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Blarney! The genesis of a band Editor's note: Every band has an origin. Today we begin the first in a series about how bands began. We start with the story of Blarney! Told through the eyes of longtime Ashland musician, Glenn Freese. During the 1990s, Ashland was home to a well known traditional fiddler named Linda Keen. Keen had moved to Ashland with her husband and two young children and lived quietly giving fiddle lessons in the building above Cripple Creek Music where Glenn Freese worked as a stringed instrument repair person. Glenn would occasionally hear her playing fiddle tunes through the ceiling (her floor). He finally met her and told her that he was enjoyed hearing her playing familiar tunes. They decided to get together and play. Glenn invited another great local musician friend of his, Bo Leydon, to join them and that was the beginning of Blarney! They played together during the winter and spring of 1998 but during the summer Linda's family moved to California where her husband had a job offer teaching school. For Glenn, it looked like the end of Blarney!, but in the winter of 2000, he was offered a gig for St. Patrick's day. He didn't have to think long before he knew what his "dream team" would be. He had met Pat O'Scannell and Sue Carney in the 1980s when they were performing as a duo called Criona. He'd go where ever they appeared and thought they were so great. But they were also very busy. They were co-directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show and performing with their early music group, The Terra Nova Consort. When Glenn called each of them, he was pleasantly surprised when they both said yes to getting together for the gig. Another Cripple Creek employee, Crystal Reeve and Glenn had become friends while working at Cripple Creek and they had begun playing bluegrass music in a new band, Siskiyou Summit in 1999. Crystal wasn't available for the Blarney! gig that first year, but joined them in 2002 for a packed house on St. Patrick's day. They jokingly said that they could be the St. Patrick's Day house band for life! Here's how Glenn describes the band. "It's a good combination. Pat and Sue handle most of the lead vocals. Their authentic treatment of the songs make the Irish songs live. Crystal's eclectic fiddle style takes us into fresh territory instrumentally. We do a lot of traditional tunes with Pat on whistle, Sue on Bodhran, and me on guitar. Crystal can fiddle a traditional tune with the best of them, but when she's improvising on a theme or melody, the music can just take off. Sometimes we change the pace of the show by including my hammered dulcimer. We can play beautiful slow airs, waltzes, jigs and reels. It gives the band a completely different sound and seems to be a crowd-pleaser. Blarney! will play at at 9 p.m., Saturday, January 11 at The Bulls-Eye Bistro, located in the Ashland Springs Hotel. There's no cover charge for the music. LINKS: REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. DAILY TIDINGS: Main | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -