Joanie Madden interview

Christina A. · Post by **Christina A.** » Mon Jul 30, 2001 1:42 pm

Just saw that CD Now has an interview with Joanie Madden. It's at -

http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/re ... :0727ctlsf

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Christina A. on 2001-07-30 15:44 ]</font>

Tom_Gaul · Post by **Tom_Gaul** » Mon Jul 30, 2001 5:31 pm

Thanks Christina. It was fun reading the interview with Joanie Madden. What a list of names of great musicians from the past and present! Pete Seeger with his books and records on folk guitar and banjo was my major source of instruction back in my guitar playing days. And of course the Clancy brothers for Irish music! I probably have every record they ever made. In 1984 during a vacation trip to Ireland we spent a great day in Dublin where I searched Walton's music store for everything they had on tin whistle playing which wasn't very much. Later, after sitting in Toner's pub and watching an amateur production of "Shadow of a gunman" and sipping on a few pints, we returned to our hotel and went to the sandwich shop for tea. Sitting two stools down from me with his cap on eating ice cream was someone who looked very familiar. I asked him if he was Liam Clancy and he said, "I am!" He and Tommy Makem had just finished a concert and he said that it soothed his throat to eat ice cream afterwards and so much for the wild parties they were supposed to have after their concerts! Tommy walked in at that point carrying his banjo and I offered to move over but he said "No, I get to see too much of him as it is!" So my wife and I and our two boys sat with them on each side of us chatting for about fifteen minutes. Needless to say it was that encounter and the trip to my grandfather's old farm that were the high points of our trip to Ireland!

Anyway, at the Lowell folk festival last Saturday Seamus Connolly the great Irish fiddler was supposed to play with Tommy Peoples who had to cancel so Seamus borrowed Donal Clancy, Liam's son, who was there playing guitar for Solas. The two of them played together amazingly well for their first time together and no practice time! One of Donal's solos on the guitar was "The Legacy Jig" which of course is on Joanie's first "Songs of the Irish Whistle" album. There does seem to be an interconnection here doesn't there?

I should mention that Seamus Egan of Solas was absolutely amazing! To see him perform so well on his banjo and then do some fast reels on his low whistle and later do one of the best flute solos I've ever heard absolutely blows my mind! Where do these people get so much talent? For the benefit of the low whistle fans on the board I got to ask him what kind of whistle he played. It's a Copeland low D. I also found this info. on a Solas CD when I got home. Oh well, I tried!

Best wishes, Tom

Ron Rowe · Post by **Ron Rowe** » Tue Jul 31, 2001 9:13 am

Did anyone happen to click on any of the links to other groups from the Joanie page? I clicked on the link for the Chieftains and read a couple of the reviews and interviews and in everyone they refer to Paddy Maloney as the LEAD SINGER of the Chieftains, not the piper or whistle player.
It is well known that he is the leader of the Chieftains, so aside from finding this amusing it got me wondering if music writers just assume that the singer is always the leader of a band?