A Celtic-inspired band with East Coast roots is excited for a night of full 'Craic' in Airdrie this St. Patrick's Day on March 17.
Morrissey's Private Stock is bringing its jovial tunes to the Ron Ebbesen Arena's Overtime Lounge on Friday night for a night of live music and toe-tapping in celebration of Ireland's patron saint.
The Calgary-based band is comprised of five members, all of whom hail from Newfoundland. While three of the band's five members live in Calgary, the other two reside in Airdrie.
One of those is the band's namesake, Steve Morrissey, who sings and plays guitar, as well as the Bodhran. The native of Newfoundland's Cape Shore said it's awesome to have the opportunity to perform a sold-out St. Patrick's Day concert in the city he's called home for the last nine years.
And the fact St. Patrick's Day – a holiday akin to Christmas for Celtic bands like Morrissey's Private Stock – falls on a Friday this year makes it all the better, Morrissey added.
“For us, the countdown [to St. Patrick's Day] starts the day after the last one ends,” he said. “Just seeing the joy from playing that Celtic/East Coast music, when you’re up there playing and looking down at the crowd and all you can see are people clapping hands and smiling…that’s what it’s all about. And we’re certainly excited to bring that to Airdrie.
“We’re certainly excited to have good 'Craic' – good Irish Craic for St. Patrick’s Day.”
Apart from Morrissey, the band's members include Matt O'Leary (accordion/mandolin), Lenny Dalton (vocals, bodhran, guitar), Sandy Aberdeen (bass, banjo, whistles), and Fonz Hann (mandolin, guitar). Dalton is the other band member who lives in Airdrie.
“We’re all seasoned musicians who have been playing for a long time,” Morrissey said. “It’s a passion for us. Most of the guys in the band are retired, so it’s a hobby and we just love to do it.”
According to Morrissey, opportunities to play concerts in Airdrie are few and far between for the band, given a limited number of ideal venues in town. He said the last time they performed in Airdrie was at the Best Western Hotel on Edmonton Trail, and he estimated that was back in 2018 or 2019.
He said Morrissey's Private Stock is primarily a festival band, and also gets hired to perform at a lot of corporate events. He said the only bar they play at semi-regularly is the Ship and Anchor in Calgary.
Last March, Morrissey's Private Stock headlined a St. Patrick's Day concert at the Polaris Centre for the Performing Arts in Balzac, playing to a sold-out audience, many of whom were Airdronians.
Considering the band's members all come from Newfoundland and play Irish-influenced, East Coast rock, Morrissey doesn't deny the group often draws comparisons to the famed St. John's band, Great Big Sea. He said he even knows a few members of Great Big Sea personally, and admits their sea shanty-inspired rock has influenced some of his own group's sound.
“They were pioneers of the modern way of Celtic music,” he said. “But we have a traditional edge to us. The type of sound we’re trying to create is like, if you went into a legion in any out-port community of Newfoundland or went into a community hall in out-port Newfoundland. That’s the type of music you would hear. Or if you were to stroll along George Street on St. John’s, this is the type of stuff you’d hear.
“We love to play that type of music just because of the vibe it brings. We were all born and raised and grew up in Newfoundland, and we appreciate a good time.”
For more information on the band, to hear some of their music, or for tickets to upcoming shows (the March 17 event is sold-out), visit morrisseysprivatestock.ca.
