Of the many ways to connect with a culture, music has to be the most enjoyable. Each culture produces its own style — its songs or instruments conjuring images of landscape, people and traditions. Radford duo cloudshadow — purposefully uncapitalized — transported listeners to the beautiful country of Ireland this past Saturday, by playing traditional tunes at the Tin Whistle.
Kevin and Christine Gross, on guitar and fiddle respectively, enchanted the audience, seated in front of a wall proudly adorned with three Irish flags. The Tin Whistle, an Irish Market Street restaurant and bar provided the perfect environment for the duo, which played in the background as patrons laughed and conversed. But they were not unnoticed or unappreciated — after each song, cloudshadow received a round of enthusiastic applause.
Originally from California, Kevin and Christine were high school sweethearts. Explaining their Irish ancestry from “way back,” and their love for music, the duo cited influence by groups like the Chieftains and performers like Kevin Burke on their music. Christine was first introduced to Irish traditional music around 1976, when she was in high school. After being loaned a violin, she “fell in love with it” and would constantly be playing. Kevin, who is primarily experienced with the fiddle, has also been “fooling around with various instruments” since he was 14 years old. The duo began playing sessions in California and kept up with it since. Having found their passion, they encouraged everyone to keep looking until they found the instrument most appealing to them.
After spending a semester abroad studying in Dublin, I was pleased with the authenticity of the performance. Anyone familiar with traditional Irish music knows how difficult it can be to keep from tapping your feet or clapping your hands in rhythm with the songs. With so much emotion tied into the music, a good musician can easily bring his audience either to tears or to their feet.
“Trad sessions” — the Irish slang for traditional music performances — can draw on the well-loved classics or turn into a spontaneous collaboration of any and all musicians who wander in and want to play. I can remember going to a session in a pub in Cork, where musicians continued to crowd into a back corner throughout the night. They pulled out instruments of all kinds, eager to add a little to the songs being played. One elderly man even pulled two spoons out of his pocket, their backs worn from years of playing, and struck them to the beat. Music is such an integral part of Irish life, and any pub worth its salt will welcome players, who perform without fanfare or any demands on their audience other than that they all enjoy their night. Kevin and Christine embraced this same spirit Saturday night and put on a show worthy of the Emerald Isle.
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