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| Song circle at the Church |
By Ted Slowik
Wow, that was a great weekend of live music in Joliet! It was
Will County Celtic Fest weekend, and the fun started Friday night with an intimate pre-fest gathering that featured a performance by Irish singer/songwriter
Colm O'Brien.
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| Don Nudi, John Condron, Pat Otto |
Colm is part of the
Flipside Works stable of artists, and Flipside presented the two days of performers on two stages Saturday and Sunday at
St. Joseph Park in Joliet for Will County Celtic Fest. But before that got underway, Colm performed at a private event Friday night. As the evening progressed, a song circle broke out with Colm,
John Condron,
Allison Flood, Scott McNeil, drummer Don Nudi and bassist Tom Maslowski.
Will County Celtic Fest is an extremely fun affair presented by the Irish American Society of County Will. St. Joe's Park is a wonderful venue in town, a picnic grounds with booths for food and beverages and volunteers staffing events. As election day is drawing near, the politicians were well-represented this weekend, including Joliet Mayor Tom Giarrante and Will County Executive Larry Walsh.
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| Cutthroat Shamrock |
And the musical lineup was fantastic. Saturday featured performances by Appalachian punk rockers
Cutthroat Shamrock and Milwaukee-based Celtic rockers
Whiskey of the Damned. It was a great time seeing many good friends and hearing fantastic, lively music. The weather Saturday and Sunday was beautiful, too.
Sunday I rehearsed at Ron Kostka's house in Minooka with guitarist George Barnes and Ron's drummer friend Jay for an upcoming tribute show for Ron's sister Shirley, who passed away earlier this year. Shirley wrote the lyrics for several of the songs we played together back in the early 1990s, so we're getting the band back together in her honor.
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| The Righteous Hillbillies |
On the way home I stopped by Mugz Hideout, formerly the Big Basin, a fun joint in Channahon where Interstate 55 crosses the DesPlaines River. There's a marina there, and a bar where
The Righteous Hillbillies played Sunday afternoon. It was a glorious day, and I love their brand of Southern rock. They have a tremendous following, and it's always a good time hearing them.
All in all it was great weekend of live music!
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| I-55 over the DesPlaines River |
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