Screaming Orphans

Sunday, I made it to Irish Fest, as attested by my scorched forehead, my damaged hearing, and the craving for mead. Though the heat and a head cold kept me from indulging overly in the mead, I still had a very good time. The Screaming Orphans were my favorite show. Quite enjoyed what I saw. A partial set list from the Screaming Orphans show at Irish Fest:

• Jolene (Dolly Parton cover)


• Original Tune (sounded like Bangles with a Donegal county accent)


• 2 short Reels (don’t know the names, but they had nice stories with them)


• Seven Nation Army (White Stripes cover)


• Irish Traditional love song (can’t recall the name, but it was good)


• Original Tune (sounded like a garage band GoGos with a Donegal county accent)


• Ghost Riders in the Sky (western classic, frequently redone)

Kinda weird, but it actually worked. It helped that their original stuff had that “girl-garage band sound” that I enjoyed on the Bangles’ early tracks. And their harmonies were very nice in a pop-rock way, as well. The show ended up being about a third covers, a third traditional irish stuff, and a third original stuff. I think they did more Irish stuff than usual because it was irish fest. In any case, they managed to keep the Leinie stage about half full for their entire show – about double what most bands were doing on Sunday afternoon. Their CD is all original stuff. I may pick one up from CD Baby.