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Reel busyDave Gossage and the annual
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by ERIK LEIJON Known to local Celtic music buffs as Montreal’s most prominent pied piper, and to a recent influx of young Irish pub-goers as “flute guy,” Hurley’s and Old Dublin mainstay Dave Gossage is one of Montreal’s go-to musical performers when it comes to traditional Irish and Scottish reels and jigs. Previously in the jazzy Celtic group Orealis and the more traditional outfit Tuna, the 50-year-old flautist’s latest album, with his new band the Celtic Mindwarp, is a combination of the two styles. The Mirror shared a figurative pint with Gossage before his incredibly busy Saint Patrick’s itinerary. Mirror: Because your Saint Patrick’s Day schedule is so hectic, do you feel you miss out on some of the celebration? Dave Gossage: I never really did Saint Patrick’s before I started playing the music. I’ve been doing this for about 16 years, and like New Year’s Eve, I can’t really picture not playing. I’ve been in Europe during Saint Patrick’s in recent years, so I got a chance to experience it in the German and Dutch ways. The Montreal one I had been away from for some time, but it’s a grind. M: What’s a German Saint Patrick’s like? DG: They do it, but it’s obviously not as big a deal. When I toured there, we did what is called a Saint Patrick’s tour. It’s a travelling group of Canadian, Irish and British groups, and the concert halls might be decorated in a Saint Patrick’s theme. It’s like it is here, really just an excuse to party. Everyone has a good, guilt-free time, even in Germany. M: The new record features an Alison Krauss cover, “Momma Cried.” That’s an interesting selection. DG: I play Celtic music, but I’m from North America and a lot of the American music or tune-based music we play can sound more bluegrassy. We’re doing instrumental sections with reels and jigs, and I always wanted to have an American set on it. And “Elzic’s Farewell,” which is the tune on that set, it’s an Appalachian, real American-sounding reel. M: How did you learn all the traditional Celtic tunes? DG: I just had to learn them playing with Liam Callaghan at Old Dublin. I get asked, how you get to play in the pubs, and I say there are about 40 songs you have to know. I played with [his late Orealis bandmate] Kirk MacGeachy and, having grown up in Scotland, he knew all the music. It’s funny because Irish and Scottish people, when travelling, tend to go to places exactly like where they came from, so Liam and Kirk would get the most obscure requests. I would always be amazed how they knew every song that came at them, and I would just play along. Eventually you get someone who’ll request it again and it becomes part of your repertoire. AT BEAUREPAIRE UNITED CHURCH (25 |
