music


Fiddle Faddle T


hey say as one festival closes, another opens. For the town of Sterling, the completion of the annual Renaissance


Festival last weekend makes way for a rous- ing celebration of Celtic music and dance Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22. The Sterling Celtic Rock Festival, pairing inter- national touring bands and traditional Irish and Celtic dance, is a new venture presented by Empire Attractions. Six bands and several dance troupes will be featured on four stages.


This new festival aims high with headlin-


ers Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul. The band will be featured on both days of the festival. Searson, The Elders, The Tartan Terrors, The Causeway Giants and Syracuse favorites The Town Pants and Hadrian’s Wall round out the lineup.


Irish-American fiddle sensation Ivers has


been widely considered one of the best in the biz for more than a decade. With a unique balance of tradition and modern fire (they don’t call her the Jimi Hendrix of fiddle for nothing), Ivers is a consummate performer, often leaving her audiences alternating between astonished awe and foot-stomping euphoria. Taking a break from recording music


for Beyond the Bog Road, her multimedia concert that explores the stories and music that denote the Irish immigration to America, Ivers says she is looking forward to taking Sterling by storm. “We’re really excited about this new festival,” she says. “We enjoy the outdoor venues and the energy from the audiences in that kind of setting,” Warm and engaging in conversation, Ivers


has long had a gift for wowing a crowd. As a child, she effortlessly fiddled traditional Irish reels and folk songs to the delight of her Bronx neighbors, eventually racking up nine All-Ireland Fiddle championships. By the mid-1990s, Ivers was a bona fide


star, touring for three years with the origi- nal production of Riverdance. She says the


Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul headline the inaugural Sterling Celtic Rock Festival


experience of working on a big-budget produc- tion influenced her sense of showmanship. “I learned so much about performing,” Ivers notes. “I loved my time with Riverdance, but you always know when it is time to move on to a new thing.” For Ivers, that meant


forming Immigrant Soul, which combines traditional Irish music with Latin and African rhythms. While the fes- tival circuit is perfect for the band’s high-energy set, Ivers and company are just as likely to per- form with an orchestra. “Bringing ethnic and folk music to the symphonic stage is just an amaz- ing privilege,” she says. “Having those different kinds of outlets does keep things fresh.” In addition, Ivers loves to build upon the


BY TAMMY DIDOMENICO


Off the Wall Among the more familiar artists


on the lineup for the Sterling Celtic Rock Festival is Hadrian’s Wall. For more than a decade, singer-guitarist Neil Emberg has built a solid fan base in Central New York. Hadrian’s Wall has been featured at the Tipperary Hill Irish Fest, and was just in town on Aug. 14 for a performance at the Scottish Games at Longbranch Park in Liver- pool. Emberg frequently performs as a solo artist at Kitty Hoynes in Armory Square, and is scheduled to play there Friday, Aug. 20, and Saturday, Aug. 21. “The crowds in Syracuse are always


great,” Emberg says from his home in Vanleek Hill, Ontario. “For me, Syracuse is like a local gig at 3½ hours away.” Emberg says he is happy to partake


Eileen Ivers: “It’s amazing what tunes touch people. You can’t fake it with Celtic and Irish music.”


energy of an audience, no matter what the setting. “They really are part of the show,” she says. “For us, that’s the greatest joy. Every concert is different, and we love shar- ing our passion for this music.” Immigrant Soul allows Ivers an opportu-


nity to stretch out and present the music of her heritage with a fresh, rhythmic sound- scape without compromising authenticity. “You never want to dilute the essence of the tradition,” she says. “Irish music is emotional and honest; it’s really the stories and emo- tions of the people. These are songs that are hundreds of years old, but they still resonate with people.”


Ivers and her bandmates see their work as something of an ambassadorship. “An Afri- can groove can coexist in an Irish reel,” Ivers asserts. “We love to explore the parallels between different styles. You see that with bluegrass and Appalachian music—which was inspired by Celtic music—even French and Cajun music” “It’s amazing what tunes touch people,”


she continues. “Some people connect with the heartbreak of an old Irish reel, others just want to get up and dance, but either way, you can’t fake it with Celtic and Irish music. When you are fully present, in the moment of a performance, it’s a shared experience.” While her considerable fiddle chops have


made her a much sought-after side musician for artists from Celtic rockers Black 47 to Sting (“A lovely man, such a gentleman!” she reports), Ivers says Immigrant Soul is her most satisfying collaboration. “It’s just a great musical friendship. We


have a dream band,” Ivers says wistfully. “We have these great musical conversations, which is great for us because it’s fresh. As the band leader, I encourage these improvisa- tional breaks; it’s beautifully organic in that way.”


o The Sterling Celtic Rock Festival will be


held on the site of the Sterling Renaissance Festival, Farden Road, Sterling, on Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Tickets cost $19.95 in advance and $25 at the gate; children are $14.95. Visit www.sterlingceltic.com for more information.


16 August 18 - 25, 2010 Syracuse New Times


in the new Celtic Festival because he loves the music fans here. “The people in Central New York—and the Celtic and Irish communities in particular— are committed to helping out in their community. It’s like a small town where you know everybody. I have a real pas- sion for the city.” The band, formed in 1996 and


inspired by the traditional Scottish music still common in the Glengarry County neighborhoods the members grew up in, swells to as many as seven members on occasion. But Emberg explains it will be a three-person ver- sion of Hadrian’s Wall in Sterling next weekend. Flutist-guitarist Dave Gos- sage and fiddler Ashley MacLeod join him. “Things have really changed for


touring musicians over the past couple of years,” Emberg explains. “With the economy the way it is, we do what we have to do. We make a big sound for just three people.” The upside is that Emberg has found


a way to keep bringing the band’s joy- ous Celtic tunes to the people that most want to hear them. “We’ve toured all over, more than 30 different states and foreign countries. But I’ve found that it really is better to build a solid fan base.” The band’s latest release, Live:


Tonight’s Lineup (independent), offers an energetic sampling of the Hadrian’s Wall live experience. “That’s exactly what fans can expect at next week’s festival. “We’re basically a Celtic jam band,” Emberg notes. “I like to see people on their feet. I’m of the mindset that we should get rid of the chairs. If you can get people dancing, that’s all you need.”


—TAMMY DIDOMENICO


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