Tradition and tribute play out at ICONS fest

MUSIC REVIEW
Tradition and tribute play out at ICONS fest
By Marc Hirsh, Globe Correspondent | August 14, 2007

CANTON -- Let it not be said that the ICONS Festival didn't showcase a wide range of Irish music. From 1,000-year-old monastic hymns played on the harp to the modern punk of the Dropkick Murphys, the three-day event at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton aimed to give a flavor of the legacy and the vitality of Celtic musical traditions.

Saturday didn't offer anything as seemingly random as Friday's headlining Black Crowes show, but there were still a few acts that strained the Irish theme past the point of credibility. German-born singer-songwriter Antje Duvekot's songs have been covered by Celtic band Solas, and the quirky, heartfelt Roches claimed Irish descent and sang "The Irish Were Egyptians Long Ago" in a cappella three-part harmony. But American folk's roots notwithstanding, neither could be considered Irish music as the term is generally understood.

Cara Dillon's performance, on the other hand, built the necessary bridge, adding a contemporary touch to her material with a voice and musical approach like a Hibernian Tori Amos. Some songs, like the overly sentimental "There Were Roses," fell slightly flat, but she scored on "Black Is The Colour" and a restless, uilleann pipe-driven "P Is For Paddy."

In many ways, though, the day belonged to the traditionalists, many of whom popped up time and again in different configurations on different stages (including the hospitality bar backstage, where a small group pulled out their instruments for an impromptu sing in true Irish-pub fashion). Fiddler Liz Carroll and fleet-fingered guitarist John Doyle performed a fine set of their own and with several of Mick Moloney's groups. Athena Tergis proved the most animated of the lot, using her whole body to saw away at her fiddle as her face betrayed the pure joy of musical collaboration.

A tribute to Irish music titan Tommy Makem, who died on Aug. 1, served as the heart of Saturday's program. That it was arranged on such short notice spoke volumes about the importance of honoring him. Niamh Parsons sang the impossibly lyrical "Red Is The Rose" in her gentle alto, while Moloney told of his willingness to take corporal punishment for being late to Catholic school as a result of hearing Makem's music on the radio for the first time. It concluded with Moloney, Heidi Talbot, Jimmy Crowley and Cathy Jordan (and, immediately, the audience) singing "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?," making clear Makem's influence on several generations of Irish musicians and listeners.