Music Feature in the Flagstaff Live, Cover Story
Ancient Melodies, Modern Twists
The Knockabouts throw a Flag-style St. Patrick’s Day party
By Stephanie Flood
Published on 03/13/2008
In a land of rolling, green vistas, towering cliffs and thunderous oceans lives a musical heritage that has never wavered, even as poverty spread, famine killed and countries came and conquered. The heart of Ireland and its people continues to beat in the traditional Irish music played to this day.
“If you look, traditionally, at the history of Ireland you think, ‘Wow, what a horrible history. They have been conquered by everybody!’” says Jacquie McGregor, singer and flutist of local band the Knockabouts. “And I think if they didn’t have a musical outlet, they wouldn’t have had a way of retaining their culture.”
“Some of the tunes we play are over hundreds of years old,” says John McGregor, Irish whistler and singer. “I don’t think people realize that. We’re playing tunes over hundreds of years old that have been passed down in oral traditions and have finally been written down.”
The Knockabouts is a local Celtic Irish pub band that vows to keep these Irish traditions alive. But rather than playing a weeping riff of melodies that deliver more pain than cheer, the five-member band has decided to go about their music in a more festive manner.
“We hand out song sheets on the tables so people can sing along,” says John McGregor. “We even teach them how to dance, if they want to learn how to Irish step dance.”
A typical Knockabouts show includes stomping feet, clapping hands and choruses sung in loud celebration to keep the energy high and crowd riled up.It’s also no surprise that St. Patrick’s Day is one of their favorite holidays, and this year the Irish celebration will mark the band’s fifth anniversary together.
“We call it a Celtic pub band, because we’re kind of known for our rowdiness,” John McGregor says. “We play a lot of upbeat tunes; a lot of drinking tunes. We want to get the crowd engaged—dancing, singing and clapping along. That’s our shtick.”
The story of the Knockabouts began in John McGregor’s kitchen, while he and Jacquie, now his wife, were still dating. She was playing the saxophone and flute, and John had just picked up an Irish whistle.
“He had just been fooling around … playing the Irish whistle,” Jacquie McGregor says. “So when we were first dating he’d say, ‘Listen to my cool whistle,’ and I’d be like, ‘Good for you, that’s great.’ And he just decided he wanted to do something. So he got his roommates together, and we became a band.”
John McGregor’s Irish whistle is a petite, wooden flute-like instrument also called the penny whistle or tin whistle. The thin, hollow piece sends forth an airy sound in the music, floating above the reels of melodies emanating from the fiddle, guitar, flute and drums. Jacquie McGregor dabbled in jazz before deciding to pursue the Irish blends of music she plays now. Her voice is strong and husky, although the lyrics are infused with playful attributes that add folksy personality to her voice.
“What I try to do is pull in all my jazz influences,” she says, “and listen to all the Celtic and folk, and Joni Mitchell, and a little bit of everybody … so that we have something a little different than other Irish bands.”
The story of the Knockabouts continues as the rest of the band members brought their own instruments and styles to the group. Ron Barton has been with the band since their early days supplying guitar and vocals. He views his role as creating a good foundation for the lead singers to work with, as well as incorporating a percussive style to which he rigorously dances as he plays.
“It’s fun music,” Barton says. “It’s fun to play, and it’s challenging … you can do a lot of different things chord-wise, and add a great deal of texture to the melodies. You can help draw different textures to the music.”
Irish music is particularly rhythmic and based on the reel, a popular traditional dance style based on counts of twos and fours. As the guitarist, Barton emphasizes on the downbeats of the measures and, along with drummer Conor Madden, supplies the heartbeat of the Knockabouts’ catchy music. Madden is the bodhrán player. He explains that the drum is Ireland’s only native instrument, and how it is traditionally played:
“You hold it in one hand, and you play it with the other. And then you adjust the skin with the other hand, so you can get a lot of range out of it like a talking drum … Every culture’s got one,” Madden says. “What makes it unique is the style it’s played in. It’s played with a double-ended stick with one hand, so it’s wicked fast.”
Madden also plays a djembe, one of Africa’s loudest drums. “But both instruments are thousands of years old,” Madden says.
Finally, Irish music just wouldn’t be complete without a fiddle. Kari Barton, fiddler and daughter of guitarist Ron Barton, plays with the precise techniques learned from achieving her master’s degree in violin performance at Northern Arizona University. Her playing creates a driving force that propels the music forward. She intertwines emotion with every pass of her bow, striking a resonating sound that can be felt oceans deep.
People feel a deep connection (to Irish music),” Jacquie McGregor says. “It doesn’t matter what your cultural background is. There is something heartfelt and core-of-the-soul to Irish music.”
Whether it’s the fast, eager tunes of the fiddle, the enchantment of the Irish whistle or the beating of the bodhrán, there is something about the Knockabouts’ music that can captivate just about anybody.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Mon, March 17, with the Knockabouts at Charly’s, 23 N. Leroux. The show begins at 9 p.m. and there will be a cover. For more information, call 779-1919 or visit www.knockabouts.org.
The Knockabouts throw a Flag-style St. Patrick’s Day party
By Stephanie Flood
Published on 03/13/2008
In a land of rolling, green vistas, towering cliffs and thunderous oceans lives a musical heritage that has never wavered, even as poverty spread, famine killed and countries came and conquered. The heart of Ireland and its people continues to beat in the traditional Irish music played to this day.
“If you look, traditionally, at the history of Ireland you think, ‘Wow, what a horrible history. They have been conquered by everybody!’” says Jacquie McGregor, singer and flutist of local band the Knockabouts. “And I think if they didn’t have a musical outlet, they wouldn’t have had a way of retaining their culture.”
“Some of the tunes we play are over hundreds of years old,” says John McGregor, Irish whistler and singer. “I don’t think people realize that. We’re playing tunes over hundreds of years old that have been passed down in oral traditions and have finally been written down.”
The Knockabouts is a local Celtic Irish pub band that vows to keep these Irish traditions alive. But rather than playing a weeping riff of melodies that deliver more pain than cheer, the five-member band has decided to go about their music in a more festive manner.
“We hand out song sheets on the tables so people can sing along,” says John McGregor. “We even teach them how to dance, if they want to learn how to Irish step dance.”
A typical Knockabouts show includes stomping feet, clapping hands and choruses sung in loud celebration to keep the energy high and crowd riled up.It’s also no surprise that St. Patrick’s Day is one of their favorite holidays, and this year the Irish celebration will mark the band’s fifth anniversary together.
“We call it a Celtic pub band, because we’re kind of known for our rowdiness,” John McGregor says. “We play a lot of upbeat tunes; a lot of drinking tunes. We want to get the crowd engaged—dancing, singing and clapping along. That’s our shtick.”
The story of the Knockabouts began in John McGregor’s kitchen, while he and Jacquie, now his wife, were still dating. She was playing the saxophone and flute, and John had just picked up an Irish whistle.
“He had just been fooling around … playing the Irish whistle,” Jacquie McGregor says. “So when we were first dating he’d say, ‘Listen to my cool whistle,’ and I’d be like, ‘Good for you, that’s great.’ And he just decided he wanted to do something. So he got his roommates together, and we became a band.”
John McGregor’s Irish whistle is a petite, wooden flute-like instrument also called the penny whistle or tin whistle. The thin, hollow piece sends forth an airy sound in the music, floating above the reels of melodies emanating from the fiddle, guitar, flute and drums. Jacquie McGregor dabbled in jazz before deciding to pursue the Irish blends of music she plays now. Her voice is strong and husky, although the lyrics are infused with playful attributes that add folksy personality to her voice.
“What I try to do is pull in all my jazz influences,” she says, “and listen to all the Celtic and folk, and Joni Mitchell, and a little bit of everybody … so that we have something a little different than other Irish bands.”
The story of the Knockabouts continues as the rest of the band members brought their own instruments and styles to the group. Ron Barton has been with the band since their early days supplying guitar and vocals. He views his role as creating a good foundation for the lead singers to work with, as well as incorporating a percussive style to which he rigorously dances as he plays.
“It’s fun music,” Barton says. “It’s fun to play, and it’s challenging … you can do a lot of different things chord-wise, and add a great deal of texture to the melodies. You can help draw different textures to the music.”
Irish music is particularly rhythmic and based on the reel, a popular traditional dance style based on counts of twos and fours. As the guitarist, Barton emphasizes on the downbeats of the measures and, along with drummer Conor Madden, supplies the heartbeat of the Knockabouts’ catchy music. Madden is the bodhrán player. He explains that the drum is Ireland’s only native instrument, and how it is traditionally played:
“You hold it in one hand, and you play it with the other. And then you adjust the skin with the other hand, so you can get a lot of range out of it like a talking drum … Every culture’s got one,” Madden says. “What makes it unique is the style it’s played in. It’s played with a double-ended stick with one hand, so it’s wicked fast.”
Madden also plays a djembe, one of Africa’s loudest drums. “But both instruments are thousands of years old,” Madden says.
Finally, Irish music just wouldn’t be complete without a fiddle. Kari Barton, fiddler and daughter of guitarist Ron Barton, plays with the precise techniques learned from achieving her master’s degree in violin performance at Northern Arizona University. Her playing creates a driving force that propels the music forward. She intertwines emotion with every pass of her bow, striking a resonating sound that can be felt oceans deep.
People feel a deep connection (to Irish music),” Jacquie McGregor says. “It doesn’t matter what your cultural background is. There is something heartfelt and core-of-the-soul to Irish music.”
Whether it’s the fast, eager tunes of the fiddle, the enchantment of the Irish whistle or the beating of the bodhrán, there is something about the Knockabouts’ music that can captivate just about anybody.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Mon, March 17, with the Knockabouts at Charly’s, 23 N. Leroux. The show begins at 9 p.m. and there will be a cover. For more information, call 779-1919 or visit www.knockabouts.org.