Remember in the time before covid when Park Slope Celebrated Brooklyn with an entire summer of live concerts? Remember walking your dog over by the 9th Street entrance and uncannily hearing what seemed to be the sweet, cool vocals of a Jack Johnson or Jackson Browne and getting closer to the bandshell to discover in fact it was them?
Unbelievably, Celebrate Brooklyn went virtual this year. Better than no musical performances at all but still, so wrong.
No summer nights with crowds and kids unashamedly mask-free everywhere — laughing, running and dancing. No sloppy vendors and food, laughter or loud announcements from the bandshell. God only knows when or how we will be emancipated from this ridiculous disease.
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But good news - music is returning. Albeit with a BYOM (bring your own mask) caveat.
This past Friday night - Oct. 2 something amazing happened. As I biked toward the Third Street cross-walk, a screaming violin, electric guitar and drums wafted mightily upward from the edges of the Great Lawn. I turned around and followed the sound.
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The Brooklyn Bards were playing truly gorgeous Irish music - for free - for all - and irrisistibly well. And even though they clearly were a four-piece traditional Irish acoustic band, they graciously took requests including a strong and sweet rendition of the Traffic classic, Dear Mr. Fantasy.
The Disco Tree Variety Show/
Hootenanny was organized by teacher/musician/stand-up comic, Robert Montemarano aka @robmontejr on instagram -- and it's been going on for a while & has expanded to include other musical acts & comedians.
We may not be back to business as usual yet — but having even a few minutes of string violins, electric guitar, percussion and vocals under a wide open sky with a little breeze blowing the leaves is worth more than any of us may have realized just a few months ago.
Weather permitting another show is set for this coming Friday October 9th.
Follow Rob on his Instagram and/or like the band on Facebook to see what’s next.
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The Brooklyn Bards are an acoustic traditional Irish Band based in Brooklyn.
The band was formed in 2014 by Donal Nolan, a trained Irish tenor and tin whistle player, and Kiernan Hamilton on guitar and vocals. They were both Irish Americans and lifelong musicians raised on the traditional tunes of Ireland. Robbie Montemarano joined in 2015 providing percussion and vocals. In 2016, Joe Mayer came on board bringing fiddle, mandolin, Irish tenor banjo and vocals. The band has been performing in the tri-state area at many Irish pubs, restaurants, weddings, ceilis and festivals including the Great Irish Fair in Coney Island and Gavinstock upstate in East Durham. We do everything from the old Carolan tunes up to recent trad repertoire including reels, jigs, ballads, drinking songs, marches and rebel songs. Popular sing-a-longs as well as classic oldies and rock tunes are also performed on occasion, but our true focus remains the classic traditional Irish music beloved the world over.