Photo: Stephanie Lehnert
The Drowsy Lads
Long before Hozier was breaking hearts with his soaring voice, before Thin Lizzy was back in town, before The Pogues, The Cranberries, U2, Sinéad O'Connor, and many others, the Emerald Isle maintained a rich musical heritage. Visitors to the
Pittsburgh Irish Festival will experience numerous examples of what has become known as traditional Celtic music, ranging from solo bagpipers and harpists to rock and pop.
One act headed for PIF
— running Fri., Sept. 6-Sun., Sept. 8 at the Carrie Blast Furnaces
— is
The Drowsy Lads, an Ohio-based band that has delivered spirited music in the Irish tradition over the last two decades. Their debut appearance at PIF adds to a lineup that showcases multiple bands with family ties between the members.
The Drowsy Lads includes brothers and founding members John and Daniel McKewen, Phil Franck and his son, Josh, and Bryan Brookes. While the group previously visited the area for a private event in Cranberry Township, this marks their first time at PIF.
"People have been telling us for years, 'You lads would do so well at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival,'" Phill tells
Pittsburgh City Paper. "The time has come!"
The PIF appearance comes not long after the release of
Time Flies,
a two-disc album commemorating 20 years of The Drowsy Lads making music together. Keeping with the bit, the album "features 20 tracks and 20 special guest artists."
Brookes, who, with John and Daniel, helped found The Drowsy Lads around 2004, tells
City Paper that he and his bandmates grew up watching Phil play Irish music in Columbus, and decided to recruit him and his son.
"During the first few years, other friends joined on but when they shifted to focus on other commitments, we strongly urged Josh to ask his dad to join the band— solidifying our current lineup," says Brookes. "And we have never looked back. Our band has strong family connections."
Phil says it was "a dream come true" to be invited to play in a band with his son. "That's the kind of thing you hope against hope would happen when they're a toddler thrashing away on a toy guitar," he adds.
The Drowsy Lads aren't the only PIF acts keeping it in the family — the festival website describes Screaming Orphans as an "all-sister band" hailing from Bundoran, County Donegal in Ireland, and Irish singer-songwriter Colm Keegan will appear with his wife, Scottish cellist Laura Durrant.
A description of The Drowsy Lads touts all the members as multi-instrumentalists, splitting time between the fiddle, button accordion, tenor banjo, flute, whistle, guitar, bouzouki, Uilleann pipes, five-string banjo, concertina, and bodhran. Phil, a fiddler, five-string banjo player, and arranger, believes the appeal of Irish music lies in its universal appeal, varied sound, and rich cultural roots.
"Irish music's broad appeal, to young and old, the world over," he says. "The more history and background of the music and songs you understand, the more you fall in love with it. The songs can be sentimental or stirring, humorous or heart-breaking, clever or catchy, historical or hilarious. The instrumental tunes always make you want to move, because indeed, they were originally to be danced to. Listeners often feel they needed to hear this music."
Brookes, who plays the flute, whistle, and mandolin, describes traditional Irish music as "infectious and attention-grabbing, and lively," and encourages everyone to listen for "the joy and celebration behind the songs and tunes."
"And frankly, we have a total blast playing together," he says. "You can clap along, learn the words to songs, and share in the community that we hope to create at the festival."
See The Drowsy Lads when they take the stage on Sat., Sept. 7 at 4:45 p.m. and on Sun., Sept., 8 at 2:30 p.m. at PIF's Jameson Amphitheater.
Pittsburgh Irish Festival.
Fri., Sept. 6-Sun., Sept. 8. Carrie Blast Furnaces. 801 Carrie Furnace Blvd., Rankin. $10-65, free for kids 12 and under. pghirishfest.org