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The first gig of the New Year… I entered the doors of Chequer Mead uninitiated, but I had listened to a few clips on the internet, and what I heard, I liked, so as I made my way to my seat, I was carrying a very positive impression of what Cathie Ryan was about. The stage was dimly-lit with wispy clouds of dry ice vapour which drifted lazily around the stage…There was an air of great expectation…Which was immediately fulfilled as the three consummate musicians emerged from the shadows of stage left. Cathie Ryan from Detroit, Michigan on lead vocal and bodhran, Hanneke Cassel form Port Orford, Oregon, on vocals, fiddle, piano and egg and last but not least Greg Anderson on vocal, acoustic guitar and bouzouki. They launched into their first number and from the very start we were presented with beautiful rhythmic patterns which interweaved in and out of each other with Greg's laid back, fluidly fingering of the fretboard of whichever instrument he was playing. It was evident that Greg's playing style was percussive and his extremely competent driving rhythms worked beautifully with Cathie's Bodhran playing. She looked at home on the stage from the very start and when she sang - well, her voice was magnificent, just one step short of perfection (nobody has every got that far yet!). Hanneke stood to Cathie's left, sometimes dormant, sometimes the devilish fiddle player, and at times sometimes giving us crystalline, clear, angelic harmonised singing which blended exquisitely with Cathie's vocals. She also played the grand piano making a fresh sounding occasional change in the flow of the set. After about two tracks it really kicked off and I knew something special was starting to unravel; that special kind of performance when the band and audience meld together and become one. At times when Cathie sang you could tell she meant every word as she closed her closed her eyes to tap into the emotion of the prose. Sheer Celtic beauty most of the time with a few different styles added in for good measure including a tribute to Emmylou Harris with a possible nod to the Grievous Angel himself, Gram Parsons. I found myself drumming along with the band and I was not alone. Cathie and the Band performed, amongst others: Carrick a rede, Grace O'Malley, Somewhere Along the Road, You and I in the One Bed Lie, Home By Bearna, Slân Abhaile, So Here's To You, all of these taken from Kathie's earlier works and most of her new album The Farthest Wave; including, What's Closest To The Heart, Rough and Rocky, The Wild Flowers, Follow The Heron, The Farthest Wave, Dance the Baby, As the Evening Declines, Be Like the Sea, Peata Beag Do Mháthar, Gabhaim Molta Bríghde and Home Sweet Home. Each song was linked by pleasant friendly, uplifting banter including surreptitious advertising for Harveys of Lewes! Towards the end of the set Cathie alluded to the special atmosphere that had been created when she performed SLÁN ABHAILE, a parting blessing on musicians and dancers - perhaps with a bit of poetic license replacing dancers with audience. I enjoyed it immensely in spite of the fact that Hanneke made fun of my name! 'Bob!' She said it should be 'Barb'. A stunning performance by everyone - including the audience. Acoustic Sussex haven't fired any blanks yet. Review courtesy of Bob Preece |
