November 4th O'Malley's Pub, in Weston MO, never fails to bring out the best in the band. Despite starting Friday evening out with a few bugs in the PA, the crowd quickly got into the music and the night took off. Saturday night bordered on pandemonium, with a crowd that stayed most of the night, singing along to just about every song. And it didn't help matters much (or did it?) that a handful of generous, trusty friends bought rounds for the band. Dan, make a mental note... Mary - Doc Otis' Lemonade. October 23rd Our second season at the Yukon Celtic Nations Festival was an enjoyable and relaxing one. Yukon is a few miles west of Oklahoma City, so a weekend there comes with some perks, namely the hospitality of good friends - Cash Myers and Rick Staton. A mild drizzle forced the bagpipe competition to a nearby indoor venue, which divided the gate. But an appreciable crowd made it to the site over the course of a fairly easy-going weekend. October 16th This season's run of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival elicited an assortment of responses from friends, fans, and fellow performers alike. It was a high point to finally be able to go into the run of the festival with CD's to get into the hands of patrons (instead of apologies). The entire run was spent in Dunwoodie Dell, a pleasant little grove of trees that seemed to make the best of some of the harsher turns of weather the faire has seen in a while. Fellow performers responded warmly to the show, making what has likely turned out to be the last full run of KCRF a bittersweet one. There will, hopefully, be some limited appearances at the faire in seasons to come, but interest from the college circuit and some of the regional folk festivals has made it increasingly difficult to lock up two months of the year. October 14th The Hornet's Nest is the coffeehouse venue in the Memorial Union at Emporia State University. Driving down to Emporia KS for a concert on Friday the 13th felt portentous, to say the least. But the apprehension was quickly dispatched upon driving up to the Union and finding a small group of students eagerly awaiting the arrival of the band. The students on the Live Music Committee spared no effort in preparing the Hornet's Nest for the performance. And the audience that assembled was quite a bit larger than what they had expected, not to mention there were more than a couple handfuls of familiar faces. Overall it was a great night. August 29th After a three-year sabbatical, Mary returned (along with the rest of the band) to Harveysburg OH - the site of the Ohio Renaissance Festival (where she had performed from 1995-1997 with ClanDestine). While there, the gang enjoyed the gracious and lavish hospitality of Dennis, Mary and Ellen Fox - Mary's biggest and bestest fans in the 3-Rivers region. The high points of the weekend included touching bases with old friends like The Swordsmen (Doug Mumaw and Dave Wooley), Theatre in the Ground (Jonathan Crocker and Simon Jaeger), Craig Broers, The Tartan Terrors, Bob Ford, Steven Smith, and Menagerie (John and Lisa Butts). And although they weren't performing at the Fair, catching one of the live performance/ recording sessions of the Minstrels of Mayhem was an exceptional treat. The performing-company was very warm and responsive to Mary's return. They made being at the Fair an exceptional experience AND did a great job jump-starting us for the upcoming run at KCRF. August 20th The CD is out! Our first CD, Timber and Stream, is completed, back from duplication, and made its debut at a wild CD release-party held this past Saturday night at O'Malley's Pub. The excitement was at a high throughout the evening. Sean O'Malley played a gracious host, and even provided a couple handfuls of products for some giveaways. Friends and fans were there from all over - from New York to Texas. A 2-hour set was followed by a few numbers played from the CD, which gave way to some great jamming by Andrew Townley, Lee Worman, and Vic & Kelly Dougherty and Richelle Basgall (from Shenanigans). A warm thank-you to the couple hundred people who came out Saturday night to be a part of this wonderful celebration. June 26th The mid-point of the 2000-season found the band dividing their time and resources fairly evenly between gigs and the studio. This marathon weekend was a prime example, beginning with a coffeehouse performance at Central College (Pella, IA) for about 100 students. The music was warmly received, and there was some conversation about a return-trip for the Spring 2001 semester. A long ride back to KC, a short night's sleep, and all day at work preceded Friday night's past-midnight session in the studio. Saturday's most-of-the-day in the studio was followed by a stress-free evening - catching Shenanigans performance at O'Malley's Pub. And then back into the studio for another (grueling) twelve hours on Sunday. June 12th Another marathon weekend for the group started Friday night with a good performance (for a loud crowd) at O'Malley's Pub, and was followed six short hours later by a visit to the Wyandotte County Fairgrounds to take in the Kansas City Scottish Highland Games. Some fine performances by Shenanigans, Alex Beaton, and Alex Sutherland highlighted the music pavillion. A great dinner at the America Bowman preceded a veritable madhouse at O'Malley's with an audience in incredible form. Another short night, and then a long (I say long) day in the studio. Someday, ask Mary about Nancy's Waltz (and then run). June 4th The city of Waterloo, IA annually conducts a marvelous week-long city festival called My Waterloo Days. The band was up there for the closing weekend, a large outdoor music event on Saturday night (promotional for us - we hang out with the Waterloo-sians and play lawn-bowling), and an outdoor festival on Sunday (a la Henry VIII). The weather was beautiful through the end of the festivities on Saturday, at which point it promptly began raining and didn't stop until a minute before festivities started on Sunday. Makes you wonder what kind of connections they have, doesn't it? If you're ever in Waterloo, make it a point to dine at The Brown Bottle. Great food. May 30th The Westport District was the backdrop for the 2nd annual Westport Irish Music Festival. The weather was fantastic both days as 4500 people crammed into the parking lot at Westport Road and Mill Street to take in the exceptional music of Seven Nations, the Elders, Shenanigans, Eddie Delahunt, Rowan, Blarney, the Michael Collins Pipes & Drums, and Tullamore (of course). Christine O'Riada and the dancers from the O'Riada Academy of Irish Dance were there as well, adding a touch of grace to the music. All of the music was well-received. And Peggy Sheehan seemd to have emptied her store for the benefit of the patrons. This is an event that has achieved excellence in only two years of existence. Watch for this Festival to outgrow itself a few times over the next several years. And make it a part of your annual Memorial Day festivities. May 22nd The Castle at Muskogee hosts the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire, one of the more unique productions of its genre. This is due, no doubt, to the Castle itself - an event hall designed as a castle and large enough to hold two large stages and a pub - all resplendent in climate-controlled glory. We had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of quite a few new friends, as well as meet up with a handful of some die-hards from the Southwest who made a long trip up to see us. And we were also able to touch base with some performer-friends that we don't see as often as we'd like - Bryan Wendling, Terry Elton, the Bilge Pumps (too numerous to name!) - and some others we had seen a few weeks earlier in Norman - the Rogues, and Smee & Blog. April 17th Mark's return to the Tipperary Inn could not have occurred at a more auspicious moment than Tax Day Weekend. A gremlin in the PA (and some new gear) threw a few kinks into the start of their first set. But a little endurance on the part of the audience and some sleight of hand from our sound-man (Kenny 'Three-Left' Hyland) combined to smooth out the kinks, and the set took off. It was great to have gotten back to the Tipp and perform for our Dallas friends, and they showed up in droves. Also had the chance to spend a few minutes with Martin, who (by now) should be on the verge of some extensive remodeling of the pub. We're looking forward to the opportunity to gig there again this Fall. April 11th The all-out best weather of the year (to date) was on the weekend of Norman Oklahoma's three-day Norman Medieval Faire. It was the best weather and best audiences the faire has seen in ten years. And while the overall theme of the show is Medieval, the entertainment goes across many cultures and periods. We shared the stage with some friends we hadn't seen in a while - the Rogues (Brian, Jimmy, Lars, and Wee Randy), Smee & Blog (Al and John), Dangerous Dan (Dan), and Harmless T Jester (Skip). And ran into friends from Dallas to Emporia. March 19th The 'official' start of the season was our madhouse St Patrick's Day weekend. It began with four hours at the Flamingo Casino, just above the game floor (imagine the mild din of a few hundred slot machines whirring & dinging at the same time). From there, it was up to O'Malley's Pub, which was an absolute hoot! The band played in the bottom cellar for almost four hours, and was followed by Shenanigans, who played for about another four hours. Meanwhile, Sean McRatagan covered the entertainment in the upper cellar for the entire night - something no less than an astounding feat! The crowd was large when the band got arrived at 4:00 in the afternoon, and achieved sardine-like proportions by 7:30. If a good time wasn't had by all, they were too tossed to notice! The next morning brought a drive to Springfield MO for a day of jamming with the McSwain Brothers on the town square before the St Patrick's Day Parade, and later that evening at the Gillioz Theatre. The evening show was kicked off by a trio named Kellswater, and then the band and the McSwain Brothers took the stage together and made some great music. Some coordinating mishaps led to a smaller audience than was anticipated, but all who attended were greatly entertained. We're hoping for this to become an annual event.