The Makem & Spain Brothers

'How can I keep from singing?'

My father used to say that a tune was good for dancing, but a song had the power to incite rebellion. He was a smart man.

Nowadays, there is a certain percentage of the population who can't live without music. Sure, they can survive, but they can't live. For better or worse, I am one of those people. There's nothing I'd rather be doing than sitting around with friends, a concertina in hand and a beer on the table, belting out the old songs ... or new ones for that matter (it's what the Irish call a session).

I've always considered the history of folk music to be like a chain, with each generation adding their own links. My father was Tommy Makem and he added much to that chain. He passed away in 2007, leaving behind a considerable amount of songs that are now considered folk standards, often mistaken as traditional.

His mother, Sarah Makem, passed along scores of songs to him, she from a very musical family herself. A good chunk of my relatives (and I have more than a few) are musicians. And I was just lucky enough to be brought into the family and to learn some of those songs passed down for hundreds of years.

My earliest recollections of folk music revolved around a children's yellow, plastic turntable with thick, plastic records of purple, green and blue. You wound up the machine and listened to songs such as London Bridge is Falling Down, Where Has My Little Dog Gone, Edelweiss and Camptown Races. That would have been back in the early 1970s, long before I knew what a folk song was. Come to think of it, my grandmother, Sarah, lived more than eight decades and never knew what a folk song was. It was either good or it wasn't and she'd be as likely to be singing a Beatles song as Derry Gaol. You'll find most folk music has its roots buried deeply in the song tradition. Listen to the Monkees. Very well written songs. To me, a lot of that was folk.

It wasn't long before I noticed the songs coming from my parents' record player. Folk singers the likes of Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and Peter, Paul and Mary were staples. Later on came the records of the seacoast's own Shaw Brothers, Bill Staines and Maine's Schooner Fare and Gordon Bok.

I remember a trip to Ireland in the 1970s and my father brought one eight track tape with him. I couldn't get John Denver, Johnny Horton or Simon and Garfunkel out of my head for years, but who would want to?

Anyway, not to get too long in the tooth, I couldn't help but gravitate toward a career in music and when my brothers formed a band called the Makem Brothers in 1989, I knew I had to join them — which I did in 1991. About nine years ago, we teamed up with another couple of brothers our age, from Manchester, who were backward enough to like the same music we did. All told, I've spent a good 20 years singing Irish folk songs, a job that I don't think anyone could call a job.

So what's my point?

A few months back we were enjoying a session (that thing with singing and beer) and the old American folk songs just kept coming out. What a blast! It was then that we knew what our next project would be.

We needed to record what we thought were some of the best folk songs of all time.

What we realized is that most of them have largely been left by the wayside over the past few decades. No one is recording them anymore. We're talking standards like "I've Been Working on the Railroad," and "The Water is Wide," up through more modern songs that will undoubtedly stand the test of time (a tough act considering the longevity of a good folk song). We're thinking the album should be called "Sessions."

We started contacting the people who had influenced us, folks who had helped to forge strong links in the folk music chain. And to our surprise, many of them jumped on board without any arm twisting.

Who is helping us so far? (I'm randomizing these so it won't seem like I favor any over the other.) Jonathan Edwards (author of "Sunshine" and "Shanty;" Schooner Fare (Maine's best export); Gordon Bok (Maine's other best export); Tom Paxton (The Ramblin' Boy himself); Roger McGuinn (the voice and twang behind the Byrds); Dave Mallet (the folk singer's folk singer); and Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, him and Mary).

Now here's the crux.

We decided to try the album a completely different way. We're heading on the road to visit all of these legends and to lay down tracks while there. Our plan is to bring along a couple video experts and a sound engineer and that all costs money.

So we put our project onto a website called www.kickstarter.com. It's a site that allows regular Jills and Joes from around the world to donate money to artists who they feel could use a little help.

Our goal: $15,000. We're getting there, but if we don't reach it by March 2, we don't get anything and the project is shelved. But taking the lead from Public Television, there are incentives offered for anyone willing to donate. From postcards from the road, to advanced, signed copies of the CD to access to ongoing, online videos of the project, names in liner notes, unreleased songs, personalized photo books of the project and for the heavy hitters, a private performance.

If you're the kind of person who can't get enough of the old songs, hopefully you'll check out our project at www.kickstarter.com/project/spakem/the-makem-and-spain-brothers-sessions or just go to www.kickstarter.com and search for Makem Spain and we'll pop up.

Conor Makem is a Dover resident, member of the Makem and Spain Brothers and reporter at the Rochester Times.

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A Rousing Concert with the Makem and Spain Brothers

The Makem and Spain Brothers, the powerhouse Irish vocal group of their generation, are returning to Ottawa for another rousing concert.
It was 50 years ago this year that the Makem Brothers' legendary father Tommy hit the big time with the Clancy Brothers, bursting onto the North American scene with their record-breaking appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The folk scene would never be the same as Ireland's fab four dominated Irish music in the 1960's with their rousing songs of rebellion, drinking, fun and mischief. Their influence continues to this day.

Today, Shane, Conor and Rory Makem, teamed with Mickey and Liam Spain, are keeping the song tradition alive. They are roaring out their own compelling versions of boisterous Clancy/Makemclassics, while bringing superb new songs of their own to the fore. Their live performances have been described as a wall of sound, enchanting audiences across North America and Ireland.

Since forming in 2002, the Makem and Spain Brothers have issued four superb CD's, all flawlessly produced, with their powerful vocals backed by musical prowess on banjo, mandolin, bazouki, guitar, bass, flute, and whistle.

Their new album, Up the Stairs, is delighting their fans. One of the songs, The Lightkeeper, has impressed the experts, earning it a well-deserved Grammy nomination.

Don't miss this exciting concert.

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Up the Stairs by the Makem & Spain Brothers

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 A throwback to an earlier age, The Makem & Spain Brothers are the living embodiment of the Song Tradition, each song presented with fierce pride, stirring vocals and the nearly lost of art of being able to tell the story behind the song.  Their warmth and genuine appreciation for what they do wins new fans each time they take the stage. A crowd favorite.

I love working with the Makem and Spain Brothers. They have been performing at our venue for over 17 years now and they have never sounded better. Staying true to the traditions of Irish folk, each song bursts with a wall of sound and vocal harmony that is second to none. Their shows are always fresh and energetic. They bring a real love and passion for the music that audiences can't help but respond to. Always professional, the Makem and Spain Brothers are a great act to work with and, more importantly, they are as good as people as they are musicians!

The Makem & Spain Brothers have dedicated their personal and professional lives to preserving and presenting one of Ireland's most precious cultural treasures, the song. Ireland's identity is captured in verse, and no one delivers this art better than the Makem & Spain Brothers.

Brendan R. McDonough
An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival, Butte, MT

"(The Makem Brothers with Mickey and Liam Spain) show people of many different backgrounds that old songs don’t have to die, if a small group of men or women love them and make sure to get together once in a while to sing them."

"This is a great new CD. It’s warm, joyful, and full of life. It makes me smile when I listen to it!"

"Conor, Rory, Shane, Liam and Mickey, who began touring the United States and Ireland as a folk supergroup in 2003 have now produced an inspired recording of their traditional and original music that captures the magic and infectious energy of their live stage show…The Makems and the Spains have every reason to be proud for carrying on a family tradition that has set the bar for folk musicians the world over."

"Like Others Did Before Us is an important musical milestone…Three of the 13 tracks are originals, and would be standouts if only the other tracks were not so darned good."

"The Makem Brothers with Mickey and Liam Spain are the definitive Irish folk singers of their generation."

"This album is nothing less than ‘OUTSTANDING.’ This is the best album I have received in a long time. I love the great selection of songs and the fantastic arrangements. What a sound! Great job!"

"What a great CD!"

"Millions have become fans through the brothers' stage appearances, performances on American public television, and sit downs on Irish talk shows. If you missed all three, you must not have been visiting Heaven when God was handing out Makem Brothers concert schedules.
... If you like your Celtic traditional, with bite, substance, historical perspective and pervasive joy, you'll absolutely love Stand Together."

"This is America's top Irish folk group."

"The lads put on a fabulous show! They proved to be powerful performers, gifted musicians, their harmonies were beautiful, and they had a fun, comfortable rapport with their audience and with each other."

"The Makem Brothers are not just entertainers, they are full-time educators and communicators...Their textures and sounds make them one of the most original traditional groups that is on the Irish music scene today."

The World's Best Irish Folk Band

Usher in the holiday season with the internationally celebrated Irish Folk Music band, the Makem and Spain Brothers...It's a tradition at the Rochester Opera House! Shane, Conor & Rory Makem and Mick & Liam Spain not only wow audiences with their stunningly strong voices, amazing adeptness on multiple instruments and potent stage presence, but they also engage in a delightful repartee, offering insight into their unique bond. The Brothers wrap the theatre in a concert described by fans as fantastic, fabulous, superb and sublime!

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