Some musicians have road managers, drivers, sound technicians, and stage managers. Our little corner of the music world has fewer barriers. Karan Casey herself, perhaps Ireland’s best singer these days, hopped out of the van and came to the front desk: “Would you please let Jim know we’re here?” Then with her forever smile, she offered to help carry one of my bags. If the rest of the music business was like this, everybody would be smiling.
Karan and her band did have two requests. As they followed me over the studios, they begged me to let them stop for coffee on the way, and offered to buy me a muffin. Is everybody nice in Ireland? They also needed a keyboard which one of our recording engineers graciously delivered. One of the reasons for the relaxed attitude is that Casey and her 3 band mates rarely tour, and when they do, it’s for 10 days max. Karan is now a Mom and doesn’t like to be gone for long. The years with Solas and their intense road schedule also wore on her. She talks about both in the interview. ~ by Jim Blum
What a beautiful haunting voice! The instrumentals weave tunes as complex and enchanting as a Celtic knot
Posted bySusan Chandleron July 28, 2010.
An interesting Karan Casey story: Years ago I was a volunteer ticket seller at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. On the night Karan was performing, I arrived early to set things up, and find out who my partner would be(there were two of us selling tickets each night). I noticed a very punkish-looking young woman standing near the refreshment counter. She looked very much like she could reside in south Minneapolis, so I walked over and asked her if she was helping me sell tickets that night. Unknown to me, it was Karan, and she sweetly replied, in her beautiful Irish voice, "Ah, I'd love to help you, laddie, but I have to sing tonight". Oops!
Some musicians have road managers, drivers, sound technicians, and stage managers. Our little corner of the music world has fewer barriers. Karan Casey herself, perhaps Ireland’s best singer these days, hopped out of the van and came to the front desk: “Would you please let Jim know we’re here?” Then with her forever smile, she offered to help carry one of my bags. If the rest of the music business was like this, everybody would be smiling.
