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A weekend of music and storytelling at Passionfruit |
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ATHLONE ADVERTISER, NOVEMBER 06, 2009.
Pop down to Passionfruit this weekend for some music from exciting Irish and American entertainers.
On Saturday, November 7 at 8.30pm, Meath's Gerry Tully takes to the stage. Combining his love of songwriting, storytelling, and performing, Gerry's one-man shows have captivated audiences, using various guitar tunings, self-taught finger styles, and his powerful singing voice to enhance his flair for storytelling. Tickets are €15.
American guitarist Preston Reed comes to Passionfruit on Sunday evening, 8.30pm. Reed practices a flamboyant, self-invented style, characterised by percussive techniques and simultaneous rhythm and melody lines, giving his music a level of excitement that is unparalleled among today's guitarists. Playing an array of guitars from acoustic to electric to classical, Reed's vast range of explosively original music will forever change your expectation of a guitarist. Tickets are €20.
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Enjoy the richness of Irish tradition and hot jazz at Passionfruit |
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WESTMEATH INDEPENDENT, OCTOBER 28, 2009
The celebrated virtuoso partnership of Máire Ní Chathasaigh, "the greatest Celtic harper of our age", and England's premier flatpicking guitarist, Chris Newman, will perform at the Passionfruit Theatre this Saturday, October 31, as part of their tour of Ireland, the UK, Austria and Italy.
Since their début as a duo exactly 21 years ago, Chris and Máire have toured in 22 countries and given TV and radio performances on five continents. Their concerts showcase not only the richness and emotional range of the Irish tradition, from dynamic Irish dance-music to moving airs and evocative songs, but their own striking compositions - this enticing cocktail being further spiced with exhilarating shots of hot jazz and bluegrass and Chris's "subversively witty introductions".
Máire received Irish music's most prestigious award, that of Traditional Musician of the Year 2001 - Gradam Cheoil TG4 - "for the excellence and pioneering force of her music, the remarkable growth she has brought to the music of the harp and for the positive influence she has had on the young generation of harpers". She began to play the harp at the age of eleven. A West Cork background steeped in the oral tradition led her, while still a teenager, to develop new techniques that made it possible for the first time to play traditional music on the harp in a stylistically accurate way. She won the All-Ireland and Pan-Celtic Harp Competitions several times and in 1985 recorded the first harp album ever to concentrate on traditional Irish dance music, The New-Strung Harp.
Chris began to play the guitar at the age of four and at 14 played his first paid gig in a folk club. He dabbled in the jazz scene in his late teens, playing with and learning from people like Stephane Grappelli and Diz Disley and honing his skills as a gifted improviser. After a brief foray into the commercial world that resulted in a silver disc for producing the Top Ten hit The Oldest Swinger in Town, he resolved to concentrate on his first love - the acoustic guitar. In addition to his work with Máire, Chris toured until 1997 as a member of Boys of the Lough in North America, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, China and Italy.
Tickets for the performance this Saturday at 8.30pm cost €15. Box office: 086 3338457. 
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Guitarist Clive Barnes to perform at Passionfruit |
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WESTMEATH INDEPENDENT, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
One of the most highly regarded guitarists around, Clive Barnes, brings his inimitable talent to Athlone's Passionfruit Theatre on Saturday, October 3rd next at 8.30pm
Clive Barnes new album The Ghost Country is released this month. It's the sound of a musician at the top of his game as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. On The Ghost Country Clive sounds truly unique having forged his own voice through years of touring the US and Europe and sharing stages with the likes of Eric Bibb, Taj Mahal, Jeff Beck, Dr. John, Solomon Burke, Peter Green, Seasick Steve, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Alison Krauss, David Crosby and many more.
Clive is regarded as one of the finest guitarists around today but not only that, his lyrical and songwriting abilities are striking on this collection of songs.
From the roaring banjo-fuelled opening track Shotgun Grin to the big sky foreboding of the title track right through to the lyrical closer Borderlines, The album is populated with stories of characters running and returning, longing and dreaming, down on their luck and finally finding some peace, character's so thick with realism you can feel them slip through you.
Clive's live performances are not to be missed. Check out Clive Barnes at Passionfruit on Northgate Street on Saturday, October 3 at 8.30pm
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Freemasons to meet with theatre group today |
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WESTMEATH INDEPENDENT, MAY 28, 2009
The possibility of Athlone"s Passionfruit Theatre Company returning to its former home at the Freemasons" premises on Northgate Street appeared to be growing this week after a representative of the Freemasons said the theatre company would be offered 'first refusal' on the venue"s lease, which is currently up for renewal.
Bernard Corcoran, Secretary of the Athlone Lodge of the Freemasons, stated that he would be meeting with Fiona Ducke, Secretary of Passionfruit Theatre Company, to discuss the renewal of the lease today (Wednesday).
'It was me who got (the Passionfruit Theatre Company) in there in the first place so they will be offered first refusal on it as a common courtesy,' he said. 'I wouldn"t be in the practice of kicking people out.'
When asked by the Westmeath Independent if an agreement could be reached which would allow the Passionfruit Company return to the venue, he said: 'I don"t see why not.'
Mr Corcoran was also asked if the Freemasons had been satisfied with the original tenancy of the premises by the Passionfruit group. He replied that he wasn"t there all of the time, but if there had been any issues it was now 'water under the bridge.'
Ms Ducke said she was 'delighted' to have been contacted by Mr Corcoran on Monday and added that today"s meeting was 'a positive first step.'
The organisers of the theatre and live music venue, which was opened in March 2008, said they were told on Easter Sunday last that the lease on the Northgate Street venue was finished and that they would have to move out. The locks at the building were subsequently changed and the "Passionfruit Theatre Company" lettering on its exterior was removed.
Representatives of the Freemasons said the lease was finished because one of the two people on the lease - Passionfruit founder Joe Ducke - died in January, and the other individual was no longer involved with the theatre group.
Last Thursday, over 150 people attended a public meeting in The Bounty, which was convened by Passionfruit Theatre Company to discuss issues surrounding the ending of the lease.
Ms Ducke, daughter of the late Joe, said that establishing the venue had been her father"s dream, and that his dream 'was not supposed to last just one year.'
Among the many members of the public who spoke at the meeting was Morgan Fallon, who said: 'It"s places like Passionfruit Theatre that make a community a community. They make a town worth living in. If they"re going to put a chipper, or a pub or another shopping centre in there it"s not really going to add to the town.
'Something like the Passionfruit, and the vibrancy it creates, really adds to the town. If the town loses that then we will have lost something special.'
Local TD Mary O"Rourke said that because the venue had received a €40,000 grant from the Government, she became involved in efforts to resolve the matter as a 'guardian of the public purse.'
Speaking yesterday, Deputy O"Rourke welcomed the fact that today"s meeting between the representatives of the Passionfruit company and the Freemasons was taking place.
She said she was hopeful that the matter would be brought to a swift conclusion. 'That was the overwhelming wish of those who attended the very packed public meeting in The Bounty last week,' she said. 'Nobody wants squabbles, least of all a small company like Passionfruit, which is keen to get started on its very creative and packed programme of events for the months ahead.
'It was one of the happier days of my life as a backbench TD when I was able to secure the €40,000 grant from Minister Eamon O"Cuiv for the theatre. I remember Eamon O"Cuiv commenting that the Passionfruit Theatre Company was a lovely name and I told him it was going to be an intimate and interactive venue, somewhere that wouldn"t be stuffy. Somewhere people could go to have a good time.
'So hopefully this matter will soon be resolved. Fingers crossed for the meeting on Wednesday,' concluded Deputy O"Rourke.
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