So this is my first blog, and I figured I should introduce myself and tell you a little about me and the band. My name is Kathleen Fee and I have been singing since I could talk and been with
Celtic Cross from the beginning.
My two older brothers, John (accordion) and Kenny (fiddle) are in Celtic Cross, as well as Frankie McCormick (banjo/mandolin), Pat Dineen (bass), Walter Ensor (guitars) and Dave Barckow (drums.) These guys are my best friends and we really have a blast together!!
My Dad, Sean Vesey, comes from Charlestown, Mayo and my Mom, Kathy Ross is from Drumlish, Longford. When I was 8, my family moved back to Ireland and we lived in Dromod, Leitrim. My two brothers, John and Kenny, and I attended Annaduff Primary School, in Leitrim, for 2 years.
During the 2 years that we lived there, we had a difficult time settling into Irish living. When we were in America we were Irish and when we were in Ireland we were American. The kids we went to school with loved to tease us and call us "Narrowback Yankees." Finally, one day on the school playground, my brother John exploded and beat the sh*t out of 3 boys who were tormenting him. Well that was the end of the "Narrowback Yankee" name calling. After that, they just called him the "Incredible Hulk!"
My best childhood memories are of the time we spent in Ireland. My Grandparents lived on farms and although they didn't have much, they did know how to laugh and make the most out of life. When we moved back to the States, they were heartbroken, but we did return every August for a few weeks.
In the song
Who I Am, there is a reference to saying good bye to my Grandma. She hated when the Summer was over, and were were leaving. She would always say, "I might never see you again. Sure I might die over the winter." All the while she would be shoving a few pound into our pockets for some "sweets." Every August there she would be, waiting at the gate for us when we returned. Spending that time in Ireland, really solidified the strong Irish connection that John, Ken and I have.
My parents would always say that were were so lucky to have the opportunity to learn an instrument, something they never had. They especially loved to throw that out to us as were were whining about having to practice. I started singing when I was about 5. John has been playing the accordion since he was around 10. Ken has been playing the violin since he was 8 and is also an All-Ireland champion.
When we came back to the States, my brothers and I started playing at small parties and Irish ceilis. Our first real gig was at a bar, across from Van Cortland Park, in the Bronx. I was 16 at the time and we played there every Sunday. Some of our friends would come down and jam with us, and that is eventually how Celtic Cross got started. The song,
Those Were The Days is a lot about those times in the Bronx.
So let me tell you a little about my other "brothers," in the band. Walter Ensor is a Rockaway Beach, Queens native. Walter has been an incredible influence on Celtic Cross. He brings with him a vast knowledge and perspective of many types of music, ranging from the Grateful Dead to bluegrass. What I admire most about Walter is his ability to listen to something, particularly something new we are working on, and know exactly what it needs or what it's missing, to make it complete.
Pat Dineen, has also been an intrinsic part of Celtic Cross and was instrumental in writing and creating our new CD. Like ourselves, Pat has Irish immigrant parents from Cork and Monaghan. He grew up in Queens and was also immersed in Irish music from an early age. Pat is great at throwing out new song ideas and getting us all together to write and help finish each other's work. He is constantly writing and pushes the rest of us to continue working on songs and tune ideas.
Frankie McCormick grew up in Northern Ireland, in the county Tyrone. As you can imagine, he has loads and loads of stories of what it was like growing up when the "troubles" were a very real thing. He is an amazing banjo and mandolin player and has competed and won All-Irelands too many times to count. We love to refer to him as the human metronome because his rhythm is always dead on. Frankie has an incredible sense of humor and brings that with him to every gig.
Dave Barckow is another Queens kid and has a broad musical background. Along with being an amazing drummer and singer, he also plays the guitar. Before Celtic Cross, he toured the US with a signed heavy metal band. Dave also knows when to kick things into high gear. He was also incredibly invaluable in the writing of the song
Shores of America.
So if you haven't heard our new CD yet, go to our website,
www.celticcross.com, where you can listen to the tracks. When we set out to write the CD, we wanted to tell the story of us, which is uniquely Irish American. We really wanted to create something that spoke about our experiences and what it is like to be an Irish American. Of course you're always a little unsure of how something new will be received. There is no better feeling for all of us, than performing our own material and having an audience into it and singing along. My only misgiving is that we did not do this sooner.
I will do a future blog about what inspired each track and some of the inspiration behind the writing. If you have any specific questions for me, or any other member of Celtic Cross, you can email us directly through our website.
Cheers-Kathleen
