Entertainment - Musician's Corner: The Hard Road Ceilidh Band

Who’s who:

Kevin McKrell – vocals and guitar

Kate McKrell – bodhran and vocals

Jim Kelly - guitar

Rick Bedrosian - bass

Victor Gagnon – fiddle

Steve Candlen – drums

About the band:

For approximately six weeks, the Saratoga Springs outfit has been generating a lot of buzz. Principal singer/songwriter Kevin McKrell believes word spread quickly about The Hard Road Ceilidh Band because everyone involved is pretty well known in the rock and Irish music circuits.

McKrell considers the group more of a “musician’s co-op” than a band since they all have other projects and get together when they’re around. The Hard Road Ceilidh Band’s lineup contains members of Hair of the Dog, The Jim Kelly Band, Slideshow Baby, Seven Nations, The Poor Kates and Franklin Micare’s band.

There is currently a waiting list to get into the Celtic folk rock band.

Their sets consist of both original material and traditional songs. McKrell said the group hasn’t recorded anything yet and probably won’t for a while.

The Hard Road Ceilidh Band has a regular gig at 7 p.m. every second and fourth Wednesday at The Parting Glass. The group will also be playing at the 11th Annual Irish 2000 Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Altamont Fairgrounds. Tickets for the two-day festival can be purchased in advance or at the gate.

To check out the band, visit www.kmckrell.com and www.myspace.com/themckrells.

Quotable Quotes:

“It’s tribal, wild and wide open, but with tight harmonies. We hope people find us as entertaining as we find ourselves,” McKrell said.

“We’ll take this as far as we can, but we’re not looking beyond the next gig. It’s week to week. There’s no pressure. The goal is to have as much fun as we can,” McKrell said. “I haven’t had this much fun playing in years.”

—Mike Ryan