By Nancy Raskauskas
The Entertainer | Posted: Thursday, July 2, 2009 12:00 am
Celtic rockers first up for 2009 River Rhythms
ALBANY - Young Dubliners will play the opening show of the 2009 River Rhythms concert series at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, at Monteith Riverpark.
Originally formed by two guys from Dublin - Keith Roberts and Paul O'Toole - who met in an L.A. pub in 1988, the band has been going strong for more than two decades.
The group has been described as "pop rock
infused with celtic fiddle and pub sensibilities."
The band's current cast of characters, which has remained constant since 2002, includes co-founder Roberts on vocals and guitar, fellow Dubliner Brendan Holmes (bass, vocals), and American-born members Bob Boulding (guitar, vocals), Chas Waltz (violin, keyboards, harp, mandolin, vocals) and Dave Ingraham (drums, percussion).
The band has toured extensively both domestically and internationally.
Looking back at decades of touring, Roberts said that touring in Europe with Jethro Tull (2001 and 2008) was a highlight. The band also performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The band makes frequent appearances on national radio and television.
On St. Patrick's Day, the group performed its hit single "Rosie" from its latest CD, "Saint and Sinners," on"Jimmy Kimmel Live."
Young Dubliners recently wrapped up shows in Portland, Spokane and Seattle, but is making an extra trip back to the Northwest for the Albany concert, sandwiched between two southern California gigs.
"We're making a very special trip for this show, because we canceled last year," Roberts said.
"Saints and Sinners" includes everything from ballads to tunes that would be well-suited to serve as the soundtrack for a pub brawl. The subjects range from politics to the hardships of life in an internationally touring band.
Roberts writes about 90 percent of the lyrics.
"We've pushed ourselves to make each album," Roberts said.
A favorite of his off the recent album is "(I Don't Think I'll) Love Anymore" a heartfelt breakup song which he co-wrote with Waltz.
"It's about something that really happened," he said.
Another favorite is "In the End, a piece that started out as an all-instrumental piece.
"I really wanted to come up with something good for it," Roberts said.
What he came up with was a blistering commentary on the United Nations lack on intervention in the Darfur crisis. Roberts was touring in Europe at the time, and watching news coverage of violence and famine in the northern African region.
"What I saw was starving kids looking at the world, wondering why the world's not doing anything," he said.
According to Roberts, the band goes through periods of intense songwriting punctuated by touring, preferring to focus on one aspect or the other, but not both at the same time.
"When we're not writing, we're not writing," he said. "Mentally, I had to take a break."
"Saints and Sinners" is the group's second album on 429 Records, and its first batch of original material since 2005's critically acclaimed "Real World."
In the interim, the Young Dubliners recorder 2007's "With All Due Respect" a salute to traditional Irish and Celtic tunes.
The title of "Saints and Sinners" which was released in February, is drawn from the band's trials and tribulations of the past few years on the road where they have encountered their share of, to borrow from an Irish proverb, "poets and patriots, saints and sinners."
Roberts called touring an "arduous, exhausting hell of a life."
Still, he loves what he does.
"We have the best fans in the world," Roberts said. "It's the reason that we are still going."
Raucous "gig pits" of jigging fans have been known to break out at their concerts over the years.
"Sometimes we meet people who haven't seen us play for 12 years," Roberts said. "A lot of our original fans are now married with kids."
Roberts said if he had realized at the outset how long the band would remain popular, they might have reconsidered the name.
"The cool thing is, we've stayed young at heart, doing our best to grow into the name rather than let the name grow out of us," he said.
Roberts has cherished the music even more since undergoing a vocal cord rehabilitation surgery just before the CD "Real World" came out.
"I was down for a while," Roberts said. "It was definitely a scary time."
"My surgery made us all aware of how close we came to losing it all. Our determination to succeed is even stronger than before," he said.
"All it takes is that one great show, those perfect moments of band and audience communication, to appreciate what were doing up there and why," Roberts said. "It's all about the joy of performing, watching the people dance and hearing them sing along."
CHECK IT OUT
WHO: Young Dubliners
WHAT: River Rhythms concert series sponsored by Albany Parks & Recreation.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9.
WHERE: Monteith Riverpark, at Water Avenue and Washington Street, Albany.
COST: Free.
INFO: www.riverrhythms.org or www.youngdubs.com.
UPCOMING SHOWS
JULY 16: Joe Nichols (country) at the Linn County Fair.
JULY 23: Chuck Wicks (country)
JULY 30: The Coats (a capella, vocal).
AUG. 6: Ricardo Lemno (worldbeat, salsa, rumba, soukous).
AUG. 13: Paublo Cruise (mellow, 1970s pop/rock)
Don't forget: Opening time for blanket seating is 5:30 p.m. to allow daytime workers a chance to find a space. Local food vendors offer a variety of food for sale during the concerts, and children can take part in free art activities prior to the musical performances. No pets are allowed in the park during shows.