My Acoustic Side
The acoustic guitar is the instrument I started with, back in 1970. Being well grounded in the Folk tradition has helped me keep my later musical styles heartfelt and down to earth.
Influenced by the Pogues, Dubliners and Clanceys, I’ve been performing Irish music since 2000, the year I opened for the Clancey Brothers the first time. I love Irish music’s history and social commentary and its spirit of rowdy fun. It’s great music to rile people up with: It’s as close as you can get to punk rock on an acoustic guitar.
As I get older, I don’t feel like I need to stand in front of huge Marshall amps every night. I love playing to an Irish crowd with the people singing along and dancing in front of the stage. I’ll play a song like ‘The Wild Rover’ and the entire room will be singing along and clapping at the right parts and it’s just a very warm feeling.I initially did the Irish thing as a solo act, but Gary “Chops” MacConnie would occasionally sit in on banjo and mandolin. We eventually adopted the name The Dammy Bhoys and added Brian Kennedy, who plays the bodhran, a traditional Irish drum.
The Dammy Bhoys recorded one CD: “Live At Cafe Nine” in 2007.