Maine’s Dave Rowe Trio will bring their dazzling three-part harmony, hot guitar picking, and jaw-dropping fiddling to the Thomas Room, 729 Broadway, South Portland, on March 17 at 7:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from the St. Patrick’s Day celebration will benefit the Maine Irish Heritage Center in Portland.
The trio has gained a national reputation for their mix of Celtic, folk and maritime music. They were invited to perform at Milwaukee Irish Fest, the world’s largest Irish music festival, in 2006 and 2007. In addition to their daily shows at the fest last summer, they participated in a tribute to Irish bard, Tommy Makem, who died August 1, 2007. The inclusion of the trio was especially appropriate since Rowe’s first professional job as a musician was as bass player for Tommy’s sons, the Makem Brothers, when he was 15 years old.
The group began in the spring of 2004 when Rowe was looking for a new direction following the death of his dad, Tom Rowe, who was a founding member of trio Schooner Fare as well as Turkey Hollow which included the younger Rowe and Denny Breau. Rowe met fiddle player Ed Howe formerly of Wake the Neighbors, and bass guitarist Kevin O’Reilly and asked them to join him on an album he was producing as a tribute to his dad.
The trio had their first rehearsal on St. Patrick’s Day before a live audience and they have not slowed down since. The trio has released five critically acclaimed albums and tours across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic States and Midwest.
Scott Alarik, writing for the Boston Globe, said, “In their youthful zest, pulsing melodicism, and pedal-to-the metal energy, Rowe and his pals prove there’s nothing retro about carrying on the family name.”
Individual tickets are $20 and $30 for a couple and are available in advance at Bull Moose locations as well as the Maine Irish Heritage Center, 780-0118, or by calling Dave Rowe at (866) 655-7171. Tickets will also be sold at the door.
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