Culann's Hounds
Encyclopedia
Culann's Hounds is a traditional Irish folk band from San Francisco. Founded in 1999 by Steve Gardner and Michael Kelleher as The Irish Bastards http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=730 , the band began playing gigs and soon adopted the more broadly appealing name.
, a great Irish hero chronicled in the Tain
. Cuchulainn, meaning the Hound of Culann, earned his name after killing (in self-defense) a fierce guard dog owned by the blacksmith Culann. The boy repaid the smith by guarding his house until a new dog could be raised.
Culann's Hounds played their first public gig in spring of 1999 at the Blackthorn Tavern in San Francisco. Though initially sparsely attended, the up-tempo music attracted a crowd, establishing a tradition of Sunday afternoon gigs, sometimes called the Hounds' Sunday Beer Social. Culann's Hounds' popularity grew and in 2001 they recorded and released their first, eponymously titled album. Their second album, Year of the Dog, was released March 17, 2006 (St. Patrick's Day) at the Great American Music Hall
. The Hounds headlined the show; Quin (Band) and the Earl Brothers opened. The Hounds have returned to headline the Great American Music hall for St. Patrick's Day each year from 2007 to the present.
The Hounds have toured in the United States and Europe, playing both concerts and festivals.
The Hounds are preparing material for a new album, which will feature more of their original compositions. Some of these tracks were released in 2007 (The House of Faith Session) and 2008 (One for the Road), though the latter is composed almost entirely of traditional songs.
Past Members:
Year of the Dog (2006)
The House of Faith Session (2007)
One for the Road (2008)
Origins
The name Culann's Hounds derives from the Irish folk story of CuchulainnCúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
, a great Irish hero chronicled in the Tain
Táin Bó Cúailnge
is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
. Cuchulainn, meaning the Hound of Culann, earned his name after killing (in self-defense) a fierce guard dog owned by the blacksmith Culann. The boy repaid the smith by guarding his house until a new dog could be raised.
Culann's Hounds played their first public gig in spring of 1999 at the Blackthorn Tavern in San Francisco. Though initially sparsely attended, the up-tempo music attracted a crowd, establishing a tradition of Sunday afternoon gigs, sometimes called the Hounds' Sunday Beer Social. Culann's Hounds' popularity grew and in 2001 they recorded and released their first, eponymously titled album. Their second album, Year of the Dog, was released March 17, 2006 (St. Patrick's Day) at the Great American Music Hall
Great American Music Hall
The Great American Music Hall is a concert hall in San Francisco, California. It is located on O'Farrell Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood on the same block as the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater...
. The Hounds headlined the show; Quin (Band) and the Earl Brothers opened. The Hounds have returned to headline the Great American Music hall for St. Patrick's Day each year from 2007 to the present.
The Hounds have toured in the United States and Europe, playing both concerts and festivals.
The Hounds are preparing material for a new album, which will feature more of their original compositions. Some of these tracks were released in 2007 (The House of Faith Session) and 2008 (One for the Road), though the latter is composed almost entirely of traditional songs.
Members
2009-2010 Line-up:- Steve Gardner - FiddleViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, MandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, Vocals - Michael Kelleher - Guitar, Tin whistle, Vocals
- Renée de la Prade - Button accordionButton accordionA button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons rather than piano-style keys. There exists a wide variation in keyboard systems, tuning, action and construction of these instruments...
, Vocals - Dan Duffin - Bass
- Michael Messer - Drums
Past Members:
- Chris Thomas - Drums
- Adam Roach - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Scott Marshall - BodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, Drums & Percussion - Caitlin Oliver-Gans - Bass
- Alan Kaufman - Vocals
- Frank Jordan, Jr. - Bodhrán, Vocals
- Conall O'Raghallaigh - Uilleann PipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
- Kevin McDonough - Tin whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, FluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening... - Eliza James - Vocals
- Glenn Farr - Fiddle
Discography
Culann's Hounds (2001)- Old Hag You've Killed Me/The Tar Road to Sligo/The Gander in the Hole
- Lady's Fancy
- The Maids of Mitchelstown
- Spancil Hill
- Banish Misfortune/O'Keefe's Slide/The Monk's Jig
- Peggy Gordon
- The Swallowtail Jig/Ballinasloe Fair/Cherish the Ladies
- The Black Velvet Band
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley/The Musical Priest/Farewell to Erin
Year of the Dog (2006)
- Twin Peaks
- Dirty Old Town
- Rainy Day
- The Foggy Dew
- The Skylark
- Pelican Inn
- Wild Mountain Thyme
- Homeward Bound
- Éire
- The Carlow Set
- The Tennessee Waltz
- Helvic Head
The House of Faith Session (2007)
- Bourbon and Toulouse
- Thousand Flowers
- Zombie
- Shilelagh Polka
One for the Road (2008)
- The Rising of the Moon
- Irish Rover
- The Wet Goat (Whelan's Jig/Lantern Jig/Kid on the Mountain/An Phis Fhiliuch)
- Old Triangle
- Whiskey in the jar
- Danny Boy
- The Blackthorn Tavern (Tempest/Drag Her Around the Road/Ormond Sound/Virginia Reel)
- Wild Rover
- Three Drunken Polkas (I Have a Bonnet Trimmed with Blue/Little House in the Glen/Tom Billy's)
- Star of the County Down
- She Moved Through the Fair
- Rocky Road to Dublin
- Parting Glass
- Lettuce Leaf
- A Nation Once Again
External links
- Culann's Hounds Official Site
- Traditional album: One For The Road