(It Means "Red Fox" In Gaelic)

With the month of March upon us and St. Patrick's day just a couple of weeks away, I figured I'd find someone with which to discuss Irish music. Growing up in a Catholic family with a father who idolized Dylan Thomas to the point that he named my younger brother after his love for the late poet (and, it could be argued, his equal love for Bob Dylan), to say I was exposed to Irish culture was an understatement. Heck, my little bro got off easy with his Scotch-Irish first and last name combo. In Gaelic the name Devin means "bard" or "poet," and Grant is an old Scottish surname, complete with it's own crest and tartan pattern. So yeah, I grew up eating corned beef on St. Patty's Day, lamb with mint jelly for Easter, and somehow I avoided the Irish drinking curse, which depending on which Irishman you ask is either a blessing or a curse. It might help a bit that I was adopted.
Of course, any good Irish upbringing had to include music, and my father was once again on the ball in that regard. I grew up listening to the likes of the Irish Rovers and The Chieftains, and once I was out on my own I continued to be attracted to Irish bands, including Van Morrison, Clannad, Black 47, Hothouse Flowers, Sinead O'Connor, The Waterboys, and of course, U2.
But enough about me, I was up for discussing Irish music, and then my buddy Alan Coker reminded me that this week marked the tenth anniversary of Madra Rua, one of the coolest, and certainly the most authentically Irish of pubs in the Lowcountry (sorry Tommy Condons). Perfect! What better folks to talk to about all things Irish than Madra Rua co-owners Stephen O'Connor and Robert "Spense" Spencer. I headed over to the pub and was soon seated across from the pair in one of the cozy nooks that make Madra Rua feel so authentically Irish. Oh, and yes, I've been in a few Irish pubs in Dublin and Killarney. O'Connor personally picks out most of the music you hear playing in Madra Rua. "You'll hear more jigs and reels during the day," said O'Connor, who hails from Ireland and despite living in the US for years still has that wonderful accent that makes one think of the Island of Saints and Scholars fondly. "Later on in the evening though, you'll hear a good mix of more modern Irish artists." O'Connor lists The Dubliners and The Chieftains as favorites, and also gives props to up and coming act The Coronas, who are relatively unknown in America, but who beat out U2 at the 2010 Meteor Awards (the Irish equivalent of our Grammy Awards) for Best Irish Album.
O'Connor moved to the US from Ireland in the 90's, initially working as an engineer for a construction company on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts before relocating to Charleston through his job in 1998. The idea for Madra Rua came from necessity. "I missed the feel of a real pub," said O'Connor. After meeting Spencer by chance ("My wife was in a band with Spence's brother," said O'Connor) the two became fast friends, and after hearing his friend pine for a real Irish pub one time too often, Spense suggested he simply open one, and offered to go in as a partner.
The pair searched for just the right location for their bar and soon found it on East Montague Avenue in North Charleston. Back in the first few years of the millennium, that now trendy neighborhood was still emerging from years of being known as one of those parts of town where you automatically locked your car doors from the inside while driving. Despite the fact that the neighborhood was starting to improve, the news that O'Connor and Spenser were building a pub there was met with curiosity by their friends. "They said 'Your really opening a bar on Montague?'," said Spenser, grinning. "At the time there were a few businesses in the surrounding blocks, including Aunt Bee's, Johnny's, and Idle Hour," said O'Connor, "but people thought we were crazy for picking that location."
Ten years later O'Connor and Spencer look like geniuses. The Park Circle neighborhood is in the middle of a full scale renaissance, and while plenty of other trendy restaurants and nightspots have sprung up (EVO Pizza, The Mill, Cork), Madra Rua is still viewed by many as an anchor business in the community.
According to O'Connor and Spencer, business was good from the minute they opened the doors back in 2003. "It's hard to believe it's already been ten years," said Spencer in a recent press release. "My best memories have to do with the neighborhood and the neighbors. From the day we opened our doors the neighborhood just supported us so strongly. We tried to build an awesome place for people to gather, but it takes a community to make a pub with soul. I've made some of the best friends a man could ask for at the pub."
O'Connor points out that part of the appeal of Madra Rua is that it truly feels like an Irish pub. "We're not here to see how many television sets we can cram into the bar to show the most football games," says O'Connor. While there are a few sets placed around the bar, they mostly show soccer and rugby matches from overseas. The volume is kept low though. O'Connor and his staff want the pub to be a place where friends can meet up and actually hear one another talk. They tried live music for awhile, but eventually moved away from having musicians play. "It's more all about the socializing," said O'Connor. Business became so good that the pub eventually expanded to a space next door. O'Connor remembers trying to cut through the 23-inch brick wall that separated the original pub space from the expansion space next door. "We bought a miniature jackhammer and exhausted ourselves trying to punch through that wall," remembered Spencer. "Finally, after hours of getting nowhere, we got a friend who had a diamond-tipped saw. He sliced through that wall like it was warm butter." The pub also made news recently by going completely non-smoking (previously one half of the bar allowed smoking), even though there's not yet an anti-smoking ordinance in North Charleston. "We just thought it would be a good idea," said O'Connor, "and so far our customers have been very positive about the change.  
Madra Rua already hosts some popular annual events, such as the Lowcountry Lebowski Celebration each June and what has become the Lowcountry's biggest St. Patrick's Day celebration in March. They'll be doing it again on Saturday March 16th from 12pm to 8pm. Before that though, O'Connor and Spencer are throwing a 10th anniversary party this Sunday starting at 6pm to say thanks to the Park Circle community for supporting the pub for the last decade. There will be food and drink specials, giveaways that include a trip to Boston, and other fun events. Stop by and grab a pint on Sunday if you can, especially if you've never had the chance to go to Madra Rua. Be sure to listen to the music that's playing as well. It's every bit as authentically Irish as the rest of the establishment.  
         

Whole Lotta Love

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last decade or so, then you at least have a passing knowledge of what "American Idol" is. The popular televised singing contest has earned huge ratings and given the pop music world the likes of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. While winning the contest obviously has its perks, there have been just as many runners up that have gone on to find fame and fortune. Quick, name who won AI the year that Jennifer Hudson was a runner up. I didn't think so, and while hudson didn't win the big AI prize, she probably isn't losing to much sleep over it. If she does have any qualms about not winning, she can always talk to her Oscar statuette she won for her performance in "Showgirls."
The reason I bring this up is because this past week found a runner up from the latest season of AI, Charleston's own Elise Testone, putting on a special Valentine's Day performance at the Charleston Music Hall. Backed by a 12-piece band, Testone treated a sellout crowd to two sets of music that mixed classic rock and R&B tuns with Testone's own compositions. With it being Valentine's Day, Testone could have taken the easy way out and performed schmaltzy love songs for a couple of hours, but that isn't Testone's style. The singer-songwriter took to the stage with guitarist Wallace Mullinax and dove straight into a lovely cover of Sam Cooke's "Touch the Hem of His Garment." By the end of the song the pair had been joined by the rest of the band, which included drummer Daniel Crider, percussionist Jack Burg, bassist Ben Wells, keyboardist Gerald Gregory, cellist Lonnie Root, and saxophone players Michael Quinn and Simon Harding, as well as backing singers Shannon Cook and Diane Fabiano. The stage was festooned with candelabras, chandeliers, white ostrich feathers, and other frilly and decadent props. Testone wore a simple black dress and a pair of red shoes my wife probably would have killed to own.
Much of the first set was devoted to Testone's own songs, although she did deliver a great and unexpected cover of Gillian Welch's "Tear My Stillhouse Down." Testone mentioned that Welch herself had played the Charleston Music Hall a couple of years back, and sited that fact as part of the reason she chose the song to cover. During the first set Testone also welcomed to the stage David Bankston, who was her vocal professor when she attended Coastal Carolina University. Both musicians seemed to get a bit emotional during their duet, but not so much that they couldn't playfully make jokes at one another's expense. The set ended with a smoldering cover of the Smokey Robinson-penned "Who's Loving You," which was made popular by The Jackson 5.
After a short intermission the band kicked into the second set, and things started moving away from the unplugged performance that had been promised in advertisements for the show. Believe me, I'm not complaining about that. Anyone who has ever seen the adrenaline-fueled R&B reviews Testone used to put on at the Pour House prior to getting the AI gig will tell you that the woman can rock out. She did just that as she performed more originals, dazzling the crowd with some genuinely great songwriting skills. I hope when Testone finally gets to record the album she dreams of making, that she'll go with all originals. Her compositions are good enough to stand on their own. With that said, I was still delighted to hear Root start sawing out a familiar riff that was first introduced to the world four decades ago courtesy of Jimmy Page's guitar. Testone's performance of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" on last season's AI was one of the show's defining moments. Even the show's judges agreed that Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant would have approved of the performance. At the Charleston Music Hall Testone started the classic cover slow, up until the point where Crider nailed John Bonham's climactic drum flourish, leading to Mullinax recreating Page's famous guitar solo while Testone wailed with an echo effect on her microphone. It was the perfect peak for the show and had the audience on their feet. Elise returned to the stage for one last song, a cover of local band Dangermuffin's "Homestead."
Throughout the show both Testone and her band were the picture of professionalism. Even when feedback was causing problems during one song, the musicians pressed on and overcame the technical difficulties. In the end, Testone demonstrated that she intends to make the most of the exposure she's received by being a part of AI. However it is also evident that Testone isn't about to let being an AI contestant define who she is. For those that missed last Thursday's show, Testone will be opening for blues legend B.B. King when he performs at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on April 23.  

Wouldn't You Agree?

I've always been a hopeless romantic in just about every way except when it comes to music. Sure, there are some great love songs out there, but for every great one (a few that quickly come to mind include John Lennon's "Woman," Elton John's "Your Song," and The Beatles' "Something"), there are ten horrid examples of an amorous mood set to music (Amy Grant's "Baby Baby," Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," Celine Dion's entire catalog). Even with my reverence for just about everything musical, I often use the slow romantic song of a concert set to go get another beer. I know, all of you ladies out there are probably saying, "How can I find myself a man like this? Is this guy single?"
That is what you're saying, right?
Right?
Hello?
Anyone still there?
Seriously though, just in case anyone was wondering, I've been spoken for. My heart belongs to a great little woman from L.A. (that'd be Lower Awendaw), and she was a music major in college at one time to boot.
That little tidbit brings me to the, er, heart of the matter on this Valentine's Day. While I'm really not the romantic music type, that has not allowed me to escape the phenomenon found only among couples that is best known as "our song." You know, as in "Oooh! That's our song playing on the radio!" which is inevitably followed by kissing and hugging and pinches on the butt (hey, you have your moves, and I have mine).
I remember the first time I heard the song that would eventually become "our song." It was 1991, and I was deployed with my army unit in Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Storm. Things were winding down, and one day I got a care package from my then girlfriend (spoiler alert: she's now my wife). In the package, along with various edibles, was that tried and true romantic standby of the latter part of the 20th century; the mix tape. You remember those, right? In the days before iTunes playlists and MP3 players, one would painstakingly record a long list of songs on a cassette tape, with the intent of either A) if you were me, dazzling your potential mate with your deep and varied tastes in music, or B) just provide your girlfriend or boyfriend with something to pass the time if they happen to be stuck in, oh, I don't know, perhaps a place as miserable as the Saudi Arabian desert.
So I start listening to the tape and I'm enjoying it, because let's face it, my future wife rocked even back then. Then a song came on that made me stop what I was doing and just listen. "My god," I thought, "this is the most romantic song ever." To be fair, I'd been on a work detail in the hot May Saudi sun, a sun so hot even at that time of the year that when I sat outside in a pair of gym shorts doing my laundry in a washtub I got a horrific sunburn on the tops of my legs that later blistered, so perhaps I had a touch of heat stroke. However at that moment in time this particular song was just what I needed. What song was it? What righteous tune made the rest of the world melt away? It was a little ditty called "Groovy Kind of Love."
Hey, stop laughing.
I'm sure you have your silly little love song that floats the collective boats of you and your significant other. That one's ours. Oh, and the version included on said mix tape was the Phil Collins cover from the soundtrack to the film "Buster," not the original version by the Mindbenders.
Is "Groovy Lind of Love" the greatest love song ever written? Nope, far from it as a matter of fact. That doesn't change the fact though that every time I hear it (and these days I'll take that Mindbenders version any day) I am transported back to that day in Saudi, when that mix tape so lovingly compiled by the woman I loved who was thousands of miles away was the next best thing to being right next to her. We danced to it at our wedding more than a decade and a half ago, and we still smile at each other on those rare occasions when it comes on the radio, as if we're sharing some deep secret. No secret here; I love that woman, and I'm the luckiest man in the world to have her as my wife. Happy Valentine's Day, Margaret. I love you. I'm still going to get a beer though during the slow song at a show...unless of course the band chooses to cover "Groovy Kind of Love."