November 29, 2023 • 33 mins
For more than a decade, The Celtic Kitchen Party has been raising pints and Kingstonian's spirits with their boisterous blend of Celtic-infused contemporary and traditional music. On this episode, Pete and Riley sit down with Andrew Vanhorn of the band to talk about their love for the holidays and the making of their new album, One Celtic Christmas.
Hosts
Pete Sanfilippo pete@kingstonlive.ca
Riley Jabour riley@kingstonlive.ca
Music in this episode
Huron Carol by The Celtic Kitchen Party
Links
The Celtic Kitchen Party official website https://celtickitchenparty.com/
The Celtic Kitchen Party on Apple Music https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/1375871124
The Celtic Kitchen Party on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6V8QBEJaxNotBmr6CnPpsT
Kingston live music and festival listings https://kingstonlive.ca/
Soundwise http://soundwise.audio
Your suggestions, ideas and criticisms are important and encouraged. Please let us know what you think by commenting here, or by email at podcast@kingstonlive.ca
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
This is the Kingston Live podcast.
Andrew Van Horne joining usfrom Celtic Kitchen Party Tell
us, how are you?
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'm great, I'm super glad to be here Obviously here
pushing our Celtic Christmas CD,glad to be excited about that
and love talking about the band.
We want to get some bodies outto shows and I'm already having
fun sitting with you two here,so, yeah, Pleasure to have you
here.
Hey, great to be here.
So speaking of, One of mysecond things I like to do with
not playing.
I like to talk on podcasts.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It's the next best thing to do a show.
It's the next best thing.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It's like I got to keep putting out new stuff.
Maybe you know that I can keepdoing this.
You wouldn't want to see me ina year if I got nothing new to
say, would you?
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I think that's actually the advantage of making
a Christmas album is that youcan just be the next year and be
like hey, I'm here again.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
This is it.
So Colin Skinner, he's the tinwhistle bagpipe player and he's
like, hey, it comes every yearright.
So work said he's always wantedto do it.
So okay, we'll do it.
You know, over the pandemic wedid three albums like 2019, 2020
.
You remember the pandemic?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Oh wait, Did you live through that?
I heard that.
Who made that?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
record it was a real blinking, you know phenomenon,
it was a phenomenal cuff-cuffand so, you know, life shut down
.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
But we did these three albums, we did a song of a
month's club and people couldsign up, so it was our first
experience with this patron idea, you know.
So we released three CDs but Iwas pretty tired over that.
But he's like no, no Christmasalbum.
And so he said he would produceit along with Jeremy Dahl, a
local fellow.
So they did a great job, Ithink, of this album and I was
glad to sing on it and playguitar.
So, you know, maybe we'll keepat it, you know, but that's why
(02:00):
the album's there.
And he also did mention, youknow, every year Christmas comes
, you know.
So it's something we celebrateevery year.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Are you a big Christmas guy?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I am a Christmas guy.
Merry Christmas, guys.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Are you Riley?
I'm like.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Well, you know what that actually leads me into one
of my questions.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
See there's parts of.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Christmas I really love.
And then you know there's theparts that drive everybody crazy
, but like the shopping and thehustle and the yada-yada-yada.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
The commercialism maybe?
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
But when I was listening to the album there was
one line in your version of AldLang Sign that really caught my
attention and really broughtlike those Christmas feelings
back and the line goes there isa pub in Old Kingstown where
friends are never far and willpull up a stool to the bar and
remember for a while.
I'm going to put you on thespot because that's a great
Christmas imagery to me.
I think everybody has that oflike going home to your hometown
(02:47):
or coming back to Kingston ifyou've left or whatever, and you
just go to your local and thenlike everyone you've ever known
is there or people you haven'tseen in years and years are
there, and you all just likereconnect through the spirit of
Christmas.
What is that bar for you?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, I was just wondering, anticipating that
question.
Yeah, I went to McMasterUniversity for three years,
ended up loving Hamilton, but itwould come back and I think it
was like the brass or thegrizzly.
So I'm like 47, you know.
So that was about that time.
You know Chris was stillplaying Smitty.
You know this idea those weremy places that I would come back
to Kingston, you know, and sortof just see everyone, like you
said that had left.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I feel like that's the magic of Christmas.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, because everybody's got a story like
that.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
You go back to your like your hometown bar and then
somebody from your hometown theyhaven't talked to you in
forever is there and all of asudden you just wind up like
drinking until 2am together andjust like catching up.
It's amazing, it's perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I love that song.
It's the nostalgia but the ideaof it pouring a beer out, which
is in cultures you know where,like if we were celebrating one
of our friends passing.
He's not there, that chair isempty for him and we all have a
beer but we take one and we pourit out for him.
So that line's in there.
So we had some fun with thelyrics.
So glad you liked that one,absolutely Old Lang Syne, you
know.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
I love that there's officially like a Kingston
Christmas song.
It's like finally happened, sothank you for putting that one
together.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
The Christmas Down in Kingston.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yes, that one nice.
Yeah, that's a great track.
Yeah, thanks, man.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Yeah, we put that together.
It was a few years ago.
We played Going Down PrincessStreet on the trolley Nice.
So everyone's at their cold andwe're on this worm trolley you
know playing.
My wife was on deck there andshe's just loving waving.
It was very addictive waving topeople.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
You can't see.
People can't see, but I'mwaving and the guys are like I
wish we had a way to show peoplemore face right there.
She was very upset, so it wasvery upset when we didn't do it.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
In fact, we couldn't do the Christmas parade this
year because we were playingGreat Cup.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Oh, that's amazing.
How did that go?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
It was great.
It was on Friday at theHamilton Convention Center Great
party.
It was the Eastern Social Houseof Thai cats, argonauts and I
guess the Ruff the Riders therein Ottawa.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
And you mentioned that you had been a McMaster
University guy spent some timein Hamilton.
Was that kind of like a secondhomecoming for you in a way,
being able to go back toHamilton for the Great Cup?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, I bet we didn't get a chance too much to sort
of hang around, but I do likegoing back to Hamilton, I did a
lot of improv comedy there andthat sort of stuff, a lot of
commercials I did acting on someTV stuff and I didn't like
being poor so I gave that up.
But yeah, hamilton nostalgic abit, yeah, and a home away from
home, for sure, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, you briefly touched on how the album came to
be, but I feel like the idea ofmaking a Christmas record Riley
can also speak to this.
It has this element of likeit's rare for a Christmas record
to be the first thought.
It's like, okay, no, we'vedefinitely got to make a
Christmas album.
Like a lot of groups, it's likesomething you come along to or
(05:29):
you make a time.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
There's not many Christmas groups per se, yeah
exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So what brought you to the decision to make a
Christmas record?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I don't know, it's just like, I hate to say it.
There's the commercial aspect,I suppose, but I do really enjoy
Christmas and sort of Colin andJeremy though I think he's one
of those most excited.
We got to do this and in fact,like last year, he gifted me, he
plays bagpipes and he justgifted me these instrumentals
and he's like glowing, you know,so happy and I just thought
(05:56):
nothing of it.
I loved it, I loved it, I saythank you and then a year later
he's like we should turn theseinto an album.
You have to just sort of saythat it is sort of a commercial
thing.
I was talking about being poorthere as an actor and this and
that, and I was doing a lot oforiginals and you don't really
get a lot of money at some ofthese shows.
You know, if it's like BroomFactory, our local place here in
Kingston, you know, and you'repaying for the cover, well,
(06:18):
sometimes we would drive twohours to play to an empty house,
you know, and I can do thathere, I would say, you know, but
the Celtic music I fell in lovewith this Celtic style and
there was some commercialsuccess in that.
There's a whole genre out there, it's not just St Patrick's Day
, so we were kept busy like 365days of the year and we do a lot
of originals and you'll hearsome.
There's a lot of money on thealbum there, the Christmas album
(06:40):
, but, like I said, we have lotsof music no-transcript.
We started to get paid and thatwas exciting.
Okay, as a musician to start toget paid.
So you know, I said you hate tosay commercial, but it was an
opportunity.
Sometimes the disaster you putall your time and effort into an
album.
No one hears it, they say.
But I think people are going tohear this.
You know, I think people dolove Christmas.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
It's not dead.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
So that's why it's exciting to do this and that's
why I think everyone does aChristmas album because it sells
.
So I can't.
I think it's probably an honestanswer that commercially seems
viable.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Absolutely Boo.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I was saying to Riley doesn't like commercialism?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
There's the corporatism of Christmas.
Man, I knew it.
Yeah, I was saying to Peteearlier that I think this is the
first album we've had on thepodcast that I on my listen
through I thought, oh, mygrandma would go bananas for
this.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, it's one of those albums that you just know
like it's, so it works so wellfor exactly the setting you set
out for, which is, you know,christmas and gatherings and
homecoming and all that sort ofstuff.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, it's lively, it's energetic.
One of my quotes, like getready to bear, hug the
untraditional or some sort ofline I had, you know, like it's,
these are like crick jinglebells.
This is not a traditionalversion, you know.
This is kind of a different,you know.
So I think you're going to loveit for those that love Celtic
music.
But it's a fun romp, energy,high energy, and we've got that
Moxie Fruve song on there.
You know, huge on the luge.
(08:01):
That's what drew me a lot tothe Celtic music is the comedy,
beer, drink and party.
Not that people would be.
No, it's not all that, butthose are big aspects of St Pat
Celtic music.
East Coast is the you know armwaving.
So the albums like that, theChristmas album and a great.
It's intergenerational.
Actually, a lot of our crowdsare older.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Actually, this is you mentioned Moxie Fruve is.
One thing that really stood outto me about the album is that a
lot of these song picks are notthe kinds that you would
necessarily expect to see on aChristmas album.
Like you've got a Stan Rogerstrack on there, you've got Moxie
Fruve.
It's like there's a lot ofCanadiana also that Huron Carol,
which is incredible, yeah,absolute, and I didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I wasn't familiar with that like based on the
indigenous culture of the HuronCarol, I didn't know about it.
That goes way back 1800s orsomething like that.
So it's really beautiful.
I got six tracks from Colin andhe's lovely and they were sort
of maybe just straight laced,just sort of straight because he
was just playing the bagpipe,so a verse course, you know, and
I thought the album would belike that until Jeremy got his
hands on Jingle Bells and madethis wonderful arrangement.
(09:00):
It's kind of in a saddy minor,it's like you're long-full but
excited, and you know, and thenHuron Carol's Brian Flynn
actually singing on that, andthat's a great arrangement.
And Drunken Santa and I did alittle thing with the little
Piper man or little Piper Boy,so I said a little drummer boy.
So that was exciting.
I have four different peopleinvolved in this project to make
it sound totally unexpected.
(09:22):
So it was exciting for me,absolutely.
Yeah, I wasn't not boring.
I don't think so.
Maybe you the listeners canjudge for yourselves and, you
know, check it out.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
But absolutely, you're just like looking at the
tracks, like if you, you know,open it on like Spotify, and you
just like reviewed the tracks.
You're like man okay, I knowtwo of these.
Where is this going?
It's exciting to do that,because I feel like it's very
typical to start a Christmasalbum and be like, okay, we got
the standards here, let's go.
It's a new flavor of Christmas.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
I appreciate that People are like, hey, you got to
do another one.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Get Last Christmas on the next one.
Yeah, that's George Michaelcover.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
There we go.
I recently did a podcast.
I was saying it was theKingston Irish sorry, the Irish
Celtic podcast all throughoutthe world isn't that.
But he fell in love with theChristians and the Pagans.
He's like who did that song?
I said Dar Williams, from yourcountry, sir, so she's from the
States.
I just love that song If youwant anything burning, or the
(10:19):
pies when you have Christiansand the Pagans sitting together
so that on many levels is deep.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
That's a great track.
I forget exactly what it's likethat is different.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Right, I've never heard that before.
I had been singing it, by theway, for as long as I've been
playing music, by the way, inHamilton People love it but
people don't know it.
Christians and the Pagans great, Great, little team.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah, as the one in particular you'd like us to
throw in.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
So Jingle Bells is an amazing arrangement.
Obviously I'm not.
I'm no help to you.
You're going to have to decide.
John will decide.
But Huron, carol's really great, and then that Christians and
the Pagans are something aboutthat one.
But if you're just doing one,huron, I suppose because it
really emphasizes the fiddle andeverything, yeah, huron Carol's
a cool pick, given that it'sthe original Canadian Christmas
(11:07):
song.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
I feel like I didn't know of it at all until the
album.
I think there's a coolopportunity there.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, I know exactly.
I hadn't heard it either untilhe did and I thought it was just
.
I don't know what I wasexpecting, but what came out is
great, the energy of that song.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
Come near before the radiant boy who brings you
beauty, peace and joy Jesus,your King is born.
Jesus is born In.
It shall cease to grow.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Gloria, thank you for listening to Kingston Live.
Be sure to subscribe on yourplatform of choice and follow us
(15:14):
on Facebook and Instagram Formore great Kingston music.
Check out the Kingston Liveplaylist on Spotify For show
listings, artist info and allthings Kingston music.
Check out kinkstonliveca.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
You kind of touched on the culture of Celtic music
earlier and talking about howthere's a party and there's
revelry and all of this.
That's one of my favoritethings about Celtic music.
I find it so fascinating,especially the concept of a
kitchen party.
It's not just Celtic KitchenParty, the band name, A kitchen
party is a real thing that goesdown, where people will show up
and just jam in a kitchen.
I find there's this magic ofCeltic music where if you go to
(15:52):
an open mic night anywhere whereit's just play whatever song,
you feel like people getintimidated and they won't play
but Celtic music, you can havesomebody who's literally never
touched an instrument before andthey'll be like I'm in this jam
.
Now this is happening.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
That I love exactly.
They've got the drum, they'vegot the spoons, tickety, tickety
.
They're a part of it.
Celtic is true that way, one ofthe bands that opened up for us
there at Grey Cup.
Excellent, tight, heavy, like aweasel kind of sound.
People were all rocking headsand just love it and I was
impressed.
When we get on, it doesn'tmatter if it's a little loose,
(16:26):
and it's fun.
No one was dancing, they're alldoing this head thing.
But as soon as we get on,people are throwing themselves
all over the place spinningdropping on, one guy was doing
this 80-year-old, he was doingcartwheels Awesome.
So, revelry and people would be.
It's not all just drinking andrevelry this and that.
It's the instrumentation ofCeltic music Tin whistles, baron
fiddles, bagpipes, accordionsOur band has all that sort of
(16:49):
stuff, so it's pretty diverse.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
It's very accessible in that way too.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, true, accessible to a lot of different
people.
There's a lot of differentstyles, slow, fast.
But I like how you said thatanyone can join into the kitchen
party.
You know about that name.
People ask where does the namecome from, the Celtic kitchen
party?
Well, it's based on that.
I mean, it's the ensemble.
We have a kind of a group wherewe have a couple different
drummers, a couple fiddleplayers, this and that.
So if someone can't make a show, we kind of pull them in like a
(17:14):
roster.
The only time it gets weird iswhen, like, see, we play to show
it at Old Fort Henry, the OldFort Henry's having a kitchen
party featuring the Celtickitchen party.
So that's the only one.
It's just a little weird withthe name, but the name is
exactly what we are right.
Party kitchen ensemble show upExactly.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
It works so well.
Yeah, I'm glad you like that.
Yeah, we're keeping busy.
I mean, I don't know we've beenat like 10 years or something
silly.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
And you're staying very busy.
You've got a ton of showscoming up in the house.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
You see the counter is kind of exciting, you know.
Yeah, in fact, Colin there, he'slike no more so, like we're all
you know dad's spouse's kids,you know and generally day
jobbers.
But it's more than just a hobby.
It's a glorified hobby, youknow, throwing a lot of money,
like we're getting calls to playthe great cup and cool little
things like that.
I like to say we play fromOttawa to Toronto and sometimes
(18:01):
a Caluit.
So we went up there one timeyeah, yeah, I know Rock and roll
.
We flew in da da, da Came back.
What's a venue in a Caluit like?
Exactly, it was for an animalfundraiser and we played at the
Frobershire Inn.
So it was just like you couldimagine any kind of a wedding.
That books say your banquethall.
But yeah, it was very white, alot of government, a lot of
(18:25):
women.
That are all up there, you know, because they have a lot of
government up there.
You know, no-transcript.
We only got the tour the nextday I retired and our CMP
officer took us around so I gotto see the Husky parking lot.
We're talking about 100 Doghouses in a field.
They're all chained up.
I don't feel bad, they're readyto go, they're just chilling,
waiting for their job.
And then we go by the.
(18:45):
If you've ever seen nothing buttrouble by Dan acrid, the
drive-thru dump.
You drove through that, we'retalking piles and the crows were
like the size of half of me, sowe saw all the sites.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
But good people there .
But it was cold.
When you said the husky parkinglot, I pictured like a husky
gas station Way more fun thanmore picture.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, yeah do not go up and pet the huskies, you know
, but just just odd things likethat, you know.
But no, it was a normal party.
It was a fundraiser for theanimal shelter.
They have a husky animalshelter up there, so kind of
bizarre to bring us a.
But they had the budget, theyloved us and I just that's part
of quoting I'm like, well, youpay X amount of dollars.
Okay, look at you up there, whynot?
(19:32):
Yeah, yeah, I will do mostanything to ray.
I could hire you for yourwedding, couldn't I?
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Anything.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Riley, not to talk about ghosts at any wedding we
will happily do it for hours,usually dive in the ghost.
I got ghost songs.
It's happened a few times.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I'm pretty much every time.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
You to know ghost making brown, I could feel John
right now like his finger overthe mute button.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
At 1312, they talk about ghosts.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yeah, we're over that one.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
I mean, you guys do play a lot at the turn it on.
We just famously potentiallyhaunted deep.
Have you seen any ghosts in thecrowd?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
No, I haven't.
I recently took that tourthough, that haunted walk tour.
Have you done that oh?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Yeah, that's hilarious.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Back to non-ghost topics.
Back to the lay of the livingyou mentioned the, the energy
that comes out in your shows and, and you know the, the
cartwheeling grandpa for example, yeah, how it's like they're
invited to go crazy a little,you know.
Yeah, is there anything you youtry to do, or you you feel that
you do, to cultivate that?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Well, we have these little traditions.
The first started at Ternanog,you know, where you shed out
sociable and you raise your pintin the air.
So there were big fans of that,you know, and I realized that
the spirit of Edmonton, so thethe Edmonton team, they have a
mascot called sociable, so thisword is around.
So we encourage that.
Sometimes we would do this.
You know, the old spot dancesbecause we're a little older.
(20:58):
Are we remember spot dancers?
No, I do, anyways, peopledancing and we throw it CDs and
stuff like that, sometimes justthings like that, to encourage
the participation, you know,from the audience.
You know, but yeah, sociabledrink, the Celtic stuff can be
anything.
I mean we have the full band,we have a bit of volume, the
show that's coming up, we havegot the electric guitar as well.
(21:19):
So the six of us, we can alsobring it right down to two of us
.
On Friday's Brian Flynn and Ihe's the fiddle player play at
Ternanog and Someone could verywell come up at the spoons.
You know, there we've hadkitchen parties to him.
And there's a great club intown, it's the Kingston Irish
folk club with Tony O'Loughlin,you know he invites that kind of
teaches dance and teaches tinwhistle, you know.
So I kind of got my start therewith him in the Irish roots,
and that's more folk, right,whereas I'd like to say we're
(21:42):
more like the Celtic kitchenparties, more rock pop.
In fact we play with the fiddleplayer Ted Shew as well.
As you know.
We're getting a bit of areputation as a party band.
I says I like.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
It's my idea, sir.
It's right there in the name.
We can bring it right there inthe name but we can bring it
down.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
We play weddings, we play like the ceremonies.
You know we can do thetraditional stuff, but it's true
that I like to change it up tomore the party way.
That's just.
I'm fascinated by that.
The party, you know, and that'swhy we're.
I think that's what keep usbusy.
People want to dance.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I think that also speaks to the strength of the
band and to us players to beable to adapt so much from we
can't a two-piece to a, howevermany people feel like showing up
tonight.
Piece to this guy brought somespoons tonight, yeah you know
old Langzine.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
He said you like that , the version of that, that is
sort of a slower traditionalright.
So we brought up you to fourfour time.
You know I did that one time toDanny boy and this old lady's
like Can you play?
Danny boy?
Speaker 4 (22:34):
Like yeah, I launched into my four, four time.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Okay, how'd you like, just not, not that way.
That's not what I wanted.
I Think you just have to knowyour audience.
But see, we can do the bothways the traditional Langzine,
or just like this sort of thefour, four Kickbeat Mumford and
Sun's version, which is kind ofwhat you know.
Get the bagpipes going hellyeah, hell's yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah, so glad that there's a tip like bands in town
with bagpipes.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
There aren't, yeah, there aren't that many, you know
.
And so one of the one of thetricks there is he had to get it
for those that are interestedand the listeners.
You know he had to get a B flatchannel.
It's just a different sort ofthing that you can play with the
guitars.
So I slap on the capo and andit works.
If you didn't have that, thesebagpipes are on their own
frequency and when you have thebig groups, the Princess of
Wales on regimen or just anysort of pipe group they were
they're all tuning to the leaderbut they're who knows what
(23:25):
they're at, and so and it'sthat's how we saw playing with
the band is this B flat channeland it works.
It just sounds really great.
You know it's rock and roll,you know.
So we sometimes we do AC DCs.
It's a long way to the top ifyou want to rock and roll.
You know people love thebagpipes.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I love that the bagpipes are just almost this
like alien instrument comparedto octopus yeah it's the
weirdest like you just think of.
You know?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
okay, it's like you know what's the difference
between bagpipes and onions?
Do you know what the differenceis?
No one cries when you cutbagpipes.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Okay, my dad's gonna really like that.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Sorry, yeah, but it looks crazy.
You know playing and I don'tknow, not that people.
I think there's something.
I'm sure everything needseducation.
I think the bagpipes might needa few lessons.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know theguitar.
Hi, look at me, that's my story.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Let's think of the like.
You know, like the start, thedifficult starting instruments,
like like a violin or somethingit's like takes a bit before
that starts sounding good.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Well, it's like a year before you get something.
It's not a screech, Maybe youknow yeah, the bagpipes are just
something else.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
So, like music with bagpipes is a very particular
flavor and it's like there'snothing that replicates it.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah, no, I agree, the real deal.
And we play with an accordionplayer.
She has a digital Roland, youknow, and people are like where
those sounds come.
She just can't.
So she does play bagpipes Onthe accordion, but it's not the
same.
It's a very impressive lookingto see this pipe or come in, and
sometimes, you know, I don'teven talking about stirring the
crowd up Sometimes we get him topipe in from behind or pipe
into a song.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
It's a spectacle, you know, I think you ever get the
pipes, like in the crowd.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
We've had randoms ask if they can pipe with us.
Excuse me, oh, wow, you meansome random pipe, we're just
gonna know.
But usually in ahead of timethey ask if they can pipe a tune
and we're like, yeah, sure, doyou have a beeflet chain?
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Kind of hardware.
You bring it, yeah, yeah yeah,we do that.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So yeah, I'll do it, I'll pick it up.
We've touched a couple times onsome upcoming shows, but I
don't think we've said anythingspecific about dates, so lay
them on us.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yeah, I wanted to be specific about this Kingston
show.
So we're doing a bit of a CDrelease show.
It's Thursday, december 7th atthe RCA.
Have you guys been up there?
The Royal Canadian HorseArtillery it's on Ontario.
You go through the blue awningand you're up the stairs Great
place for me, as they got greatblues nights and this and that
and yeah, so we're playing there.
It's $20 for tickets.
(25:41):
You can get them there at theRCA club or online.
Maybe if you check out Kingstonlive, you'll see some links.
We are, by the way, on Kingstonlive and there's the ticket
link there and that sort ofstuff.
That's the show I'm reallypushing.
Saturday is spearhead brewery,though you know, we're in the
back room where all the kegs are.
You know where they make thebeer.
So we're doing a party atspearhead and then Sunday we're
(26:02):
at Sterling festival theater inthe afternoon.
Yeah, they love us there.
You know we play up in theirupstairs room and usually sells
it.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
So that's our CD release run, you know yeah, well
, each of those shows have thepipes, or yeah?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
so what's, what's, what's the my go-to?
I say you know the the cream.
The a1 game here is like I'm ongets.
No one's found a replacementfor me yet I'm gonna talk about
that.
on some of it they should youknow when a wedding comes in on
a certain day?
I'll get to that and suppose awedding comes in on a certain
date if the like a drummer's notavailable.
We have another drummer couplebass players, I'm a accordion
player, a couple fiddle players,but there is only one bagpiper,
(26:37):
colin Skinner, and and yeah, Imean people ask one more if we
can't make a show, I'd let thepeople know.
I just want to say that Eachshow can be a bit different, but
usually the client knows whatthey're getting.
But for you that are coming outon the 7th or on Saturday at
Spearhead or on the Sunday thereand we've got the bagpiper
myself on guitar, we've gotBrian Flynn on fiddle Wonderful
(26:58):
Does a great devil.
Devil went down to Georgia thiskind of stuff Mike Kitt on
electric guitar, nathan Crockinon drums, jeremy Dahl on bass.
So there's six of us.
There's going to be a bit of anice wall of sound.
You know, usually we play fourto five people, but six is going
to be great, which you'll hearon the album.
You hear all those instruments.
So definitely pipes.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Hell yeah, hell yeah, cannot wait for it.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
We're going to play our number one tune, itchy
fingers.
Number one tune on Spotify.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
We've been talking a bit about shows and different
places you've played.
Do you play kitchens onoccasion?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
We have, like those would be your more intimate sort
of birthday parties.
You know, 1880th party, 50th,it wouldn't matter, it's really
sort of a different range ofpeople.
We have literally played inkitchens or living rooms, you
know, sometimes we amplify itjust with the voice because that
sometimes needs to carry andthe guitar, but the fiddle just
carries across the room, youknow.
So yeah, we definitely do thoseintimate parties, you know, and
(27:55):
I'm always handing out those,the business cards, by the way,
and the webpage A really greatpromotion.
I was going to say we doprivate parties.
I say, you know, we do privateparties, we do weddings,
anniversaries and funerals, butthey're harder to plan for.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
That's not you doing real right yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
One lady loved us so much she said I didn't get a
copy yet.
But she said she put us in thewill so she got a quote.
She didn't say are youavailable on November 3rd In a
callowate?
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Yeah in a callowate, please, please.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
But she asked if we do them.
She says yes, we would.
They would be the celebrationof life, you know.
But like I said, we also do.
I was going to say respectful,peaceful music, but the
celebration of life, clearly,but anyway.
So that's kind of an oddrequest but we're glad to honor
it.
So if she ever someone give usa call, yes, Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
I feel like few girls need a headline like that an
attraction.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Yeah, because you come out.
I mean I guess the headliner islike this guy used to be alive
and now he's not anymore.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
But, like having a band come out that people want
to see.
That's going out with a bang.
Let's get that energy up?
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, exactly, I think so.
I mean, this is, I don't know,celebration of life wasn't in my
like dialogue when I was young,you know we were doing the very
sort of traditional, you know,but the idea of a bar, a lively
music, some pictures celebratingit's.
I think that's what I want.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Yeah, by the way, I went to a funeral once that had
a drinking game and that was thebest funeral I've ever been to.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
It's insane, it's.
You see, you want your funeralto stick in people's memories,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
It's like, yeah, it gives people a reason to, like
you know, remember thepersonality and less of just
like the loss.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Yeah, no, yeah.
No, because it's brutal Allright, you know, but let's just
celebrate them too, you know, orher?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
I really also respect that person's organization you
know what I got a thing comingup at some point.
Yeah, will you play this?
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Yeah, yeah no.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I like that.
Can I depend?
Speaker 3 (29:53):
on you yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Yeah, I think that's truly organized exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Book ahead For the most organized of us.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, oh, I've got like an event in my eye call on
my phone of I've got a plan.
I'm going to be struck bylightning on.
September 30th, 2089, one dayshort of my 100th birthday,
because I think that's thefunniest way to die.
So if you guys are still, youknow, playing around by then,
just you know.
Open invite.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
That's why I thought you were going to go about
planning.
I thought you were, like youknow, going to say, like the
person who plans their funeral,you know sort of.
Yeah, you got to, you know.
And then I was going to askabout wills.
You know, that's anotherplanning sort of thing, you know
, but just to put us in yourwill, you know.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Yeah, riley, can you send me the eye calendar invite
for that?
Speaker 1 (30:35):
one.
Oh hell yeah, right now.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
I'm going to set it as tentative, but we'll see,
yeah, yeah, not going yet yeah.
Thanks though.
Yeah, yeah, that's funny.
You know we've all listened toenough Paul McCartney Christmas
tracks.
It's time for some new stuffyeah.
(30:58):
Let's get some new tracks here.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
I mean, if I did a little rap and stuff, it's just
like hey, I hope that you enjoya one Celtic Christmas by the
Celtic Kitchen Party.
We've got CDs on our webpage,celtickitchenpartycom.
Clearly, we're streamingeverywhere, like Spotify, apple
things, like Deezer title appsyou wouldn't even know exists.
So if you're that rare person,we're on there and thank you for
your time, guys.
This is fun.
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
This has been Kingston Live.
We encourage you to rate us onyour listening platform of
choice and subscribe, ifpossible, for show listings,
artist info and all things.
Kingston music.
Check out KingstonLiveca.
Kingston Live was produced inKingston by SoundWise, hosted by
Riley Jabor and PeterSanfilippo, voiceovers and
technical production by JohnSanfilippo.
(31:46):
Executive producer Rob Howard.
Kingston Live is a member ofthe Canadian Live Music
Association.
We'd love to hear from you.
Email us at podcast atKingstonLiveca.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Yeah it's been a fun podcast to work on.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah, I think the fact that it's pretty informal
and it's pretty flexible, youknow, we're able to kind of have
some fun with it.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Yeah, I love that, so you're allowed to swear if you
want.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Yes, yes, this can slip out on occasion, okay, good
.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
Yeah, swearing is fine.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Just don't think overdo it Colorful.
Yes, yeah, yeah, it definitelydid read the stuff you had sent,
but it all looked good you know, I don't think anybody's ever
sworn too much yet Jonas haspushed it.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Yeah, that's about it yeah, yeah, but I mean he's.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
British so it's charming.
Oh no, jonas, sure good.
This is the Kingston Live podcast.
Andrew Van Horne joining usfrom Celtic Kitchen Party Tell
us, how are you?
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'm great, I'm super glad to be here Obviously here
pushing our Celtic Christmas CD,glad to be excited about that
and love talking about the band.
We want to get some bodies outto shows and I'm already having
fun sitting with you two here,so, yeah, Pleasure to have you
here.
Hey, great to be here.
So speaking of, One of mysecond things I like to do with
not playing.
I like to talk on podcasts.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It's the next best thing to do a show.
It's the next best thing.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It's like I got to keep putting out new stuff.
Maybe you know that I can keepdoing this.
You wouldn't want to see me ina year if I got nothing new to
say, would you?
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I think that's actually the advantage of making
a Christmas album is that youcan just be the next year and be
like hey, I'm here again.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
This is it.
So Colin Skinner, he's the tinwhistle bagpipe player and he's
like, hey, it comes every yearright.
So work said he's always wantedto do it.
So okay, we'll do it.
You know, over the pandemic wedid three albums like 2019, 2020
.
You remember the pandemic?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Oh wait, Did you live through that?
I heard that.
Who made that?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
record it was a real blinking, you know phenomenon,
it was a phenomenal cuff-cuffand so, you know, life shut down
.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
But we did these three albums, we did a song of a
month's club and people couldsign up, so it was our first
experience with this patron idea, you know.
So we released three CDs but Iwas pretty tired over that.
But he's like no, no Christmasalbum.
And so he said he would produceit along with Jeremy Dahl, a
local fellow.
So they did a great job, Ithink, of this album and I was
glad to sing on it and playguitar.
So, you know, maybe we'll keepat it, you know, but that's why
(02:00):
the album's there.
And he also did mention, youknow, every year Christmas comes
, you know.
So it's something we celebrateevery year.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Are you a big Christmas guy?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I am a Christmas guy.
Merry Christmas, guys.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Are you Riley?
I'm like.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Well, you know what that actually leads me into one
of my questions.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
See there's parts of.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Christmas I really love.
And then you know there's theparts that drive everybody crazy
, but like the shopping and thehustle and the yada-yada-yada.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
The commercialism maybe?
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
But when I was listening to the album there was
one line in your version of AldLang Sign that really caught my
attention and really broughtlike those Christmas feelings
back and the line goes there isa pub in Old Kingstown where
friends are never far and willpull up a stool to the bar and
remember for a while.
I'm going to put you on thespot because that's a great
Christmas imagery to me.
I think everybody has that oflike going home to your hometown
(02:47):
or coming back to Kingston ifyou've left or whatever, and you
just go to your local and thenlike everyone you've ever known
is there or people you haven'tseen in years and years are
there, and you all just likereconnect through the spirit of
Christmas.
What is that bar for you?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, I was just wondering, anticipating that
question.
Yeah, I went to McMasterUniversity for three years,
ended up loving Hamilton, but itwould come back and I think it
was like the brass or thegrizzly.
So I'm like 47, you know.
So that was about that time.
You know Chris was stillplaying Smitty.
You know this idea those weremy places that I would come back
to Kingston, you know, and sortof just see everyone, like you
said that had left.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I feel like that's the magic of Christmas.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, because everybody's got a story like
that.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
You go back to your like your hometown bar and then
somebody from your hometown theyhaven't talked to you in
forever is there and all of asudden you just wind up like
drinking until 2am together andjust like catching up.
It's amazing, it's perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I love that song.
It's the nostalgia but the ideaof it pouring a beer out, which
is in cultures you know where,like if we were celebrating one
of our friends passing.
He's not there, that chair isempty for him and we all have a
beer but we take one and we pourit out for him.
So that line's in there.
So we had some fun with thelyrics.
So glad you liked that one,absolutely Old Lang Syne, you
know.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
I love that there's officially like a Kingston
Christmas song.
It's like finally happened, sothank you for putting that one
together.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
The Christmas Down in Kingston.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yes, that one nice.
Yeah, that's a great track.
Yeah, thanks, man.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Yeah, we put that together.
It was a few years ago.
We played Going Down PrincessStreet on the trolley Nice.
So everyone's at their cold andwe're on this worm trolley you
know playing.
My wife was on deck there andshe's just loving waving.
It was very addictive waving topeople.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
You can't see.
People can't see, but I'mwaving and the guys are like I
wish we had a way to show peoplemore face right there.
She was very upset, so it wasvery upset when we didn't do it.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
In fact, we couldn't do the Christmas parade this
year because we were playingGreat Cup.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Oh, that's amazing.
How did that go?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
It was great.
It was on Friday at theHamilton Convention Center Great
party.
It was the Eastern Social Houseof Thai cats, argonauts and I
guess the Ruff the Riders therein Ottawa.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
And you mentioned that you had been a McMaster
University guy spent some timein Hamilton.
Was that kind of like a secondhomecoming for you in a way,
being able to go back toHamilton for the Great Cup?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, I bet we didn't get a chance too much to sort
of hang around, but I do likegoing back to Hamilton, I did a
lot of improv comedy there andthat sort of stuff, a lot of
commercials I did acting on someTV stuff and I didn't like
being poor so I gave that up.
But yeah, hamilton nostalgic abit, yeah, and a home away from
home, for sure, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, you briefly touched on how the album came to
be, but I feel like the idea ofmaking a Christmas record Riley
can also speak to this.
It has this element of likeit's rare for a Christmas record
to be the first thought.
It's like, okay, no, we'vedefinitely got to make a
Christmas album.
Like a lot of groups, it's likesomething you come along to or
(05:29):
you make a time.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
There's not many Christmas groups per se, yeah
exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So what brought you to the decision to make a
Christmas record?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I don't know, it's just like, I hate to say it.
There's the commercial aspect,I suppose, but I do really enjoy
Christmas and sort of Colin andJeremy though I think he's one
of those most excited.
We got to do this and in fact,like last year, he gifted me, he
plays bagpipes and he justgifted me these instrumentals
and he's like glowing, you know,so happy and I just thought
(05:56):
nothing of it.
I loved it, I loved it, I saythank you and then a year later
he's like we should turn theseinto an album.
You have to just sort of saythat it is sort of a commercial
thing.
I was talking about being poorthere as an actor and this and
that, and I was doing a lot oforiginals and you don't really
get a lot of money at some ofthese shows.
You know, if it's like BroomFactory, our local place here in
Kingston, you know, and you'repaying for the cover, well,
(06:18):
sometimes we would drive twohours to play to an empty house,
you know, and I can do thathere, I would say, you know, but
the Celtic music I fell in lovewith this Celtic style and
there was some commercialsuccess in that.
There's a whole genre out there, it's not just St Patrick's Day
, so we were kept busy like 365days of the year and we do a lot
of originals and you'll hearsome.
There's a lot of money on thealbum there, the Christmas album
(06:40):
, but, like I said, we have lotsof music no-transcript.
We started to get paid and thatwas exciting.
Okay, as a musician to start toget paid.
So you know, I said you hate tosay commercial, but it was an
opportunity.
Sometimes the disaster you putall your time and effort into an
album.
No one hears it, they say.
But I think people are going tohear this.
You know, I think people dolove Christmas.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
It's not dead.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
So that's why it's exciting to do this and that's
why I think everyone does aChristmas album because it sells
.
So I can't.
I think it's probably an honestanswer that commercially seems
viable.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Absolutely Boo.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I was saying to Riley doesn't like commercialism?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
There's the corporatism of Christmas.
Man, I knew it.
Yeah, I was saying to Peteearlier that I think this is the
first album we've had on thepodcast that I on my listen
through I thought, oh, mygrandma would go bananas for
this.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, it's one of those albums that you just know
like it's, so it works so wellfor exactly the setting you set
out for, which is, you know,christmas and gatherings and
homecoming and all that sort ofstuff.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, it's lively, it's energetic.
One of my quotes, like getready to bear, hug the
untraditional or some sort ofline I had, you know, like it's,
these are like crick jinglebells.
This is not a traditionalversion, you know.
This is kind of a different,you know.
So I think you're going to loveit for those that love Celtic
music.
But it's a fun romp, energy,high energy, and we've got that
Moxie Fruve song on there.
You know, huge on the luge.
(08:01):
That's what drew me a lot tothe Celtic music is the comedy,
beer, drink and party.
Not that people would be.
No, it's not all that, butthose are big aspects of St Pat
Celtic music.
East Coast is the you know armwaving.
So the albums like that, theChristmas album and a great.
It's intergenerational.
Actually, a lot of our crowdsare older.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Actually, this is you mentioned Moxie Fruve is.
One thing that really stood outto me about the album is that a
lot of these song picks are notthe kinds that you would
necessarily expect to see on aChristmas album.
Like you've got a Stan Rogerstrack on there, you've got Moxie
Fruve.
It's like there's a lot ofCanadiana also that Huron Carol,
which is incredible, yeah,absolute, and I didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I wasn't familiar with that like based on the
indigenous culture of the HuronCarol, I didn't know about it.
That goes way back 1800s orsomething like that.
So it's really beautiful.
I got six tracks from Colin andhe's lovely and they were sort
of maybe just straight laced,just sort of straight because he
was just playing the bagpipe,so a verse course, you know, and
I thought the album would belike that until Jeremy got his
hands on Jingle Bells and madethis wonderful arrangement.
(09:00):
It's kind of in a saddy minor,it's like you're long-full but
excited, and you know, and thenHuron Carol's Brian Flynn
actually singing on that, andthat's a great arrangement.
And Drunken Santa and I did alittle thing with the little
Piper man or little Piper Boy,so I said a little drummer boy.
So that was exciting.
I have four different peopleinvolved in this project to make
it sound totally unexpected.
(09:22):
So it was exciting for me,absolutely.
Yeah, I wasn't not boring.
I don't think so.
Maybe you the listeners canjudge for yourselves and, you
know, check it out.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
But absolutely, you're just like looking at the
tracks, like if you, you know,open it on like Spotify, and you
just like reviewed the tracks.
You're like man okay, I knowtwo of these.
Where is this going?
It's exciting to do that,because I feel like it's very
typical to start a Christmasalbum and be like, okay, we got
the standards here, let's go.
It's a new flavor of Christmas.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
I appreciate that People are like, hey, you got to
do another one.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Get Last Christmas on the next one.
Yeah, that's George Michaelcover.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
There we go.
I recently did a podcast.
I was saying it was theKingston Irish sorry, the Irish
Celtic podcast all throughoutthe world isn't that.
But he fell in love with theChristians and the Pagans.
He's like who did that song?
I said Dar Williams, from yourcountry, sir, so she's from the
States.
I just love that song If youwant anything burning, or the
(10:19):
pies when you have Christiansand the Pagans sitting together
so that on many levels is deep.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
That's a great track.
I forget exactly what it's likethat is different.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Right, I've never heard that before.
I had been singing it, by theway, for as long as I've been
playing music, by the way, inHamilton People love it but
people don't know it.
Christians and the Pagans great, Great, little team.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah, as the one in particular you'd like us to
throw in.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
So Jingle Bells is an amazing arrangement.
Obviously I'm not.
I'm no help to you.
You're going to have to decide.
John will decide.
But Huron, carol's really great, and then that Christians and
the Pagans are something aboutthat one.
But if you're just doing one,huron, I suppose because it
really emphasizes the fiddle andeverything, yeah, huron Carol's
a cool pick, given that it'sthe original Canadian Christmas
(11:07):
song.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
I feel like I didn't know of it at all until the
album.
I think there's a coolopportunity there.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, I know exactly.
I hadn't heard it either untilhe did and I thought it was just
.
I don't know what I wasexpecting, but what came out is
great, the energy of that song.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
Come near before the radiant boy who brings you
beauty, peace and joy Jesus,your King is born.
Jesus is born In.
It shall cease to grow.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Gloria, thank you for listening to Kingston Live.
Be sure to subscribe on yourplatform of choice and follow us
(15:14):
on Facebook and Instagram Formore great Kingston music.
Check out the Kingston Liveplaylist on Spotify For show
listings, artist info and allthings Kingston music.
Check out kinkstonliveca.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
You kind of touched on the culture of Celtic music
earlier and talking about howthere's a party and there's
revelry and all of this.
That's one of my favoritethings about Celtic music.
I find it so fascinating,especially the concept of a
kitchen party.
It's not just Celtic KitchenParty, the band name, A kitchen
party is a real thing that goesdown, where people will show up
and just jam in a kitchen.
I find there's this magic ofCeltic music where if you go to
(15:52):
an open mic night anywhere whereit's just play whatever song,
you feel like people getintimidated and they won't play
but Celtic music, you can havesomebody who's literally never
touched an instrument before andthey'll be like I'm in this jam
.
Now this is happening.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
That I love exactly.
They've got the drum, they'vegot the spoons, tickety, tickety
.
They're a part of it.
Celtic is true that way, one ofthe bands that opened up for us
there at Grey Cup.
Excellent, tight, heavy, like aweasel kind of sound.
People were all rocking headsand just love it and I was
impressed.
When we get on, it doesn'tmatter if it's a little loose,
(16:26):
and it's fun.
No one was dancing, they're alldoing this head thing.
But as soon as we get on,people are throwing themselves
all over the place spinningdropping on, one guy was doing
this 80-year-old, he was doingcartwheels Awesome.
So, revelry and people would be.
It's not all just drinking andrevelry this and that.
It's the instrumentation ofCeltic music Tin whistles, baron
fiddles, bagpipes, accordionsOur band has all that sort of
(16:49):
stuff, so it's pretty diverse.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
It's very accessible in that way too.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, true, accessible to a lot of different
people.
There's a lot of differentstyles, slow, fast.
But I like how you said thatanyone can join into the kitchen
party.
You know about that name.
People ask where does the namecome from, the Celtic kitchen
party?
Well, it's based on that.
I mean, it's the ensemble.
We have a kind of a group wherewe have a couple different
drummers, a couple fiddleplayers, this and that.
So if someone can't make a show, we kind of pull them in like a
(17:14):
roster.
The only time it gets weird iswhen, like, see, we play to show
it at Old Fort Henry, the OldFort Henry's having a kitchen
party featuring the Celtickitchen party.
So that's the only one.
It's just a little weird withthe name, but the name is
exactly what we are right.
Party kitchen ensemble show upExactly.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
It works so well.
Yeah, I'm glad you like that.
Yeah, we're keeping busy.
I mean, I don't know we've beenat like 10 years or something
silly.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
And you're staying very busy.
You've got a ton of showscoming up in the house.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
You see the counter is kind of exciting, you know.
Yeah, in fact, Colin there, he'slike no more so, like we're all
you know dad's spouse's kids,you know and generally day
jobbers.
But it's more than just a hobby.
It's a glorified hobby, youknow, throwing a lot of money,
like we're getting calls to playthe great cup and cool little
things like that.
I like to say we play fromOttawa to Toronto and sometimes
(18:01):
a Caluit.
So we went up there one timeyeah, yeah, I know Rock and roll
.
We flew in da da, da Came back.
What's a venue in a Caluit like?
Exactly, it was for an animalfundraiser and we played at the
Frobershire Inn.
So it was just like you couldimagine any kind of a wedding.
That books say your banquethall.
But yeah, it was very white, alot of government, a lot of
(18:25):
women.
That are all up there, you know, because they have a lot of
government up there.
You know, no-transcript.
We only got the tour the nextday I retired and our CMP
officer took us around so I gotto see the Husky parking lot.
We're talking about 100 Doghouses in a field.
They're all chained up.
I don't feel bad, they're readyto go, they're just chilling,
waiting for their job.
And then we go by the.
(18:45):
If you've ever seen nothing buttrouble by Dan acrid, the
drive-thru dump.
You drove through that, we'retalking piles and the crows were
like the size of half of me, sowe saw all the sites.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
But good people there .
But it was cold.
When you said the husky parkinglot, I pictured like a husky
gas station Way more fun thanmore picture.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, yeah do not go up and pet the huskies, you know
, but just just odd things likethat, you know.
But no, it was a normal party.
It was a fundraiser for theanimal shelter.
They have a husky animalshelter up there, so kind of
bizarre to bring us a.
But they had the budget, theyloved us and I just that's part
of quoting I'm like, well, youpay X amount of dollars.
Okay, look at you up there, whynot?
(19:32):
Yeah, yeah, I will do mostanything to ray.
I could hire you for yourwedding, couldn't I?
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Anything.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Riley, not to talk about ghosts at any wedding we
will happily do it for hours,usually dive in the ghost.
I got ghost songs.
It's happened a few times.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I'm pretty much every time.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
You to know ghost making brown, I could feel John
right now like his finger overthe mute button.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
At 1312, they talk about ghosts.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yeah, we're over that one.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
I mean, you guys do play a lot at the turn it on.
We just famously potentiallyhaunted deep.
Have you seen any ghosts in thecrowd?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
No, I haven't.
I recently took that tourthough, that haunted walk tour.
Have you done that oh?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Yeah, that's hilarious.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Back to non-ghost topics.
Back to the lay of the livingyou mentioned the, the energy
that comes out in your shows and, and you know the, the
cartwheeling grandpa for example, yeah, how it's like they're
invited to go crazy a little,you know.
Yeah, is there anything you youtry to do, or you you feel that
you do, to cultivate that?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Well, we have these little traditions.
The first started at Ternanog,you know, where you shed out
sociable and you raise your pintin the air.
So there were big fans of that,you know, and I realized that
the spirit of Edmonton, so thethe Edmonton team, they have a
mascot called sociable, so thisword is around.
So we encourage that.
Sometimes we would do this.
You know, the old spot dancesbecause we're a little older.
(20:58):
Are we remember spot dancers?
No, I do, anyways, peopledancing and we throw it CDs and
stuff like that, sometimes justthings like that, to encourage
the participation, you know,from the audience.
You know, but yeah, sociabledrink, the Celtic stuff can be
anything.
I mean we have the full band,we have a bit of volume, the
show that's coming up, we havegot the electric guitar as well.
(21:19):
So the six of us, we can alsobring it right down to two of us
.
On Friday's Brian Flynn and Ihe's the fiddle player play at
Ternanog and Someone could verywell come up at the spoons.
You know, there we've hadkitchen parties to him.
And there's a great club intown, it's the Kingston Irish
folk club with Tony O'Loughlin,you know he invites that kind of
teaches dance and teaches tinwhistle, you know.
So I kind of got my start therewith him in the Irish roots,
and that's more folk, right,whereas I'd like to say we're
(21:42):
more like the Celtic kitchenparties, more rock pop.
In fact we play with the fiddleplayer Ted Shew as well.
As you know.
We're getting a bit of areputation as a party band.
I says I like.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
It's my idea, sir.
It's right there in the name.
We can bring it right there inthe name but we can bring it
down.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
We play weddings, we play like the ceremonies.
You know we can do thetraditional stuff, but it's true
that I like to change it up tomore the party way.
That's just.
I'm fascinated by that.
The party, you know, and that'swhy we're.
I think that's what keep usbusy.
People want to dance.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I think that also speaks to the strength of the
band and to us players to beable to adapt so much from we
can't a two-piece to a, howevermany people feel like showing up
tonight.
Piece to this guy brought somespoons tonight, yeah you know
old Langzine.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
He said you like that , the version of that, that is
sort of a slower traditionalright.
So we brought up you to fourfour time.
You know I did that one time toDanny boy and this old lady's
like Can you play?
Danny boy?
Speaker 4 (22:34):
Like yeah, I launched into my four, four time.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Okay, how'd you like, just not, not that way.
That's not what I wanted.
I Think you just have to knowyour audience.
But see, we can do the bothways the traditional Langzine,
or just like this sort of thefour, four Kickbeat Mumford and
Sun's version, which is kind ofwhat you know.
Get the bagpipes going hellyeah, hell's yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah, so glad that there's a tip like bands in town
with bagpipes.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
There aren't, yeah, there aren't that many, you know
.
And so one of the one of thetricks there is he had to get it
for those that are interestedand the listeners.
You know he had to get a B flatchannel.
It's just a different sort ofthing that you can play with the
guitars.
So I slap on the capo and andit works.
If you didn't have that, thesebagpipes are on their own
frequency and when you have thebig groups, the Princess of
Wales on regimen or just anysort of pipe group they were
they're all tuning to the leaderbut they're who knows what
(23:25):
they're at, and so and it'sthat's how we saw playing with
the band is this B flat channeland it works.
It just sounds really great.
You know it's rock and roll,you know.
So we sometimes we do AC DCs.
It's a long way to the top ifyou want to rock and roll.
You know people love thebagpipes.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I love that the bagpipes are just almost this
like alien instrument comparedto octopus yeah it's the
weirdest like you just think of.
You know?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
okay, it's like you know what's the difference
between bagpipes and onions?
Do you know what the differenceis?
No one cries when you cutbagpipes.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Okay, my dad's gonna really like that.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Sorry, yeah, but it looks crazy.
You know playing and I don'tknow, not that people.
I think there's something.
I'm sure everything needseducation.
I think the bagpipes might needa few lessons.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know theguitar.
Hi, look at me, that's my story.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Let's think of the like.
You know, like the start, thedifficult starting instruments,
like like a violin or somethingit's like takes a bit before
that starts sounding good.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Well, it's like a year before you get something.
It's not a screech, Maybe youknow yeah, the bagpipes are just
something else.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
So, like music with bagpipes is a very particular
flavor and it's like there'snothing that replicates it.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah, no, I agree, the real deal.
And we play with an accordionplayer.
She has a digital Roland, youknow, and people are like where
those sounds come.
She just can't.
So she does play bagpipes Onthe accordion, but it's not the
same.
It's a very impressive lookingto see this pipe or come in, and
sometimes, you know, I don'teven talking about stirring the
crowd up Sometimes we get him topipe in from behind or pipe
into a song.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
It's a spectacle, you know, I think you ever get the
pipes, like in the crowd.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
We've had randoms ask if they can pipe with us.
Excuse me, oh, wow, you meansome random pipe, we're just
gonna know.
But usually in ahead of timethey ask if they can pipe a tune
and we're like, yeah, sure, doyou have a beeflet chain?
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Kind of hardware.
You bring it, yeah, yeah yeah,we do that.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So yeah, I'll do it, I'll pick it up.
We've touched a couple times onsome upcoming shows, but I
don't think we've said anythingspecific about dates, so lay
them on us.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yeah, I wanted to be specific about this Kingston
show.
So we're doing a bit of a CDrelease show.
It's Thursday, december 7th atthe RCA.
Have you guys been up there?
The Royal Canadian HorseArtillery it's on Ontario.
You go through the blue awningand you're up the stairs Great
place for me, as they got greatblues nights and this and that
and yeah, so we're playing there.
It's $20 for tickets.
(25:41):
You can get them there at theRCA club or online.
Maybe if you check out Kingstonlive, you'll see some links.
We are, by the way, on Kingstonlive and there's the ticket
link there and that sort ofstuff.
That's the show I'm reallypushing.
Saturday is spearhead brewery,though you know, we're in the
back room where all the kegs are.
You know where they make thebeer.
So we're doing a party atspearhead and then Sunday we're
(26:02):
at Sterling festival theater inthe afternoon.
Yeah, they love us there.
You know we play up in theirupstairs room and usually sells
it.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
So that's our CD release run, you know yeah, well
, each of those shows have thepipes, or yeah?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
so what's, what's, what's the my go-to?
I say you know the the cream.
The a1 game here is like I'm ongets.
No one's found a replacementfor me yet I'm gonna talk about
that.
on some of it they should youknow when a wedding comes in on
a certain day?
I'll get to that and suppose awedding comes in on a certain
date if the like a drummer's notavailable.
We have another drummer couplebass players, I'm a accordion
player, a couple fiddle players,but there is only one bagpiper,
(26:37):
colin Skinner, and and yeah, Imean people ask one more if we
can't make a show, I'd let thepeople know.
I just want to say that Eachshow can be a bit different, but
usually the client knows whatthey're getting.
But for you that are coming outon the 7th or on Saturday at
Spearhead or on the Sunday thereand we've got the bagpiper
myself on guitar, we've gotBrian Flynn on fiddle Wonderful
(26:58):
Does a great devil.
Devil went down to Georgia thiskind of stuff Mike Kitt on
electric guitar, nathan Crockinon drums, jeremy Dahl on bass.
So there's six of us.
There's going to be a bit of anice wall of sound.
You know, usually we play fourto five people, but six is going
to be great, which you'll hearon the album.
You hear all those instruments.
So definitely pipes.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Hell yeah, hell yeah, cannot wait for it.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
We're going to play our number one tune, itchy
fingers.
Number one tune on Spotify.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
We've been talking a bit about shows and different
places you've played.
Do you play kitchens onoccasion?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
We have, like those would be your more intimate sort
of birthday parties.
You know, 1880th party, 50th,it wouldn't matter, it's really
sort of a different range ofpeople.
We have literally played inkitchens or living rooms, you
know, sometimes we amplify itjust with the voice because that
sometimes needs to carry andthe guitar, but the fiddle just
carries across the room, youknow.
So yeah, we definitely do thoseintimate parties, you know, and
(27:55):
I'm always handing out those,the business cards, by the way,
and the webpage A really greatpromotion.
I was going to say we doprivate parties.
I say, you know, we do privateparties, we do weddings,
anniversaries and funerals, butthey're harder to plan for.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
That's not you doing real right yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
One lady loved us so much she said I didn't get a
copy yet.
But she said she put us in thewill so she got a quote.
She didn't say are youavailable on November 3rd In a
callowate?
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Yeah in a callowate, please, please.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
But she asked if we do them.
She says yes, we would.
They would be the celebrationof life, you know.
But like I said, we also do.
I was going to say respectful,peaceful music, but the
celebration of life, clearly,but anyway.
So that's kind of an oddrequest but we're glad to honor
it.
So if she ever someone give usa call, yes, Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
I feel like few girls need a headline like that an
attraction.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Yeah, because you come out.
I mean I guess the headliner islike this guy used to be alive
and now he's not anymore.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
But, like having a band come out that people want
to see.
That's going out with a bang.
Let's get that energy up?
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, exactly, I think so.
I mean, this is, I don't know,celebration of life wasn't in my
like dialogue when I was young,you know we were doing the very
sort of traditional, you know,but the idea of a bar, a lively
music, some pictures celebratingit's.
I think that's what I want.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Yeah, by the way, I went to a funeral once that had
a drinking game and that was thebest funeral I've ever been to.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
It's insane, it's.
You see, you want your funeralto stick in people's memories,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
It's like, yeah, it gives people a reason to, like
you know, remember thepersonality and less of just
like the loss.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Yeah, no, yeah.
No, because it's brutal Allright, you know, but let's just
celebrate them too, you know, orher?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
I really also respect that person's organization you
know what I got a thing comingup at some point.
Yeah, will you play this?
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Yeah, yeah no.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I like that.
Can I depend?
Speaker 3 (29:53):
on you yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Yeah, I think that's truly organized exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Book ahead For the most organized of us.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, oh, I've got like an event in my eye call on
my phone of I've got a plan.
I'm going to be struck bylightning on.
September 30th, 2089, one dayshort of my 100th birthday,
because I think that's thefunniest way to die.
So if you guys are still, youknow, playing around by then,
just you know.
Open invite.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
That's why I thought you were going to go about
planning.
I thought you were, like youknow, going to say, like the
person who plans their funeral,you know sort of.
Yeah, you got to, you know.
And then I was going to askabout wills.
You know, that's anotherplanning sort of thing, you know
, but just to put us in yourwill, you know.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Yeah, riley, can you send me the eye calendar invite
for that?
Speaker 1 (30:35):
one.
Oh hell yeah, right now.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
I'm going to set it as tentative, but we'll see,
yeah, yeah, not going yet yeah.
Thanks though.
Yeah, yeah, that's funny.
You know we've all listened toenough Paul McCartney Christmas
tracks.
It's time for some new stuffyeah.
(30:58):
Let's get some new tracks here.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
I mean, if I did a little rap and stuff, it's just
like hey, I hope that you enjoya one Celtic Christmas by the
Celtic Kitchen Party.
We've got CDs on our webpage,celtickitchenpartycom.
Clearly, we're streamingeverywhere, like Spotify, apple
things, like Deezer title appsyou wouldn't even know exists.
So if you're that rare person,we're on there and thank you for
your time, guys.
This is fun.
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
This has been Kingston Live.
We encourage you to rate us onyour listening platform of
choice and subscribe, ifpossible, for show listings,
artist info and all things.
Kingston music.
Check out KingstonLiveca.
Kingston Live was produced inKingston by SoundWise, hosted by
Riley Jabor and PeterSanfilippo, voiceovers and
technical production by JohnSanfilippo.
(31:46):
Executive producer Rob Howard.
Kingston Live is a member ofthe Canadian Live Music
Association.
We'd love to hear from you.
Email us at podcast atKingstonLiveca.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Yeah it's been a fun podcast to work on.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah, I think the fact that it's pretty informal
and it's pretty flexible, youknow, we're able to kind of have
some fun with it.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Yeah, I love that, so you're allowed to swear if you
want.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Yes, yes, this can slip out on occasion, okay, good
.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
Yeah, swearing is fine.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Just don't think overdo it Colorful.
Yes, yeah, yeah, it definitelydid read the stuff you had sent,
but it all looked good you know, I don't think anybody's ever
sworn too much yet Jonas haspushed it.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Yeah, that's about it yeah, yeah, but I mean he's.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
British so it's charming.
Oh no, jonas, sure good.
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