Here’s an original tune I wrote a week ago for a new harp friend I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Enjoy!
New Harp Tune: Live A Little
Tag Archives: Irish
March Madness, 2016 Edition
It’s been a long time since I posted, but less time on the computer means more time with an instrument in my hands! I can’t believe we’re all ready heading into another St. Patty’s season, and here it is just around the corner!
Saturday, March 12th, I’ll be on the Knitting Factory stage with Chad and Vashti Summervill. We’re opening for the Young Dubliners, who have never failed to bring energy and wild times to this venue! Chad and Vashti bring upbeat folk tunes, thoughtful ballads, and toe-tapping covers to life with their sublime vocals and bright personalities. You’ll be hard-pressed to meet more genuine folks than these two! Doors at 7:30, show starts at 8:30 with the Maw Band, followed by Chad and Vashti and the Dubliners.
Tickets are available online at TicketWeb: Young Dubliners/Chad & Vashti (Use promo code CHAD) or in person at the Hyde Perk Coffee House for $14.
Thursday, March 17th, the Giant Leprechauns will once again be bringing the trad to Humpin’ Hannah’s in downtown Boise! We’ll be playing from 6:30-8:30 and there’s no cover charge to get in!
Get updates and more info on the facebook event page: Hannah’s St. Patty’s Day Bash
Directly after that the party keeps on going at Mulligan’s! We’ll play some tunes before Piranhas BC takes the stage, so stick around if you like to rock out!
Check out the facebook event here: St. Paddy’s Day at Mulligan’s
St. Patty’s Gigs!
The day of Padraig rapidly approacheth! It’s the one time of year we Irish musicians are in high demand, and boy do we look forward to it! This weekend is going to be non-stop fun.
On Saturday the 15th the Giant Leprechauns are performing at the Linen Building for A Celebration of Irish Culture! Here’s the press release write-up:
“Family-friendly concert celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to be held on Saturday, March 15
“The Giant Leprechauns” will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Linen Building, 1402 W. Grove St. in Downtown Boise’s Linen District. $7 per person. All ages, full bar (I.D. required), Archie’s Food Truck. Plenty of free, off-street parking is available at the Linen Building.
Idaho’s premier Irish music group presents an evening of traditional Irish music, song, and dance. The Giant Leprechauns are regulars at Curtis Steiger’s Christmas Extravaganza and performed at Maureen O’Hara’s 93rd birthday celebration last year. With Dave Daley and Rachel Sulik on fiddles, Pat Harren on flute and whistle, Tim Sommer on guitar, and Michelle Estrada singing and playing drum (bodhran), the Giant Leprechauns play the same traditional Irish jigs and reels you would hear in pubs and concerts halls in Ireland. Their superb musical talents, coupled with their drive and energy, insures a high powered evening. This is an event that should not be missed for any fan of Irish music and culture. Start your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations early with us! You’ll not be disappointed.”
A Celebration of Irish Culture
Sunday the 16th we’ll be rocking the Ha’Penny with day-before-St.-Patrick’s fun! The session is sure to be packed with fantastic musicians in another family-friendly setting. No charge to get in here, so pop in any time between 7:30 and 9:30 and enjoy some pub chips and a pint!
Lastly, on the day of St. Pat’s (Monday the 17th) join us at Humpin’ Hannah’s for the greatest craic of all! We’ll be kicking off the show from 6:00 to 8:00, and at 8:30 our friends from Irish Dance Idaho will perform some high-energy Irish dance! The Boise Highlanders will amp up the scene after the dancers and Rocci Johnson herself will close the night with her rocking band.
No cover, and a $100 bar tab will be given to the Greenest Person there. Come on down and get your green on! Or is it the other way around?
Humpin Hannah’s
Merry Musical Christmas!
Happy holidays to all you music-lovers out there! The month of December is passing quickly, but this upcoming week is surely going to ramp things up right until Christmas Eve!
This Friday the 20th I’ll be fiddling at the Linen Building for the Second Chance Square Dance. Here’s what the Hokum Hi-flyers email had to say on it:
“Second Chance Square Dance this Friday December 20th
at
the Linen Building at 7 P.M.
1402 W. Grove St. in Downtown Boise’s Linen District.
$7 general admission
All ages, full bar (I.D. required). Plenty of free, off-street parking is available at the Linen Building.
Modeled after the popular Hokum Hoedown and featuring many familiar faces, the Second Chance Square Dance is a modern take on the old-time hootenanny featuring the infectious swing of an authentic acoustic string band. Providing music for the dance will be the Second Chance Band (Dave Daley, Tate Mason, Jason Homey, Renee Homey, Jim Williams and Rachel Dunn).
At each dance, a live band performs a diverse assortment of traditional folk-dance and string-band tunes while a cast of colorful callers directs the dances. In addition to square dancing, the event features some good old-fashioned, swingin’, two-steppin’ western dancing. Young and old, couples and families, tattooed hipsters and ten-gallon cowboys … the Second Chance Square Dance is a come-as-you-are, hand-clappin’ hootenanny for all.”
The fun doesn’t stop there. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (the 21st through the 23rd) the Giant Leprechauns will be opening the Curtis Stigers’ 8th Annual Xtreme Xtravaganza at the Egyptian Theater! Local musicians and bands fill the evening from 6:50 to 10:00 each night with an eclectic array of genres and personalities and proceeds benefit the Interfaith Sanctuary for homeless people and families. The Leprechauns will be first on the stage at 6:50 and last on the stage at 10:00 for the big finale. What a great way to lead up to Christmas!
I hope that you all have joyous music to fill your holidays and a very merry Christmas!
Dances and Sessions, Death and the Domino Effect
It’s shaping up to be a busy month! In six days from now I’ll be joining Bernie Reilly, Jason and Renee Homey, and Beth Mason in the Second Chance Band once again to play for the Second Chance Square Dance at the Linen Building! That’s Friday the 20th, doors open at 7:00. I can’t wait to see all you fancy dancers there!
Boise Events: Second Chance Square Dance, Friday the 20th, 2013
The Ha’Penny sessions will be kicking into full swing on September the 22nd and all your favorite local Irish musicians are going to be there! As always, musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join the session. If you haven’t been to a session at the Ha’Penny yet, go ahead and google “Ha’Penny Groupons” for a little extra incentive (or click on the link provided for as long as it’s available). There are often coupons for 50% off their delicious food — you won’t regret it!
Ha’Penny Food: 50% off
On a more sobering note, the Giant Leprechauns will be playing at the Domino Effect Benefit and Silent Auction on Thursday the 26th to help support the wife and family of Taylor Wood. Taylor died in a tragic swimming accident just a month after his marriage. He was a compassionate and generous man who inspired goodness and joy in everyone he met. You can read more about him in his obituary, here: Taylor Wood, 1989 – 2013. Proceeds from this event will go towards helping the family with the costs of his passing. The event will be held at Rocci Johnson’s establishment in downtown Boise; please view her Facebook Event for more information.
The Domino Effect Benefit and Silent Auction
The RDNaturally Calendar is all up to date for September in case you don’t want to remember all these random dates. There’s great music all around Boise this month, so get out there and make the most of these remaining warm days!
(Featured photo is by Anna Lisa Yoder. Check out her portfolio of gorgeous work! Anna Lisa Yoder)
Maureen O’Hara: Partying in Style
You’ve all probably been wondering, “Where’s Rachel gone?” (Well, all two of you who are still following me, that is!) Let me explain: … no, there is too much. Let me sum up: It’s tough to keep your page updated when you’re getting married, traveling to horsemanship events, and prepping for two weeks outside of the US. Nonetheless, I promise the music has not fallen by the wayside! This website and my page will be undergoing some changes soon, but as anyone who’s ever needed a laundromat knows, change is good.
On to the exciting news! Maureen O’Hara, Irish actor and singer, is turning ninety-three on August the 17th and has organized quite the birthday fundraiser bash. Starting at 10 a.m. she’ll be at the Egyptian Theater for the showings of a few of her movies and a meet and greet, and at 6:00 her “birthday gala” will be held at the Boise Grove Hotel. The Giant Leprechauns will be playing at the start of the gala to kick it off and providing background music during the dinner, and later in the evening our friends from Irish Dance Idaho will showcase their energetic Irish steps and choreographies!
It’s a huge honor to play fiddle for Maureen’s celebration and net proceeds from the event will go to the Justice Alliance for Vulnerable Adults, an Idaho elder abuse foundation. Happy birthday, Ms. O’Hara!
Giant Leprechauns at the Grove Hotel
August 17th, 6 p.m. onward.
For more information on Maureen O’Hara’s event, check out her page!
Maureen O’Hara Birthday Celebration
Psst! Looking for the Best St. Pat’s Party?
Follow the sultry sound of my fiddle… that’s right, just a few steps more — mind you don’t step on the leprechaun.
Actually, the worst you’d do is tread on his toes. I’m talking about The Giant Leprechauns here! This Friday at the Linen Building they’ll be putting on the finest Irish celebration in all of Boise! Forget the joints serving tinny jigs pumped over loudspeakers and canned corned beef; these shenanigans will be powered purely by live Irish musicians (way better than the dead ones), Irish dancers, and some of the finest folk singers in the Ada County. Come see me as part of the Giant Leprechauns and stay for all the fine performances, 7:30 on Friday the 15th!
“But wait,” you may be saying. “St. Pat’s isn’t until Sunday! Whatever will you be doing from Friday to the blessed day o’ the Irish?” The correct answer is: Taking Sacramento by storm. I have the joy of reuniting with the Celtic band, The Glens of SMOW (Sambandha Music of the World), for five performances on Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th. That’s right, Sacramento is getting a little bit of Idaho love in just seven days!
Check out my calendar for the schedule and details!
Calendar
Come be Clumsy!
The first annual Clumsy Fest is happening right here in Boise this Friday the 15th, featuring The Clumsy Lovers! Warming up the show will be the fantastic Irish group The Giant Leprechauns, including for her first time as a Leprechaun herself, Rachel Dunn! (Who, me? Shoot, surely looks like it!)
The Clumsy Lovers have brought their mix of fiddle and banjo-fuelled, bluegrassified Celtic rock to North American audiences for over a decade. With more than 2500 performances under their belts, their high-energy shows have worn out dance floors and created a loyal following in 49 states and across their homeland of Canada. The San Antonio Express-News review says: “Their fusion of bluegrass and Celtic with a rock attitude is the soundtrack for a kinetic show that has helped the band become a favorite of the roots music crowd.”
I had the immense pleasure of dancing for the Giant Leprechauns at Curtis Stiger’s Xtreme Holiday Xtravaganza last December and have been fiddling with them at the Ha’Penny sessions for over five years. It was a real honor when Dave Daley asked me to become a Giant Leprechaun a few weeks ago! Also joining us will be Michelle Estrada with her incredible vocal talents. You will not want to miss this!
The music kicks off at 7:00 with an open jam followed by the Giant Leprechauns on stage at 8:00. It’s all happening at Humpin’ Hannah’s on Main St.! Get directions here: Directions to Hannah’s
I’m super excited for this show and can’t wait to see you there!
Check out the Clumsy Fest’s facebook page for extra info and updates:
First Annual Clumsy Fest Facebook Event
Rachel Sulik 