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By ALAN K. STOUT
Friday, March 07, 2003 Page: 10
MUSIC ON THE MENU
Unlike the band that performed on the actual Titanic, the group Gaelic
Storm did not go down with the ill-fated ship. Instead, its musical career got
a serious lift from an appearance in the box-office smash.
Gaelic Storm, based in Los Angeles, formed seven years ago and, amazingly
enough, only three months later landed its brief “Titanic” role – as the
entertainers in the steerage section who got Rose and Jack (Kate Winslet and
Leonardo DiCaprio) dancing.
Steve Twigger, vocalist, guitarist and bouzouki player – a bouzouki is
similar to a banjo – tells the story of how the high-spirited Irish jiggers
landed the big gig: “We were playing in an Irish pub in Santa Monica, where
we were the house band on Sunday nights,” says Twigger, who adds that
vocalist, accordion and harmonica player Patrick Murphy was then still
bartending at the club.
“We were starting to get a buzz going and getting the place packed, and
there was just this crazy party atmosphere in there, and people would come
from all over. It was a very anti-Hollywood-poser kind of crowd, with a real
down-to-earth, fun bunch of people.”
One night, Twigger says, the “Titanic” musical director strolled into the
club and said he was looking for a band to appear in the film. While he’d
attended several Irish festivals in his search, he said, he just couldn’t find
the right sound.
“And then he heard us playing, and he loved that big, pumping rhythm sound
that we have,” Twigger says. “Plus we were mostly all from the British
Isles, and we were the same kind of people that probably would have died on
that boat. We were the real thing, and he saw this crazy party going on, and
thought we’d be perfect.”
Oscar-winning director James Cameron also loved what he heard and agreed
they were the right band for the project. Originally, the plan was for actors
to play the musicians and for Gaelic Storm simply to record the music, but
once Cameron saw the band himself, he decided to use them in the film.
“They literally just plunked us in the middle of 150 extras and actors,”
Twigger says. “They said `Everybody, this is Gaelic Storm; they’ll be playing
the music here. Everybody have a good time.’
“I certainly didn’t come to Los Angeles to get famous,” he adds with a
chuckle. “Some people dream of having someone tap them on the shoulder one
day and say `Hey, do you want to be in a movie?’ And that actually happened to
us.”
Rounding out the Gaelic Storm lineup is Bon Banerjee on fiddle and
mandolin, Tom Brown on bagpipes, Steve Wehmeyer on vocals, Bodhran (Celtic
drum) and didgeridoo (an Australian wind instrument) and Ryan Lacey on drums
and percussion.
Since its famous ride on the Titanic, the band has released three albums:
1998’s self-titled debut, 1999’s “Herding Cats,” and its latest, “Tree,”
which reached No. 2 on the Billboard World Music Chart. They’ve also shattered
attendance records at some of the nation’s largest Irish festivals.
Twigger says the music is an eclectic mix.
“Although we have a big Irish influence, it’s also heavily influenced by
all of the Celtic music that we all grew up with,” he says. “I’m from
England, Patrick’s from Ireland … we play a lot of Scottish music and have
influences from all over the Celtic world.”
The songs range from traditional pipe-and-fiddle pieces to original
material.
“We appeal to a wide range of people,” Twigger says. “It’s nice to see
three generations of the same family coming to see the show. There’ll be kids
there, there’ll be spiked-hair teenagers and the moms, grandmoms and dads.
Everybody’s always tapping their feet and clapping along.”
The show also comes with some comic relief.
“I’ve stood next to Patrick on stage for seven years at countless shows,
and he has me practically in tears every night,” Twigger says. “He is the
funniest guy. People don’t expect that. They may come to have their knees up
and clap along, but there’s also going to be a lot of humor.
“The storytelling tradition of Ireland is living and breathing in Patrick
Murphy.”
Gaelic Storm will perform at 10 tonight at the River Street Jazz Cafe in
Plains Township. Cover is $15. For information, call 822-2992.
Local hard-rock kings Breaking Benjamin are breaking into big things on a
national level. The band will appear on the “Last Call with Carson Daly” on
WBRE-TV Channel 28 on March 14 and on the “Late Late Show With Craig
Kilborn” on WYOU-TV Channel 22 sometime in April.
So far, Breaking Ben’s national debut, “Saturate,” has sold more than
115,000 units. Its current single, “Skin,” was one of the most-added
modern-rock songs in the nation last week and is No. 34 on the Billboard
Active Rock Chart.
Teenage Girls will perform tonight at Cafe Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre. Also
on the bill for the all-ages show are The Magdalyns, Minus Fields and Electric
Candy Shop.
TG recently finished production on its latest effort, “The Failed EP,”
which will be released in May to coincide with the band’s Canadian tour. Visit
www.teenagestyle.com for more info.
A few cool Philly-area shows were announced this week:
Def Leppard will play the First Union Spectrum on April 8. Tickets are $45
and $35 and go on sale at 10 a.m. today at all Ticketmaster outlets.
The Foo Fighters will perform at the Tweeter Center in Camden on April 29.
Tickets, priced at $29.50, go on sale at 10 a.m. today at all Ticketmaster
outlets.
Peter Gabriel will play the Tweeter Center in Camden on June 21. Tickets –
priced at $86.50, $66.50, $46.50, $29 and $10 – go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday
at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Not much word yet on the Montage Mountain concert season other than the
confirmed James Taylor show and the August return of the Ozzfest. But Clear
Channel Entertainment, which now runs Montage, does appear to approach things
a bit differently than Metropolitan Entertainment, the former facility
operator. While Metropolitan liked to wait until mid-spring to announce any
summer shows, Clear Channel doesn’t seem to mind announcing events much
sooner.
Expect a big season this year, with more than 20 events on tap.