Members of the renowned Foothills band Cowboy Celtic have got plenty of use out of their passports, but they are taking the opportunity to perform close to home to help the community.
Cowboy Celtic has played extensively in North America and has done three performance tours of Scotland. However, they’re always anxious to get home and to play for local fans particularly when it’s in support of a good cause.
Cowboy Celtic is the feature attraction at the Celtic Ceilidh March 19 at DeWinton Hall. The event is a fundraiser for the Foothills Advocacy in Motion (AIM) Society, which supports area adults with developmental disabilities.
Cowboy Celtic guitar player and vocalist Denise Withnell said the band often gets requests to play charity events and they carefully consider each one.
“It’s certainly got to be something worthwhile,” she said. “Often it’s an event put on by people we know but not always. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with your gut.”
With the event Saturday Withnell explained she’s glad Cowboy Celtic is a part of it not only because she sees it as a good cause but because a friend, Brad Fowler of AIM, is one of the people coordinating the event.
Fowler said there have been a lot of people who have stepped up to make the Celtic Ceilidh possible.
“We do have a fundraising committee that myself and our other manager belong to but the majority of the work is being done by parents and siblings who have people in their lives with disabilities,” he said. “Out of our office in Okotoks we’re supporting about 27 people right now.”
Besides the impressive musicians who will be performing there are some other great attractions. The AIM event will also feature a silent auction and a raffle for a seven-day Maui vacation including the use of a condo and a $500 West Jet travel voucher.
However, for local music lovers the major attraction will likely be another chance to enjoy the unique fusion music of Cowboy Celtic.
The group’s chief songwriter and front man is world-renowned mandolin player David Wilkie who along with his wife and band mate, Withnell, live in Turner Valley. Wilkie put the band together many years ago as an expression of his particular musical passion, combining traditional North American cowboy music with the Celtic sounds of Scotland and Ireland.
Withnell said she enjoys gauging the reactions of Cowboy Celtic’s uninitiated live audiences.
“It is kind of fun when we play somewhere nobody has really heard of us before,” she said. “It’s always great to see the reaction of the people because they’re kind of surprised. We never seem to be what they expect. That’s especially the case with our American audiences. They’re very expressive. They want to come up and talk to us about out what the music did for them or relate stories of their families and explain how they have Celtic roots.”
As much fun as Cowboy Celtic has in shocking Americans, Withnell said when it comes to fan appreciation there’s no place like home.
“I have to say our favourite audiences are still right here in southern Alberta,” she said. “It’s always our favourite place to play for sure.”
She explained the band, which also features Keri Lynn Zwicker on harp and Joe Hertz on fiddle, does their best to make sure people who have seen them before will get something different each time they come to a show.
“We try to add something new almost every time we play to make things a bit different,” she said.
This time she said they will be showcasing songs from the most recent Cowboy Celtic CD, “Other People’s Cattle”.
“We had a brand new album about a year ago and we just haven’t had to time to promote it,” Withnell said. “So a lot of people don’t even know we have this new album.”
The Celtic Ceilidh goes March 19 at DeWinton Hall. Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The concert featuring Cowboy Celtic will kick off at about 8 p.m. Tickets are available from both the Foothills AIM Society and Off the Hook on Elizabeth Street in Okotoks. You can also get them at The Stop in Black Diamond or on-line at www.faims.org
