at the Hilton for the Ceilidh. We had a blast what with the Scottish Macarena, The multitudes of rum and cokes and the friendly people.

We weren't having such a good time the next morning at 4am when we had to get back to the airport but it was all worth it in the name of good ol' celtic fun.

Congratulations Canada on the first Saskatchewan Alligator Sanctuary!

Miranda

It’s a cold cold winters day today as we head to snowy Vermont, no wait scratch that last statement. It’s frigin warm, its 67 degrees; I’m out side washing our truck and trailer wearing shorts. What’s up with the weather? Not that I’m complaining; actually I’m not complaining at all I love the heat bring it on baby, bring it on. This time of year in Glengarry we are usually find ourselves underneath two feet of snow with temperatures that could freeze brass items from a monkey. I love it.

Middle Earth Music Hall:

First show of the New Year finds us at this delightful venue. Has anyone been to Bradford Vermont? The quaint little town has a 50-foot waterfall in the center of town I should have taken pictures as parts of the falls were frozen, surprisingly since the temperatures were in the 60’s. There is a great little sandwich shop around the corner from Middle earth but there is no need to go there since Middle Earth cooks up some delightful food and delicious wine.

Our first show of the year was a sell out, every seat taken and Jameson our Sound Engineer has returned from Costa Rica just in time for the warm weather and a sold out show. Each year Jameson heads to Costa Rica to surf for three months. Now you may ask why Costa Rica? Well his parents own a resort down there and he stays for free that’s why. But it’s great to have him back behind the board again.

This night we spent in cozy little cabins three to a room, TV, Shower, warm beads and a heating system that once it kicks in would even have the coldest person running outside for air, TV, a important commodity when traveling as much as we do.

The next morning we awoke thinking the weather must be back to normal by now, nope, it’s even warmer for our drive to the Perkins School, Lancaster Coffee House in Lancaster, MA.

Lancaster MA:

Yup another sold out house, another great concert and great friends. A special thanks to Joei for her help with the merchandise, The KIDS for the great pork sandwiches, and the staff at the school for the Chocolate fondue, Pizza, Sandwiches, Fruit and deli tray. The Staff here are like family we pull into the venue with endless help to move our gear and it all talk about family and friends. We may be performing with Arlo Guthrie at their inaugural Festival this year August 05th . Fingers crossed.

Special thanks also to everyone that came to both shows, Leslie, Linda, the Biker Chicks and there families, Happy Birthday to Helen (great to see you on your feet again) and to all the staff at both events.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (this is going to be the Bhoys best year ever)

Graham aka (G1)

A most enjoyable pre-Holiday sojourn to the barrier islands in south SC was just what this travel-weary soul needed. What was it like? Uill, bheir mi dhuit fios (well, I’ll tell you).

FOREWORD:

Lately Graham et al pick me up at my dad’s in north Cornwall where I park my new VW ‘Eos’ hard-top convertible, 2 litre turbo sports car (I just had to say that), and it goes like stink!! (I had to say that too – I love being pretentious!).

Our seemingly ubiquitous lifestyle lends itself to confusion – especially when we conclude a tour and resume another 2 days later – facing a straight 18 hour trip no less. What made this one more palatable was that we crusaded to one of my favourite parts of the continent: the barrier islands of SC.

Loaded up with extra large Tim Horton’s coffees (aka wake-up beverage), some Old Blind Dogs on the stereo (did I mention we love celtic music?), everyone’s favourite and eclectic reading material strewn about – we headed south to Spanish-Moss, palm trees and trade winds.

A FUEL OBSERVATION:

For all you northerners, gas gets progressively cheaper the further south you go. In South Carolina, gas is averaged at approximately $2.07 –09 a gallon – as opposed to $2.49 a gallon in NY and .85 a litre in Ontario. To put this into perspective for the frugal intellect among you, there’s about 4 litres to an imperial gallon (which is a few ounces bigger than a US gallon). So say approximately $3.40 a gallon in Canada, however, we get free universal Medicare, along with the privilege of paying $35.00 for a 24 case of beer. But its stronger beer eh?

THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE BREWERS BISTRO:

Daniel Island is actually adjacent to Charleston – the quintessential ‘Southern’ city. Opulent, clean, strategically planned neighbourhoods, beautiful ocean side walking paths, where apparently only Mercedes Benz’ and BMW’s are allowed on said premises.

Our show was outside near the bay, in a large tent, in honour of the official inaugural opening of the ‘Brewers Bistro’. The rather affluent attendees were served free food and libation all evening long: a superabundance thereof may I add.

I thought for sure that this was a miss-match as far as their chosen music was concerned, a venue that Tony Bennett would’ve been more at home in, and one that could’ve afforded him, I estimate! Nonetheless, we did our thing irregardless and within 20 minutes or so the large crowd migrated closer to the great stage. The second show proved that beneath everyone’s outer layers lies a soul that wants to break out and ceilidh their arses off! They did! We did! And what a ceilidh it was…. Clapping, jumping, singing, dancing, even they seemed surprised at this rather spontaneous exhibition of blissful enthusiasm. Free booze definitely helps!

Smitty and Miranda were in seventh heaven. Crustaceans of every sort and style, expensive wines, and heavenly deserts. Stephanie, our good friend from Schenectady NY, retired from law enforcement, piper extraordinaire, now re-settled in Myrtle Beach, came out to see us and helped out with our merch table. Thanks pipe major!

We each had our own luxury suite at the new Island Hampton next door to a high-end pirate themed restaurant, where we were carte-blanched for anything and everything we desired. More free food and beer? Why not! After closing time, with remote in hand, sports on the tube, debriefing a perfect day, I counted my blessings and faded

Next morning I took advantage of miles of boardwalk covered marshlands and went for 5 mile run in beautiful 70f weather. At 1 pm we slowly headed north to Emporia Va. where we stayed the night on route to DC. Next morning another beautiful day beckoned as we shipped off to DC.

THE FAMOUS ‘ IOTA’ MUSIC CLUB:

It was our first time at the storied Iota in Arlington Va. Seven nights a week they host some of the most exciting alternative acts anywhere – evidenced by posters all over the walls. We had a great and enthusiastic crowd for a Monday. The owner was impressed considering he had never heard of us before – which was only fair considering we had never heard of him, and that it was after all, a Monday night. He called our agent next morning to book us again: always a good gauge of one’s performance and attractable gate receipts.

It was great to see so many familiar faces; Jane, Jane, Edie, Brenda, Andrew, Roger, Deb, the Wallaces from our Scotland trip, and a crew from Plattsburg NY that had seen us years ago at the Naked Turtle!! We had a blast – what a great venue and staff.

Right after the show we loaded up and headed north for a quick 10 drive home. We arrived at 7 am. I went home, took a shower, put on my court robes and went to work. I love my life and all those that make it possible. You.

A la prochaine mes amis!

Hope everyone has a Happy Christmas and a great Hogmanay!

Ziggy

Memorable highlights:

Graham’s unique brand of “poker-face” humor; as always, hysterically funny and revealing a never before seen talent; changing a broken guitar string while step dancing…multi-tasking with panache!

Graham Smith, also affectionately known as G2, doing an incredible solo. Flying fingers, talent to spare and a killer smile complete with dimples…a joy to watch! Miranda’s angelic voice totally captivating the audience with The Maid On The Shore and the laughing gleam in her eyes as she played the fiddle, alternating between playful and passionate.

Ewan, on the highland pipes getting right into the audience both literally and figuratively…showmanship and “attitude” with a capital “A” (in the most complimentary sense of the word) combined with an energy that can heat up even the coldest room. Ziggy, THE MAN, on the drums…the heartbeat of the Bhoys music, singing En passant par ici from the Mill Sessions CD in French and Nor’wester Men from The Gathering CD.

The Glengarry Bhoys put on one incredible show (no surprise there!) and the only complaint to be heard from the audience after just one encore, was that it was over much too soon.

A special “Thank You” on behalf of the Bhoys to Joei and Cheryl who presided over the merchandise table with their usual enthusiasm and smiling personalities.

With best wishes for the Holidays,
Bonny
The “loud MacLeod”

But we made it. The venue was this cool little club called Helsinki. A neat little place serving Finnish fare - there was a decent wine list too. After setting up and sound-checking we were fed and then entertained by this great group called The Dust Poets who were kind enough to warm the stage for us. It turned out that they had played at the Night Eagle Caf é the night before, and that's where we were booked for the night after (more on that later). It turns out that The Dust Poets are Canadians too. Another great Canadian band for you all to enjoy - check them out.

After two great sets, and lots of clapping along, we packed up and made our way to our accommodations - the Race Brook Lodge. This place is quoted as being "The Berkshires' Chintz-Free Rustic Mountain Hideaway." What can I say? We'll give them that. A comfy bed was all that was needed that night, and they gave us that.

The next day we were able to sleep in a bit and take our time getting to Oxford, NY. After winding our way through some back roads we found ourselves at the Night Eagle Café. A great little venue that seats about 90 people and serves delicious hot beverages, tasty cakes, and FREE BEER (donations were greatly appreciated however). Another great show with lots of enthusiastic response from the audience. It's always so easy to put on a show when you look out and see all the smiling faces and clapping hands. As of the new year the wonderful proprietor Ken will be moving his caf é to Binghamton. It will be a bigger room with a bigger stage, and we hope he'll invite us for a show sometime.

After the show on Saturday we decided to get a head start on our journey to New Hampshire, so we drove for a couple of hours and found a hotel around Cobleskill, NY. It was a very nice, new Holiday Inn Express; it was a little tricky to find though, just ask Zig. Some strange signage on the highway made us a little frustrated, but after checking in and getting some sleep, all was okay.

We finished our trek to Newmarket the next day with a little sidetrack on a couple more back roads. The venue on Sunday was the Stone Church. This is a fantastic room with lots of seating, a nice menu, and plenteous amounts of beverages. A nice quick set-up, a bite to eat, a change of clothing, and we were on the stage. Another great crowd this night with a few familiar faces from our recent Scotland tour, and other longtime GB fhans. Special thanks to Joei and company for all their help as usual - it makes our job that much easier.

Due to a court date the next morning for Zig (he wasn't in trouble, he's a lawyer), we needed to depart right after the show. Some expert driving got us back to Cornwall in good time, even with some icy roads and a bit of a squall towards the end (Graham - you're the man).

Next weekend we will find ourselves driving all the way down to South Carolina. Hopefully some warmer temperatures will make the long drive worthwhile.

The holidays are coming. Wishing you all the best,

Graham S.

Traveling as much as the Bhoys do, we get to meet a wide variety of people and fhans on our journeys, and sometimes shows just seem to blur from one to another. Then, once in a while, a few people go just a little further to make us feel a little more welcome.

This past weekend we played at the State Theatre in Bay City Michigan, Hosted by the Friends of Celtic Culture - A group of people who get together that love Celtic Music, their heritage, and to share a pint…. or two....

After the long drive and an hour stopped on highway 401 for an accident, we arrived at the theatre and were able to do a quick set up with all the extra hands and a smooth sound check. Since we were running late, supper was ordered for us and delivered to our green room. A quick bite, cold drinks for the guys and two bottles of wine for Miranda, and on stage to an almost full house. It didn’t take long for Graham to get the audience clapping their hands and getting right into the music. Miranda’s voice touched so many as usual and it's not too often I get a fresh beer handed to me on stage just as I finish the first, thanks to Mike being right on the ball. After the show our extra hands returned to help us pack up and load the trailer. (Life is much easier with extra hands)

At this point we were invited to join the friends of Celtic culture at their local pub called “the green hut” or the hut. Not only were we invited but we were chauffeured to and from the hut in a big white” limo” where we were treated to many pints, pizza, and great conversations. To top off this evening we stayed in a great hotel with big comfy beds and free cookies. Ahhh, 'tis the life!! Thanks to the Friends of Celtic Culture for being such great hosts, and we would love to do it again next year!

P.S. Gerry I need to sample the piano again!!

Living the dream
Ewan

Our thoughts are with Angela and Stuart Cameron this week with the passing of John Allan Cameron, The Godfather of Celtic music in Canada

Thursday morning witnessed us sleepily heading to Merrilville, IN - destination T.J. Maloney's. We arrived just in time to set up and sound check and eat a lovely meal courtesy of the fabulous T.J's. (And I had a fishbowl of wine....) We performed two extra-long sets with a little breather in the middle for some refreshment....

I've always enjoyed playing at this particular bar - the people are really sweet and the food is great but....There's one drawback. After we finish playing for the evening...Karaoke takes over the bar. I'm amazed by the talent of some singers, the lack of skill in others but the overwhelming enthousiasm of all. Maybe it has something to do with the endorphins being released but everyone seems so happy! What am i missing.

I came pretty close to doing "Jolene" but I just couldn't. Maybe next time.

After a lovely sleep-in (except for the ants in my bathroom) we pointed our trusty vehicle towards Downer's Grove. Ballydoyle's has everything you want in a pub; oak, warm light, little snugs, big lofty rooms, a hydraulic stage (all the better to see your feet m'dear) cute bartenders and supreme hospitality. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and we had such a fun night playing to the crowd and taking suggestions - some twice! Thank you Phil, I hope we're back soon.

On to Ann Arbour, my kind of town. The venue here, The Ark, is magic. Backstage, all the walls are covered in the signatures of the people who've played there before. Some of my favorites - Nanci Griffith, Hot Club of Cowtown, Sarah Slean, The Greencards, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Quite a roster.

Our show was paced just right – with a superb set list from Zig. It felt so good to be up on that stage. Being a little prone to sentimentality, I have to admit my cup runneth over. (I also spilled a bit of wine backstage. Shh….don’t tell.) More friends had come to the show – see Paul, you’re safe at The Ark…no karaoke! AND….I got to see my very good friend Cori, who was my roommate and fellow cast member in Barrage. I haven’t seen her for four years, so it was a very joyful reunion. She’s doing fabulous work in Michigan with her group “Fiddlers Restrung”. Hire them, support them – they’re fantastic and so is she. We all went out after and I stayed out a wee bit late and when I finally stumbled into the hotel and got into the elevator I realized something. “This Holiday Inn doesn’t have a 5th floor and yet, I’m in room 511 ?????” Further investigation revealed I was actually supposed to be in the Holiday Inn ACROSS THE STREET. Who knew?

Sidenote: The correct Holiday Inn was located directly opposite a Tim Hortons. Graham and Zig were in seventh heaven. See? Ann Arbour has something for everyone. On to Dayton. More friends…..So lovely to see you all. Dayton is wired for internet but ludite me couldn’t figure it out….interesting fact though… The Dublin Pub, home of the BIGGEST PORTIONS EVER is always a fun place to play and we had a ball. Highlights include Ewan’s chair dance. If that chair had been a woman, she would have been very happy! Zig’s amazing bodhran playing – btw, he is one of the best drummers I’ve ever played with. Great tempi and pocket and I just adore the bodhran. Graham II and Ewan’s fist-fight on stage. Now boys, does it have to come to that?

Tired but happy, we headed to my favorite hotel, the Crowne Plaza. I love the little sleep sachets with eyemask, lavender scent and believe me, the earplugs come in VERY HANDY in the van.

We arose early and despite an overturned tractor trailer, we made it to the tv station on time. We performed on a Kentucky noon-time news show and frankly, killed. (That’s good.)

We had lovely hotels, (I was in one, the bhoys in another – guys, I know you got homebaked cake and sandwiches but I got a swank wine bar which suited me just fine. Okay….I wish I had cake.)

We got to the beautiful Kentucky theatre and unloaded our gear. The Wood Songs Radio Hour is a fantastic volunteer-run, artist support show that gets out to an incredible number of people via internet web/podcasting and live video feed. Michael Jonathon, the Founder and Host has a great set-up and format for the show with two bands and some interview questions along with an opportunity for the groups to sell cds in the lobby and through the website. The show went smoothly and we shared the stage with Devon Allman’s Honey Tribe (Devon being Allman brothers Greg Allman’s son.) We had a great time and coming from tree-hugger Guelph, I felt right at home. Check out our video webcast on the WoodSongs website under the archive section. There are some amazing artists on the site too and you can watch those videos and subscribe to the Woodsongs podcast on ITUNES. Follow the Icons on www.woodsongs.com

We headed back to Canada post haste for a) Tim Hortons and b) so I could teach my Tuesday lessons.

Thanks to all the friends who came to the shows. This was right up there with one of my

favorite Bhoys trips yet.

Merci Bien. Bisoux!

140 km/ h Winds with Snow, Sleet, Hail and a possible Hurricane, Clouds that were so black I thought it was night, skies so blue the brightness hurt our eyes– freezing temperatures that could freeze the *%$# of a brass monkey and warm weather not unlike that of the Caribbean. This describes our weather patterns we bravely trudged through this past weekend in Ohio.

Cleveland the home of rock and roll has now become the home of Celtic music and there is no better place to kick that off than at the West Side Irish American Club. A beautiful building with stunning grounds and tons of Irish men and women sitting around the local pub talking with a mixture of accents that the united nations would be proud of.

Columbus Ohio, home of the Buckeyes and a 44 – 0 score on Saturday, way to go Ohio. We won’t mention whom they played, as I was told during the show by a patron wearing a Buckeye jersey “they played someone that was either # 2 or lower”, how cool is that. Byrn’s pub was packed beyond capacity for our show and we kicked it into high gear with the owner playing bhodran along side Miranda. What a great bunch of band mates I have, Thanks Guys for making this a great weekend.

After getting up in the morning from our warm beds at the hotel, we took a long drive home through every weather pattern known to man. Ice Rain, Snow, Rain, sleet, sun, clouds, freezing temperatures and hot muggy temperatures, I think it’s God’s way of saying “see what you have to look forward too every week” Yikes.

Thanks to everyone that came to the concerts and to all of you for making what we do so much fun. A special thanks to Sue, Kyle and Rowan for being such good friends and for the wonderful gifts. You guys are the best.

Until next time this is G1 signing off,. Oh yea. I’m off to Florida for a nice holiday. I’ll be back with some tan lines, maybe!.

I have added a picture taken on Ewans Brown’s camera. See if you know anyone that came to Scotland, what a hoot that was. Annie and Kel you are the best.

Graham

Highlander’s Lament
Weather: Great

This has been my 14th or 15th trip to Bonnie Alba and I never tire of her. What a tour! What great company! What great scenery, weather, pubs, grog, walking trails, lochs, glens and on and on…. Here’s a brief synopsis, as I fear to do this tour justice would take me hours.

Wed the 11 October, on the heels of a gruelling southern tour, we set off for Newark NJ in perfect weather – till we got to NJ that is. We met up with our agent Tim Drake from the Roots Agency somewhere in northern NJ for lunch and great wine, when word came out a plane had just crashed into a building in Manhattan and all air traffic had been halted; one more bottle of wine please?

We took our time and got to the airport a few hours ahead of departure, saw a great live salsa band (?) had a few wets in the bar and met our tour-mates at gate 32. Some hellos and hugs and we were on the plane with just a one hour delay.

A few crappy movies and meals, a snooze, some tepid coffee and we were at Tollhouse airport in Edinburgh – the Royal Burgh. It is there we met up with the best and most knowledgeable bus driver ever, Ronnie. He took us on a brief tour of Edinburgh and up to Calton Hill for a breathtaking vista of the capital. What a sight! I never tire of it!

We booked into the Ramada Mountain View Hotel, considered to be one of the best in Scotland. Some folks went shopping, others went pubbing (guess who that was?) and I even managed to get a run in up to “Arthur’s Seat” – a mountain top shaped like a coronation seat over looking the Pentland Hills and the Firth of Forth. It was perfect! The sun sets later in Scotland than here due to its northern latitude, which afforded me one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen. I was breathless (mostly because of the run up the mountain…d’oh!).

Graham met up with our old friend from Cornwall On., Karl Wolinger. Karl is an artists/musician that tours the world – up and leaves when it suits him – a modern day renaissance man. He did a short stint with us last winter as our sound tech and Graham located him at our favourite watering hole in Scotland, Deacon Brodie’s.

After a great supper we all headed back to Deacon Brodie’s to kick off our tour with some great Scottish ales. However, our inaugural night wouldn’t be the same without a ‘ceilidh’ eh? So we did, even past closing time – which apparently means nothing to Kelly and Annie who, somehow, convinced the staff to re-open the bar for one more, very large, round of drinks~! Wow…..

The next day most of the to