Glengarry Bhoys @ The Knitting Factory, NYC
by Stephen Bailey
March 3, 2005

When I spied the Square Diner on Varick, all sorts of cravings began to surface and I declared, "To Hell with healthy eating!" It's a classic greasy spoon which, by the way, is triangular. As I chowed down on my burger and very well-done, extra crispy fries, I eavesdropped on the multi-accented voices discussing computers and broadband internet while one patron teased another about his wool cap. It was a nice way to relax and let the stress of my day slip away. You know what else works well? Strong drinks and quality Celtic rock at the Knitting Factory. Now how's that for a segue?

Established in 1987 on Houston Street and relocated to its current Leonard Street address in 1994, the Knitting Factory is a long-standing, three-room haven for avant-garde, jazz and just about everything in between. Along with a companion venue in LA, record labels, production facilities, a publishing company and a television show on BET Jazz, it is a bona fide industry unto itself.

Tonight was a special event and performance celebrating the release of the new live DVD, "1891 Fredonia Opera House" from Canada's Glengarry Bhoys. The group was formed about 6 years ago by Scottish born Graham Wright. Sadly I didn't get to talk to them as much as I would have liked. Except for brief discussions with Graham and bassist Gibby regarding Canada's low-budget reality farce "The Trailer Park Boys" (just think Reno 911 on a Blair Witch budget). A friend if mine recently turned me on to them.

The party was put together by the Bhoys' publicity maven Anita Daly. After a quick hello, she was off doing the P.R. thing while her assistant Jane was busy snapping pictures. So I sat back and began to soak in the evening with a cocktail. I would get a chance to chat with them at different points later on.

The night was peppered with all sorts of characters and I could tell that it was gearing up to be an interesting time. For starters, the bartender seemed a bit frazzled after a phone call. It turned out one of her younger brothers slipped on the ice and was in the hospital. In typical large family fashion, she is the one designated to call everyone and let them know the details.

I then met a gentleman named Billy from Sony Entertainment. We had a good long discussion comparing the music scene of Nashville to that of NYC. Nashville, though very much an industry machine, tends to nurture its artists. On the other hand in NYC's is pretty much a kill or be killed attitude.

I think I killed the conversation when the subject shifted to Bob Dylan. I'm not a big fan and things got awkwardly quiet when I said, "Ya know, I'd like Dylan more if he had an Elton John the way Bernie Taupin does." Thankfully the band was starting so I was able to slink out of the bar and back into the Main Performance Space.

It's not as big as I had thought, but still an impressive room. The sound was very good once they corrected the volume on the background vocals. Of course turning the heat up would have been a nice touch. It was freezing! No one had to worry about checking their coats on this night. Also, having to enter a code to get into the bathroom I could imagine being problematic late in the night.

Another thing I found weird about the Knitting Factory is how the entrance was laid out. When you walk thru the door, you feel as though you're backstage somewhere. Maybe this was intentional, but I was witness to several confused faces. Also, the box office is set back past the entrance of the front bar.

To make things even more confusing, the front of the building is lined with doors that are there mainly for decoration, but can be opened during the summer months. So, as you would expect, people were trying to enter and exit by way of those doors. Some were successful. This place is not at all new so it was a bit troubling to me that everyone working there seemed so ill prepared for this door confusion.

Well, on to the band ...

Glengarry Bhoys are a Celtic rock band. However, to leave it at that would not do them justice. They are an exceptionally talented group blending the traditional and the modern. You've got the storytelling of Graham's songs and the high energy combination of fiddle and step-dancing from the Bhoys' only girl Shelly Downing. The dizzying array of instruments being touted by James Libby from bagpipes to whistles to trumpet. The solid, intricate rhythms from Nigel "Gibby" Bazinet (bass) and Steve McAlear (drums). I had the pleasure of getting a copy of their new CD "Mountain Road". While it is a very solid and impressive collection, to truly appreciate their abilities you do need to see them live.

During the songs I watched as folks sang along (I could only partake in their cover of "In a Big Country"). In between I overheard smatterings of conversation. Some fans were planning a road trip to the next gig. Others had taken quite the journey to get to this one. Their connection to the band was genuine and clearly reciprocated as the Bhoys, despite being from parts nowhere near Manhattan, called out to those they recognized in the crowd. The band clearly had this crowd all to themselves for nearly two hours. In the end everyone was yelling for one more set (they would not be satisfied with just another song), but the club was on a tight schedule.

Afterwards it was back into the bar to mingle. The band made a pretty clean break to the tour bus. This was understandable since it was the first night of the tour. According to their website (which contains a diary of the tour called 'Roadkill') "...we had a few things to take care of, so we had to behave. Too bad, eh? We will have to make up for it some other time!"

I next made the acquaintance of three lovely ladies; Maura, Genevieve and Eileen. We had a couple of drinks and our talks shifted from music to beach houses to engagements to the odd coincidental occurrences of the name Maura which led to Genevieve hanging out on this particular night. There was one moment of subtle violence when Maura served me up a little head-but to demonstrate that she was tough enough to play Rugby. Karma would soon treat me to some revenge when she slipped and took a spill on the way to the subway.

Later on I ended up at Bennigan's on 8th & 47th to meet my friends Madeline and Rob. Rob likes to play pool and, although we'd much rather be down the street at Scruffy's, Bennigan's is always empty. Let's face it, real New Yorkers don't go to Bennigan's! Plus it is just far enough outside of Times Square that the tourists won't go either. I pretty much sat, watched, dozed off a little. This is becoming a habit. There was that one time after a holiday party when I ended up in Queens at Steinway Billiards. I fell asleep with my head on a table after eating a hot dog at some ungodly hour while they played really bad pool ... but that is a story for another time.

Cheers,
Stephen

Related Links:
Glengarry Bhoys
The Knitting Factory
Anita Daly - Daly Communication
Keltic Cross Entertainment

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I call myself a Cultural Exchange Advocate, which is just a fancy way of saying when
I find something new, I tell people about it. Want to know more? Check out StephenBailey.com