By Jason Kuban

A long, sad note cries from her blue violin, slicing through the heat like a sword through velvet. The vigor of Eileen Ivers and her band, Immigrant Soul, pulls her crowd together like a lighthouse summoning a wayward fleet. Such is the scene when the six-piece band boards the Piggly Wiggly stage at Milwaukee's Summerfest the last day of June and sets hands clapping and feet stomping. 

Someone grab some anchor bolts, the benches were hopping off the ground!

Ivers and Immigrant Soul, along with Black 47, Hothouse Flowers, Saw Doctors and several other Irish performers are part of the American Fleadh Tour, hitting major cities coast-to-coast. The Milwaukee gig is in the middle of the high-juiced jaunt

Backstage, Ivan Goff — the pipe and flute player for Immigrant Soul — wipes down his pipes and tucks them neatly into their case. He prefers touring with groups, rather than playing solo, because a band provides more of a communal and supportive atmosphere.

Goff says the most stressful part of touring is stepping off of the bus minutes before a show starts. Other times when touring becomes stressful, he says goes off into a corner by himself and plays his flute. Overhearing his secret, the pack of Irish musicians around him laugh. But Goff is no loner. He's busy maintaining his title as the Fleadh Tour Foosball Champion.

Immigrant Soul bassist Emanuel Chulo Gatewood doesn't let much get in the way of his performance. To prepare himself for a gig, Gatewood simply stays quiet. "You got to be quiet inside, get rid of any ego barrier and let the voice come out through the music," he emphasizes. Gatewood therefore can focus on "that which is always there: the music." He adds, "Just shut up and let the spirit play."

Ivers Speaks Out
Violinist Eileen Ivers, front person of Immigrant Soul, then speaks about the wide range of venues where the band plays. In addition to festivals, Her group has played more formally with symphonies and at performing art centers. Immigrant Soul has played with the Boston Pops on PBS and with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Be it to an auditorium of suit and ties, or a lakeshore of t-shirts and sandals, Ivers and Immigrant Soul invite these challenges.

Ivers prefers the informal scene of festivals, although she considers it an honor to play alongside symphonies. "It's part of Immigrant Soul's nature to be compatible to both," she explains, adding that it is the wide array of musical backgrounds comprising the band that makes it appealing to such wide audiences. 

For instance, Ivers says that the group's Latin and African element draws in a hip hop crowd that otherwise would be less exposed to world music, much less the strains of folk or bluegrass that filter through her sound.

With a degree in mathematics, Ivers admits she never dreamed of having a music career. She laughs, saying she once imagined working for NASA. Ivers dispels the rumor that mathematicians cannot be musically creative. "Math skills facilitate the creative process because they aid in critical and analytical thinking, which are powerful creative tools," she points out.

Recently, Zeta Music has sought Ivers' out to develop a signature series violin crafted to her specs. 

Black 47 Takes the Stage
Soon after Immigrant Soul wrapped its set up, Black 47 took the stage, fortified with percussion, bass, trombone, tenor and soprano saxes. Front man Larry Kirwan came on armed with a Stratocaster and an old, beat-up Fender amp from the early '60s. 

Black 47's style of music may not summon the same foot-stomping response as Immigrant Soul, but its improvising musical nature drives the audience's imagination to a state of militant loyalty.

It takes minimal effort for Kirwan to get the first few rows on their collective feet. The fans poise like a battalion, extending right arms up and forward in salute as the drums slow to a marching beat. But there's always an element of surprise with Black 47, that improv nature lurks mischievously in the near future, ready to spin the musicians into a new groove. 

In fact, the audience is surprised when the march recedes and Black 47 bursts into "When the Saints Come Marching In." Then the same number takes another unexpected turn, and closes with a few romping bars of classic American R&B boogie-woogie.

Black 47 bassist Andrew Goodsight laughs after the upbeat show. When asked if he had any pre-show rituals, Goodsight laughs and says, "I'll have to talk to my lawyer before I can answer that one!" Obviously, Goodsight relies on his humor when things get stressful. For Goodsight, hardest part of touring is the driving from gig to gig and all the sitting around waiting to go on stage. Goodsight rarely writes material when on the road. The hustle-bustle of touring gives him little chance for reflection, he confirms. Though he refrains from drinking alcohol at home, Goodsight admits that he drinks, eats worse and sleeps less when on the road.

Band Tours Year Round
Black 47 tours year round, mostly on a three-day-on, four-day-off schedule. Within this time frame, the band sees a lot of different venues. Goodsight says that Black 47 plays to audiences ranging in size from 50 people at a bar and up to 7,000 at outdoor venues. "I don't have a venue preference, it's all about the crowd," he affirms, adding that fan reaction is what makes or breaks the gig. "The more positive the response, the bigger the payoff," he says, going on to state that Summerfest is among his best touring experiences.

Black 47 founder Kirwan prepares for gigs sometimes with yoga and other times with a beer or shot of whiskey. His trick is to eliminate any nerves. "No nerves," says Kirwan, "thinking is a distraction, I must stop thinking in order to be creative."

For Kirwan, the most stressful part of touring is the short period just before going on stage. It is a time when he has to transform himself from an ordinary guy into a rock and roll showman. Kirwan says that it's a pact among other members of Black 47 to roll with the changes.

 "There's no smile required to be in this band," he says. "But try to take however you're feeling that day and turn it into energy onstage." When things become stressful, Kirwan simply dismisses the challenge as being a part of the business.

Scope Has Not Changed
Kirwan proudly says that the original scope in which Black 47 was founded has not changed. He still believes that music can facilitate social and political change. Kirwan also incorporates his theater background into his music.

"Every Black 47 song is a small play, with a character, all of which must be interpreted," says Kirwan. On Black 47's web page, Kirwan calls the band's early days "sexy, booze-driven marathons." When asked whether this description still applies, Kirwan smiles and says, "Not so much anymore." 

Black 47 used to do up to four sets a night but now the most they do is a "double header," which consists of an afternoon and evening set. Kirwan says, "If there's an audience I'll play in a pig sty."

In addition to Black 47's reduction of performances per day, Kirwan says his lifestyle has taken a turn for the better. He watches himself on the road, drinks less than he used to and sometimes spends nights in the hotel staring at the ceiling. The years have helped Kirwan realize that he cannot give the audience their dollars worth if he parties like a rock star every night.

Kirwan is a road warrior who occasionally misses his relatives back in Ireland. Otherwise, he loves being on the road. Every city is a home, there are places all over where he can go and be welcomed by someone he knows, he says. 

"I'm like Dylan in that sense," says Kirwan. "He loved being on that fuckin' bus."

Eileen Ivers' Summertime Schedule:

July
10 –  Falun, Sweden Falun Festival
12 –  Vikedal, Norway Vikedal Festival
17 –  Ramapo, NJ Ramapo College
18 –  East Greenwich, RI
19 –  Mashpee, MA Boch Center
21 –  Ocean City, NJ Ocean City Music Pier
29 –  Cleveland, OH Cain Park Summer Arts Series

August
01 –  Steamboat Springs, CO Strings Music Tent
02 –  Arvada, CO Arvada Center Amphitheatre
03 –  Copper Mountain, CO Copper Mountain Ski Resort
04 –  Santa Fe, NM Lensic Theater
10 –  Lorient, France Festival Interceltique
12 –  Galway, Ireland Town Hall Theater
13 –  Dublin, Ireland National Concert Hall
17 –  Dundee, NY Glenora Wine Cellars
21 –  Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
22 –  Orkney Springs, VA Shenandoah Valley Music Festival
23 –  Lowell, MA Boarding House Park
25 –  Lenox, MA Tanglewood Boston Pops Orchestra – 
29 –  Tonder, Denmark Tonder Festival
30 –  Tonder, Denmark Tonder Festival
31 –  Tonder, Denmark Tonder Festival

Black 47 Schedule:

July
12 – Troy Brewery, Troy, NY (with The Fabulous Ruffians)

13 – Solarfest, Green Mountain College, 1 College Circle, Poultney, Vt

15 – Port Jefferson Irish Festival, Long Island, NY (Jeanie Johnston Docking)

18 – South Street Seaport Music Festival, Pier 17 @ Fulton St. 6PM. 212-SEAPORT www.seaportmusicfestival.com Pre-show appearance at J&R Music, Park Row, NYC

19 – Ocean Mist, Matunuck, RI

25 – Beachcomber, Quincy, MA www.beachcomberquincy.com

26 – Cavanaugh's River Deck, Philadelphia, PA

August
2 – Stephen's Talk House, Amagansett, Long Island, NY

8 – Delaney's Irish Ale & Steak House, 980 Route 6, Greenville, NY 12771 (845) 856-6435 (for tickets 845-858-2917

9 – John Boyle O'Reilly Festival, Springfield, MA

11-28 – Vacation

29 – Blackthorn, E. Durham, NY

30 – Blackthorn, E. Durham, NY
31 – On The Waterfront Festival, Rockford, IL (815) 964-4388
 

September
 5 – Birchmere, Alexandria, VA

 13 – TBA

 20 – Altamont 2000 Festival, Albany, NY
 

October
4 – Hoboken, NJ
 

November
13 – Roisin Dubh, Galway, Ireland 091 586540 Tickets: Mulligan 091 564961 or Zhivago 091 509960

14 – Whelans, Wexford St., Dublin (01) 4780766 Tickets: Ticket Master: 0818719300 or www.ticketmaster.ie

15 – Whelan's, Wexford St., Dublin (As above)

16 – Talbot Hotel, Wexford, Tickets: Whites For Music 053 22067

18 – The Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney Telephone (064) 71555

28 – Bodle's Opera House, Chester, NY