Dublin Gulch | Dirty Old Town
Published: January 6, 2010
Perennial purveyors of Celtic favorites, Butte’s Dublin Gulch has released their first studio album, Dirty Old Town. Besides containing that hit by Ewen MacColl, the references to Butte are unmistakable. Dublin Gulch has for a long while extolled the populace of Montana’s most colorful city in story and song.
The album contains traditional ballads as well as jigs, reels, and even some polkas. The foursome (Tom Powers, Mick Cavanaugh, Jim Schulz and John Joyner), flesh out their sound here with guest artists, including the late John “the Yank” Harrington, Butte’s most famous button accordion player, to whom they dedicate the CD. The cover features Harrington as a young man.
Schulz contributes a couple original songs. “The Streets of Sligo Town” he wrote after a trip to Ireland; and “Fill the Glass” is a wistful Irish toast of reminiscence, featuring just him on guitar, with John Joyner providing fiddle accompaniment.
Both Schulz and Powers have that spot-on baritone burr so necessary on musical tales. “A Miner’s Life,” sounding old-timey with rousing fiddle, moves quickly. The title cut comes out jazzy and rockin’, with an almost western flair.
“My Darling Asleep” is the first in a dynamic three-jig set. It’s got fine mandolin chops and a cool drone-y undercurrent. Cello (from Janet Haarvig) and whistle kick off “The Blackbird,” a pensive air.
An inventive arrangement pervades “The Yank.” It begins with the elderly Harrington playing his signature tune, “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” from his recording, “A Celtic Century.” Sparse and authentic, it segues into a fiddle and bouzouki version, played as a waltz. The group played that arrangement at centenarian Harrington’s funeral.
The finale is a “bonus cut” recorded by Ken Willson (of Willson and McKee, Montana music veterans living in Colorado) several years back in his home studio at 2 a.m. It’s a barn-burner that features Schulz kickin’ it on bouzouki while Cavanaugh plays the ever-lovin’ life out of the whistle on a set of reels (“The Bergin Set”). Yowza! Play that one a few times!
Terrific engineering, as usual, from Dan Nichols at Soul Tree Studio in Helena.
The band celebrates the release of its new CD at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Myrna Loy Center in Helena, while raising funds for next summer's An Rí Ra Irish Festival in Butte. Call 406-443-0287 for tickets.
Visit the group at www.dublingulch.com.
– Mariss McTucker
