Fans of De Dannan may notice a few key members missing from the new line-up. But founder Frankie Gavin insists the essence of the group is the same, writes SIOBHAN LONG
‘WHAT’S IN A name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet Capulet may have felt that a name is nothing more than a meaningless convention, but there’s nothing quite like the sound of a familiar moniker to command the attention of diehard fans and curious rubberneckers alike.
De Dannan was a band whose influence reached deep into the DNA of many contemporary musicians. From Lúnasa to Altan and Dervish, that trademark effervescence and those remarkably tailored arrangements can be heard burrowing their way deep beneath the epidermis of much of what we call traditional music these days.
Even listening to De Dannan alumni such as Máirtín O’Connor, and the paths he’s taken in more recent times with the ConTempo Quartet, it’s clear that the envelope which was pushed so audaciously by De Dannan with, for example, their treatment of Handel’s The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba (from his oratorio, Solomon) has been well and truly burst open. No longer do musicians feel corralled by boundaries or intimidated by other musical genres. These days, Martin Hayes can unpick the essence of a traditional tune with balletic grace, while powerhouse outfits such as the David Munnelly band can revel in the riches of the tradition from the 1920s and 30s (so beloved of Gavin himself). Our music is, evidently, a broad church.
This summer, traditional music fans have been animated by the prospect of Frankie Gavin and De Dannan performing for over a month in Killarney’s INEC and in Castlebar on August 5th at this year’s World Fleadh. The World Fleadh concert will feature past members of De Dannan: Mary Black, Dolores Keane and Máirtín O’Connor, but the line-up does not include core member Alec Finn, who was Frankie Gavin’s longstanding musical companion in the band.
Nor will these summer concerts include Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh or Charlie Piggott who were the band’s original bodhrán and banjo players, respectively. Instead, Frankie Gavin has chosen to convene a brand new line-up for this incarnation of De Dannan, featuring Damien Mullane on accordion, Michelle Lally on vocals, Mike Galvin on bouzouki and guitars and Eric Cunningham on percussion, flutes and whistles.
It may be a De Dannan for the noughties, but is it fair trading? After all, if a bill promised “Christy Moore and Planxty” or “Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin”, mightn’t a punter reasonably expect that, in exchange for a ticket, he or she would stand a reasonable chance of encountering more than one of the founding members?
“Everyone’s gone their own separate ways”, Frankie Gavin explains, unhappy at having to explain the motivation behind this newly-minted group assuming a name associated with different musicians, “and the fact is, it’s difficult to make a living playing music. If it’s a business and a trade name that I’ve built up over 30 years, I think that I would have every right to use it.
“The name De Dannan commands quite a bit of respect, and all the people that I’ve chosen to play in the band over the years have gone off and had separate, individual careers, with great success, in most cases. So I don’t see what the problem appears to be with me starting up a new De Dannan and getting a new kick-start.”
PAST DIFFERENCES with Alec Finn (who singlehandedly announced De Dannan’s demise during an interview five years ago) may have scuppered the group for a time, but Frankie Gavin acknowledges that his own personal circumstances have monopolised his attention for more than five years now.
“A period of time elapsed while I have tried to recover myself, and tried to resume normal life, which has been extremely difficult,” he says. “And now, all I’m trying to do is get my life back on track and get my music back on track, and trying to eke out a living like everybody else.”
Gavin’s decision to breathe fresh life into De Dannan by convening a brand new line-up is a legitimate response, he believes, to the demise of the band in 2004. He plans to release a new CD later this month which has the working title of “Jigs Reels Rock’n’ Roll”.
Rumour has it that that eternal Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood, may make a guest appearance, but whatever the final track listing, Gavin is determined to revive a career that thrived in the heady days of the 1980s when De Dannan’s rich tapestry of sound filled the airwaves.
“This is a style of music that I’ve built up and honed over a period of over 30 years,” Gavin says, “and the minute that you hear the [new] album, there’s no question but that that’s the De Dannan sound. No question about it. It’s mighty stuff as far as I’m concerned. It’s given me a new lease of life in every way.”
Music might be the solution to Gavin’s woes, but he also sees it as a valuable asset in these recessionary times, too.
“Everyone needs a break,” he notes. “I hope my music will lift people’s spirits and take them out of a zone of interest rates, recessionary talk and all that. That’s what entertainment is all about. Out of the great depression of many years ago came a new musical genre called the blues. I’m not saying that this [my music] is the blues – but at a time like this, people need a bit of a lift.”
Frankie Gavin and De Dannan play on Wed, Aug 5 at the World Fleadh in Castlebar. Guests include Mary Black, Dolores Keane and Máirtín O’Connor
