Sligo Rags Finds Riches Mixing Celtic and Bluegrass

By John Roos

If you think bluegrass and Celtic music make strange bedfellows, then ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Sligo Rags.

The Southern California-based band has left its mark on the local music scene for the past 17 years with a unique ability to fuse seemingly disparate styles into a winning whole that flows as naturally as a pint of Guinness at your favorite Irish pub.

At the core of the Rags—as they’re affectionately known—is multi-instrumentalist, singer and primary songwriter David Burns and vocalist-fiddler-songwriter Michael Kelly. Burns started playing the 5-string banjo at age 14 and fell in love with the instrument when he saw the Eagles’ Bernie Leadon playing it on a bluegrass-flavored song titled “Midnight Flyer.” He has moved over to primarily acoustic guitar and mandolin after having gotten comfortable on the banjo.
Kelly’s love affair with the fiddle began at age 9 when he started taking violin lessons, and his attraction to country, jazz and traditional Celtic music grew over the subsequent years with more exposure to these diverse genres. When the pair was joined by bassist Gordon Rustvold, Sligo Rags was born as a trio in 2002.

With a frequently-changing rhythm section and working primarily as a quartet, the Rags--now featuring bassist Nathan York Jr. and percussionist Jonathan Baer—have created a catalog of four albums including their latest, 2015’s splendid “If the Skies Be Ablaze.” With York and Baer on board, the band’s signature bluegrass-Celtic fusion includes touches of Afro-Latin jazz and country music, further defying easy categorization of their sound and style.

“Everyone brings their own dog to the fight,” said Burns metaphorically during a recent phone interview. “We have an idea in our head of how we want to sound while giving everybody the freedom to create from their strengths without a real blueprint. I think there’s been an evolution in our sound and we’ve gotten better as musicians through our chemistry that can only come from the experience of playing together.”

Much of that shared experience came from the Rags performing live at various local venues, and most prominently, a 7-year contract to perform at Downtown Disney’s Main Stage and Disney California Adventure’s Paradise Garden Bandstand. Go to https://sligorags.com/video for a sampling, including a frenetic version of their signature song, 2007’s “The Whiskey Never Lies.”

The Rags use a winning formula of both performing and recording traditional and their own original songs. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the two apart, which is a compliment to both primary songwriter Burns and the group’s instrumental dexterity at making the vintage come alive. For instance, their version of “The Star of the County Down” excels at infusing new energy into a classic that has lost some of its sparkle over time.

“I think people are tired of that one but not the way we do it,” exclaims Burns, who retired three years ago as a Long Beach Polytechnic High School Psychology Teacher. “It’s actually one of our most often requested songs. I always liked its melody so I worked out a fingerstyle (guitar) arrangement of the song, and used that for the intro. I’ve heard countless other versions, some of which are fast and some are very slow, so we decided to combine the two (tempos.) We establish the building sentimentality in the first verse, then progress to open it up and play it more as a march with a nice percussive background. It just kind of jelled for us, really.”

Arguably the best original penned by Burns is “My Favorite Things/If the Skies Be Ablaze.” It’s truly a tour-de-force, 9-minute suite where the band members strut their stuff, working both in unison supporting the song while still allowing for each player’s self-expression. This selection was the set-closer for their Disney shows and is one that Burns is very proud of, particularly for his unusual melody and arrangement.

“It’s a real showcase piece for us,” he said. “I think it’s fairly unique because it opens with a two-minute jazzy kind of vibe before changing into a more driving, bluegrass-y, flatpicking middle section with a chorus and counter melodies going on, and then Mike’s hot fiddle playing brings it all on home. It really lets everybody stretch out without straying too far from its core.”

There was a time—back in the early 2000’s—when Celtic, folk and Americana music was at its commercial peak thanks in part to the popularity of movies such as the Ethan- and Joel Coen-directed “O’Brother, Where Art Thou?” (and its amazing soundtrack produced by T-Bone Burnett.) In fact, Sligo Rags was honored locally as Best Folk Band at the then-annual OC Weekly Music Awards in back-to-back years (2003-2004).

But times have changed.

The local grassroots music scene is less supportive these days due mainly to live music venues hiring more classic rock tribute bands than original acts with an artistic rudder. That being said, the Rags—and such like-minded bands as the Fenians and Bad Haggis—press on and do get rewarded with occasional gigs at the Coach House, Muldoon’s, the Harp Inn, and various coffeehouses, street fairs and festivals, including the upcoming ScottishFest 2019 in Costa Mesa and the Big Irish Fair and Music Fest in Irvine. (With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, Sligo Rags play Thursday at the Muckenthaler in Fullerton and the Fenians perform Saturday at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano so enjoy an evening or two out while supporting local music!)

Who cares if others label what the Rags do as Celtic or bluegrass or folk—or even what the band prefers, a Celtic Bluegrass fusion? What’s matters is whether their musical hybrid reaches into your soul and stirs some emotions. Because that is what makes traditional—or any--music so timeless.

“Our kind of music explores personal themes that everyone can relate to,” emphasized Burns. “We do it in a way that cuts to the quick, right to the heart of the matter. Pursuit. Love. Unrequited love. Conflict. Heartache. These are things that everyone has experienced at one time or another throughout our history so you can’t help but be drawn into it.”

*Sligo Rags perform Thursday at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Avenue, Fullerton; (714) 738-6595. 7:30 p.m. $15-$30. All ages. https://themuck.org.