March 8, 2024 | 9:04 AM

WITF Music: The Kilmaine Saints

More than simply consuming and preventing. But additionally these issues too.

• Joe Ulrich

  Joe has been curious about audio and music since he was a child. What began as a fascination along with his mother and father’ vinyl records and cassette tapes changed into a love of each performing and recording. He grew up in Elizabethtown, Pa. and moved to Pittsburgh in 1999 the place he majored in Photography on the University of Pittsburgh.

  In 2004, he attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Tempe, AZ. He returned to Pittsburgh to work at a recording studio.

  In 2008, Joe arrived at WITF, the place his expertise have discovered dwelling as an on-air host, audio engineer and producer of WITF Music. In 2016, Joe earned a National Edward R. Murrow award for Best Use of Sound.

The Kilmaine Saints carry out on WITF Music on Jan. 24, 2024. Jeremy Long – WITF

Celtic rock band The Kilmaine Saints shaped in 2009. Since then, they’ve performed throughout the nation and recorded critically acclaimed albums. The 7-piece band places on an lively stay present fueled by good cheer and maybe some grownup drinks. With some members carrying kilts, they packed into our studio just lately to play some songs from their newest album and chat. The Kilmaine Saints are: Brendan Power (vocals), Jon Heller (bass, bagpipes, accordion), Bill Brown (bagpipes, bouzouki, whistle), Rich Lipski (banjo, mandolin, acoustic, bass), Garet Howard (drums), Erich Arndt (guitar) and Gary Eurice (fiddle).

Listen to the radio characteristic:

Joe Ulrich: Would you say there’s an overarching theme within the lyrical content material, the themes of the music? 

Gary Eurice: There’s undoubtedly some themes that present up greater than others. [laughter] There’s fairly a couple of references to consuming, fairly a couple of references to preventing. You can discover each of these on our latest album.

But we attempt to discover another inspirations as nicely. We have a couple of songs on this album that come from a extra emotional place.

Joe Ulrich: I used to be listening to the songs earlier, and significantly with “Same Again Tomorrow”, there appears to be this type of overarching appreciation for familiarity. 

Gary Eurice: That’s what the track relies on. Just for example, you’ve got a neighborhood pub that you just go to and you find yourself there on a regular basis with your pals. When you cease and have a look round, you assume, Wow, this place actually sucks. The clientele are irritating, the employees usually are not the nicest individuals. But then when you concentrate on it, do you come right here daily as a result of it’s simple? Because it’s low cost? Because it’s shut by?

Or is it as a result of there’s one thing about it that you just admire? Any one in every of your pal group may simply pipe up and say, perhaps we must always go to this different place. But no person does. There’s one thing about it that’s conserving you there, however you’re not essentially certain what it’s.

Joe Ulrich: What are a number of the most fascinating issues which have occurred at your exhibits? 

Brendan Power: We made a sound man cry, punch himself, and hit his head on a brick wall. And then he simply left. 

Bill Brown: Yeah, he left whereas we have been taking part in. It was uncontrollable suggestions. You couldn’t flip any of your devices on as a result of it was only a huge wall of suggestions. And he simply throws his fingers up, he doesn’t know what to do. 

Erich Arndt: One time we went into a spot they usually didn’t have any cables. We needed to go to the music retailer to purchase cables. 

Joe Ulrich: What do you try to convey to an viewers? What are you attempting to have them stroll away with?

Bill Brown: We need them to stroll away having purchased merch from the merch desk and leaving. [laughter] And paying their tabs. 

Gary Eurice: Ultimately, we simply need them to really feel like they’d enjoyable. We view our stay exhibits as like a celebration. 

Brendan Power: Make them need to come again. That’s the primary factor: the following time you’re taking part in in that space, they undoubtedly need to come out. What we’ve at all times had individuals inform us is you guys have enjoyable on stage. And that’s most likely one of the best praise you will get.

A set of interviews, images, and music movies, that includes native musicians who’ve stopped by the WITF efficiency studio to share just a little dialogue and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.