December 6th The 2004 season went out with a big bang at Saturday's 4th Celtic Music Benefit, sponsored by the Harp and Shamrock (the Bob Reeder Fan Club), and hosted by Kyle's Taproom. Kathy Murphy-Revell and Bob Reeder conspired on yet another successful fund-raiser for the Children's Mercy Hospital Speech and Hearing Section, with a night of great entertainment, raffles, and auctions that doubled any of the previous three. Bob Reeder kicked the night off, and emceed throughout the night. Eddie Delahunt and friends - Mike Fraser and Timothy MacBain, and Wayne Kahre (from Kilkenny Road) - came on after Bob, and kept the crowd clapping. Tullamore followed, ending "the show" with their set, but the real evening ended with the jam that immediately ensued. Special thanks to Dr Cynthia Jacobsen, Linda Enlow, Brian Greenstreet, Pat Albrecht, Steve & Teresa Sample, and Paula Musgrave. November 8th The weekend at O'Malley's Pub started out slow, with about six people sitting in the pub about five minutes before Friday night's first set. It wasy a very enjoyable evening, having turned out to be one of those 'coffeehouse nights', The behavior at a pub is inexplicably good, the noise-level uncharacteristally low, and the crowd unusually attentive. And all of this was due, in no small part, that the larger (noisier) part of our fans were holding out for Saturday night's CD RELEASE PARTY. What turned out to be one of the most rewarding nights in the life of the band started when the early party-ers began arriving at 4:30 (for an 8:00 show). The pub was full by 7:30, and people kept arriving... and boy howdy, were they in the mood to party or what?!? In addition to the music, there was a preview of the new CD One For the Road, a mix-CD of some special musical selections to honor our die-hard fans, and a ton of give-aways (courtesy of super-proprietor Sean O'Malley). Honorable mention goes to Donna (who came up from Oklahoma City) and Patrick, Danika, and Mike and Mary (all the way from Dallas), as well as superfan, friend, and Man of the Hour, Lloyd Camp, whose tireless prodding got us off our collective keisters and onto a CD. October 11th Sean O'Malley could not have hoped for a better weekend for the 5th anniversary of his Weston Irish Festival. The weather was gorgeous and the turn-out was huge for what has become the country's biggest small Irish festival. Between the upper cellar's intimate pub stage, the lower cellar's lively hall stage, and the outdoor courtyard stage, Sean packed such greats as the Makem and Spain Brothers, the Young Dubliners, the Clumsy Lovers, the Glengarry Bhoys, and Connie Dover, as well as regional and local favorites like the Elders, the Kissers, Brigid's Cross, Ellis Island, Shenanigans, Dublin's own Eddie Delahunt, and Bob Reeder. Tullamore opened the courtyard stage Saturday and Sunday to some very big and appreciative crowds, and had a set in the lower cellar later Sunday afternoon (where it was a bona fide madhouse). The real treat of the weekend was sitting through one of the Makem and Spain Brothers' utterly enjoyable sets. September 20th One of the new festivals the band has been fortunate to add to their fall line-up was this past weekend's Oklahoma Scottish Games & Gathering in Tulsa. After a big splash at the Robert Burns Gala this past January, the Scottish Club of Tulsa and Tullamore were more than eager to work with each other. The exceptional Men of Worth, Scotland Rising, and the Moore Dancers joined Tullamore onstage to make the festival's silver anniversary a weekend to remember. It was our pleasure to spend the weekend trading songs and stories with Donnie and Jimmy, and visiting with Bryan, Daniel, John, and Lars. And Aaron, Dory, and Roger got in on the fun, making the trip to Tulsa with the band. The weather was grand, and there was plenty to see AND buy. Which we did. We're definitely looking forward to year 26. September 6th It was a banner weekend for the band as they made their 6th appearance of the year at O'Malley's Pub. From all appearances, Friday night looked to be a fairly mild night. Until about five minutes before show-time, at which point nearly 100 people came waltzing down the stairs - a wedding party, there to celebrate the upcoming nuptials less than a day away. It was was a big, busy, boisterous crowd that battled the P/A-system for dominance of the airwaves (which led to the occasional feedback demon rearing its ugly head). But they liked the music, so all was forgiven. Saturday night was a band's dream-night... the crowd was big, loud, and appreciative - staying quiet to hear the music, and reacting big when the music was over. It was like being a band in a movie. Sunday afternoon found the band down at Crown Center for the second annual Kansas City Irish Fest. After a foot of rain washed away the first year's attempt in Berkeley Park, the festival committee moved the location to Crown Center... and it was all great. A great location, great layout, great weather, great crowds, and great music. Tullamore was joined by a couple dozen other great acts including the McCabes, the Young Dubliners, the Elders, Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, Téada, Shenanigans, Tin Cup Prophette, Eddie Delahunt, and Bob Reeder (to name a few). The band is already looking forward to next year's festival. August 30th It was yet another month off, in the middle of an unusually slow Summer, before the band made their annual pilgrimage to Harveysburg OH for their guest appearance at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. Friday's day-long drive out ended with a fun night of pizza and games (and a little computer-doctoring) with Dennis and Ellen at Chez Fox. Saturday was the Ohio Valley's own balmy version of "fun in the sun"... "bet that you'll sweat". But a temperature of 93° and a humidity of 100% couldn't put the damper on a great day (or two) of catching up with our Ohio fans and friends, the Swordsmen, Minstrel Woode, Theatre in the Ground, Bob Ford, and Steven K Smith to name a few. Saturday evening found the band having a killer dinner at Cincinnati's The Dubliner Pub and grooving to the simply outstanding music of Roger Drawdy and the Firestarters. The weekend at faire was followed by a Sunday evening of friends and sushi at Ando's... which we (miraculously) managed to find after learning it had left Lebanon for the outskirts of Cincinnati. Monday morning, we bid adieu to Dennis and Ellen and made the l-o-n-g trip back to KC. August 2nd After a six-week break, the band found themselves back at O'Malley's Pub where they dusted off the cobwebs from their performance for an unusually large mid-Summer crowd. And having been two months since playing at O'Malley's, the band was hard put to pull off a Friday night without being issued any PUIs. The folks onstage were almost as giddy as the folks offstage, and a huge table of GIs made for a night full of banter between the crowd and the band. Saturday night was a fairly big night, what with the LIVE RECORDING SESSION. All of the die-hard fans showed up to be a part of what would become the band's second album - "The O'Malley's Sessions: One For the Road". The night, overall, was a load of fun... the recording session was an absolute blast. And the band is looking forward to a CD-release party when they play O'Malley's in a couple of months. June 14th The band returned from their brief furlough and began the Summer with a marathon weekend. Saturday morning found the band out at Wyandotte County Fair Park for the city's longest-running Celtic event, the Kansas City Scottish Highland Games. Tucked neatly between performances by Rowan and Trinity, the band turned a couple of very well-received sets before packing up and heading out to Lawrence for a feature appearance following the Keynote Address of KU's Joyce's Ireland. Marking the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday, the celebration included a two-day interdisciplinary conference, readings of Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake, and live music all around Lawrence by Eddie Delahunt, Shenanigans, Uncle Dirtytoes, the Kelihans, Rowan, and Jonathan Ramsey. Sunday afternoon found the band back in Brookside, taking the stage with the Elders, Bob Reeder, the Kelihans, and Jim Cosgrove at Governor Stumpy's for their second annual big block-party benefitting Operation Breakthrough. It was one hot afternoon, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd who showed up in droves to make the fund-raiser a success. May 24th The band concluded their Spring run with a weekend at (where else?) O'Malley's Pub. The boys in uniform were out of school, so Friday was just a bit on the placid side. Saturday night, however was reliably raucous. With the Spring run over, a three-week break a few hours away, and vacations looming in the not-so-distant future, spirits (of all sort) ran high. Other than that, there really wasn't much to write about. Finis. May 17th After a weekend off, the band took a road-trip to the Castle of Muskogee for their second weekend at Oklahoma Renaissance Faire. Pleasant weather was the rule, and there was plenty of opportunity to visit with Ruby and family, the entire T.Gray clan, Lorna and Donna (et al), and others far too numerous to mention yet no less dear. Saturday night included playing for a King's Feast before running out to dinner at Applebee's with Terry Elton, Bryan Wendling, and John and Al of Smee and Blogg. May 9th So... in just over a year, what started out as an intimate performance for Norma Robertson's birthday has become the Rogue's Gallery (2nd) Annual Spring Hooley (way to go, Dan!). Which is just what the band was up to Friday evening. A few dozen fan-friends showed up for the all-request night (or, as we like to call it, Tullamore Unplugged). The baton got passed around the room, like a hot potato, at least twice... and the requests ranged from old standards to off-the-dusty-shelves to throw-them-against-the-wall-and-see-if-they-stick. There were more than a few surprises, not the least of which was an honorary bottle of John Powers & Sons, the best Irish whiskey known to man... The next morning, it was up at zero-freakin'-dark-thirty for a not-so-leisurely drive to Muskogee OK for the first of two weekends at the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire. With the off-again/on-again weather, it was an interesting first day (to say the least) with performers hurrying from shop to shop looking for a dry place to perform. But Saturday evening's dinner at El Chico's, and some nice visiting with Ray and Beth Cole, Jeremy and family, and the Bilge Pumps, made for an overall outstanding weekend. April 12th This past weekend featured a two-night mini-mini-tour of a couple of pubs - Castletown Geoghegan, in Belleville IL, and Cincinnati's The Dubliner. Right off the bat, Mark gets the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate for scheduling two gigs on Easter weekend. That said... a half-day of work preceded an adventure-filled trip to St Louis where the girls met up with Mark at the Strobl home (Mary's Ma and Pa), and from there off to Belleville for a reunion with the Brothers Gagen and a fun night of music. Kudos to Rachel's sister and hubby (over from St Louis) who participated (in their own way) in the Friday-afternoon hijinks, AND to Mark's big band of well-lubricated in-laws (over from Desoto/Festus/St Louis/Dupo) who were nearly a show in their own right. (One word of wit and wisdom from Aunt Judy - "Tanqueray".) A not-so-brief Saturday jog to Cincinnati took the band to the elegant Motel 6 and The Dubliner (not necessarily in that order). It was another evening of great fun, and our pleasure to hook up again with Dave Crowe, Dennis, Mary, Ellen (who's NOT taller than Mark), Justin, Phil, Eva, and Alejandro (COSTA RICA!). And honorable mention to Lloyd, who was with us in both cities... the man gives new meaning to the word 'fan'. April 5th After missing the Norman Medieval Fair for a season, the band was quite ready to settle in to the new surroundings. Reaves Park didn't seem as picturesque as Brandt Park, with the graceful duck-pond. But nobody missed those huge traffic jams at the ONLY bridge across the pond or the LONG walk to circumnavigate the pond to avoid said jams. Contrary to the forecasted less-than-hospitable weather, it turned out to be a wonderful weekend, and the crowds were out in the thousands. Friendly faces abounded (in fans and performers alike), among them... the Rogues (with Dapper Doug, their weekend stand-in), Smee and Blogg (the Just-How-Many-Shows-Can-We-Do-In-A-Day? duo), the Bilge Pumps, Queen's Gambit, Boru's Ghost, the Counterfeit Bards (with Lee "How Does It Feel" Agnew), Dangerous Dan, Harmless T Jester, and Owain Phyfe (always a pleasure)... and, lest we forget, Lorna, Donna, Ruby, Brett, Jeremy, Christy, Mom, and Dad. Some afternoon bocce, good eats at Don Pablos and Gaijin (with Randy, Doug, Nelson, and Cash), and a comfortable stay at Chez Myers rounded out a great weekend. March 18th What can you say about O'Malley's Pub that hasn't already been said? Maybe it's too bad you can't fit another couple hundred people in the place...? It goes without saying that St Pat's in the Midwest's "Irish Underground" was nothing less than an all-out blast. The pub was mostly full when the band showed up at 2:30 to begin setting up. And it just got fuller. A large number of Tullies were there (all die-hards) to make the band feel at home, despite the 4:00 start-time. The band was in for a special treat (as it always is) with the arrival of the Dancing Murdock Lassies - McKenna and Mother (although Mom remained firmly attached to her chair). Shortly after Tullamore started downstairs, Red McWilliams kicked it into gear in the upper cellar (where he played all the live-long day). The fun downstairs was non-stop (save for one small break) until 8:00 at which point the band brought it to an end, and Kansas City's Irish balladeer, Bob Reeder, came on. Interestingly enough, Bob's fans had inconspicuously infiltrated the audience so effectively that, by the time he started, the audience seemed instantly transformed into the Bob Reeder Fan Club. Spooky. All in all, it was a great St Patrick's Day celebration. March 15th This past weekend at O'Malley's Pub was the home-stretch in the busier-than-busy count-down to St Patrick's Day. Friday night was a mostly typical Friday night, with the boys from Ft Leavenworth being slightly more into the music than usual - no doubt because of St Pat's being right around the corner. The band had to pace themselves on account of how much was going on over the course of the weekend, and Mark has discovered that the tabasco and pepper in a Red Hugh can keep your voice going and going and going... Saturday was Snake Saturday in North Kansas City. Sean was continuing the celebration, O'Malley's-style, with music upstairs and down. Tullamore played in the bottom cellar from 4:00 til 8:00. Bob Reeder and Eddie Delahunt both came on at 8:00, playing upstairs and down respectively, and finished out the evening. Hanging out after getting offstage was the first chance in a good while the band had to catch one of Eddie's performances (one of the downsides of being a performer - always gigging opposite your favorite performers). It was fun to hang out in the Rogue's Gallery for an hour or so listening to Eddie before heading home. There couldn't have been a more likely venue for a mid-Sunday dinner and performance than St Patrick's Parish in Emerald KS. Tucked away into this tiny town about 15 miles southwest of Ottawa, one might be tempted to refer to the shindig as a quaint, little celebration. But it was neither quaint nor little. As a matter of fact, in a feat of appropriately biblical proportion, they managed to feed the multitudes - a number of people that at least doubled the number of chairs they had set up to seat them. As for the dinner, the band was hard-pressed to say which was more delicious - the Irish stew or the corned beef. Up until this year, the annual celebration has featured Irish music via CDs... so it was a novel experience for one and all, and one that was warmly received by everybody (with the exception, possibly, of the folks sitting right in front of the speakers). March 8th The band returned to the site of their first performance ever this past Sunday with their showcase appearance at UM-R's International Student's Day. A lot has changed since that day Mark and Sean walked into the Student Union as Limerick Junction - repertoire, line-ups, and (most importantly) that albatross of a name. Anyway, the day was organized by UM-R's International Students Club, and celebrates the customs, cuisines, and arts from the native countries of the club's members. The buffet was nothing less than delicious, and the displays sprinkled throughout University Center East could only have been made better if they were selling the wonderful crafts they were displaying. The exhibitions consisted, primarily, of exotic fashion, dance, and music. Congratulations to Tihana and her staff for conducting such a great celebration. March 6th Friday evening's concert at the Atkins Auditorium went quite the distance in spoiling the band. The performance wrapped up the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's World Music Series - one of the programs that make up Ford Free Fridays, a visual and performing arts outreach program sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. Most of the band's performances, at festivals or in pubs, are in front of friendly audiences - folks that are there expecting to hear Celtic music, and mostly accepting of those characteristics (quirks) that make the genre of music what it is. The Ford Free Fridays crowd is far more mainstream, a few hundred people there to hear whatever fine art is on the bill for the evening. And their rapt attention and enthusiastic response did wonders to dispel any notions that the appeal of Tullamore's music relies on any particular niche. We were happy to convert several handfuls of listeners into fans. And our warmest thanks go to those few dozen Tullies who came out to support us for this crossover performance. February 19th Saturday evening's appearance at Community Christian Church was the band's second in a month (no small feat) as they reprised their 2002 performance at the Missouri Valley Folklife Society's fifth annual Metro Artists Concert. The concert is MVFS' venue for showcasing the Heartland's finest in Celtic, bluegrass, and folk music. The Bluegrass Brigade joined the ranks of the outstanding bands that have appeared as Metro Artists over the past few years - Tullamore, Spontaneous Combustion, Shenanigans, the Ironweed Bluegrass Band, the Elders, Cavan, and Doug Goodhart and Dave Agee. The Bluegrass Brigade turned in a great performance displaying the mastery that only twenty-five years of performing together can bring. Tullamore was honored, not only to follow them onstage, but to be joined by them for an ensemble number to wind up the evening. January 26th Scottish pageantry, and tradition abounded this past Saturday evening, at the Scottish Club of Tulsa's Robert Burns Gala. Held in downtown Tulsa's swanky Petroleum Club, the affair honored Scotland's national bard with a traditional haggis, good Scotch whiskey, a wonderful buffet, some rousing piping by the City of Tulsa Pipes and Drums and recitals of works by and about Robert Burns. Some club ceremonies and awards paved the way to a couple hours of singing (by Tullamore) and dancing (by everyone else but). Eloquently led by SCOT President Eric Robertson and Emcee Bruce McIntyre, the evening was one to be remembered. January 19th This past Saturday evening found the band in front of a standing-room-only crowd, at the Plaza's Community Christian Church, opening for a dozen of the world's finest pipers and drummers, for MHAF's Winter Storm III. Sporting an international, all Gold-Medal roster of the world’s best pipers and champion Scottish drummers, this concert is the crowning jewel for what has become one of the premiere piping and drumming events in the world. Now in its third season, the concert caps off the Missouri Highland Arts Fund's annual weekend of workshops and competitions. For those of you who are staggered by the idea of three hours of piping and drumming, put this on your calendar for next January and discover how incredible of evening it will be. January 12th The 2004 season started as early as the 2003 season ended. As far as the Tullies are concerned (our die-hard Tullamore fans), Sean O'Malley could rename his pub "Where Else". Due (no doubt) to our frequent appearances there, our die-hards will ask "Where are you guys playing next?" to which we'll respond "Where Else?". Where Else is (in case you haven't guessed) O'Malley's Pub, the pub you've been practicing for. A must see for Kansas Citians and visitors to the area alike, the pub is built into the three cellars that once helped house the Weston Brewing Company - an otherwise cool cabaret that heats up when the music and crowd swing into high gear. About half of our Saturday-night regulars showed up on Friday night to join the contingent of Combined Arms Center students who float over from Ft Leavenworth (honorable mention to Joe Berg). This left Saturday evening just a little less of the madhouse it ordinarily turns out to be. We test-drove a good bit of the Scottish material we'd been working on over the previous couple months, with varying degrees of success.