the Way of the Turtle

ANOTHER LIVE MUSIC FIRST -
Battlefield Band in Concert
Sunday, November 9, 2014

I first started listening to Battlefield Band on LPs in the mid-to-late 1980's... while I never found them as compelling as The Tannahill Weavers or Silly Wizard, I still enjoyed their mix of tradtional and contemporary music (how can you not enjoy a band that plays "Bad Moon Rising" accompanied by a reel on the bagpipes?) I lost track of them around 1990, picked up a couple of cassette albums in the mid-90's (back when the now defunct Borders had an excellent celtic music section), and then gradually acquired all of their albums in either CD or digital format when I updated my music library over the last couple of years. Really, though, their work that I'm most familiar with is 25-30 years old. 

Lately I've been making more of an effort to hear some of the music I enjoy in live concerts, when the cost isn't prohibitive. I've heard Dougie Maclean twice over the past three years, and a month ago was treated to my first Tannahill Weavers concert. I was more than a bit surprised a few weeks ago when I got an e-mail from the Eighth Step (the organization which hosted both of the Dougie Maclean concerts I attended) showing Battlefield Band playing in early November, since I had no idea they were going to be in this neck of the woods.

It's a strange feeling looking at a band that has been around for over 40 years in one form or another and seeing mostly musicians who most likely weren't born when the band started. The last founding member, Alan Reid, retired from the band back in 2010, though two of the current members have been with the band for between 10 and 20 years. The music was great, and the banter between tunes and songs was fun (though they readily admitted that it was mainly designed to give whoever needed it time to re-tune their instruments.) I have to admit, though, I missed some of my favorite old tunes. Maybe that just means I need to listen more to their newer albums and pick up some additional favorites.

JMH