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Killdares Rock Courthouse CrowdMcKinney Performing Arts CenterOctober 28, 2007 First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2007, Volume 14, #11 Written by Kirk deCordova Photos by Amy Rosenthal Thu November 15, 2007, 02:00 PM CST
On October 28, The Killdares — a Dallas-based, Celtic-rock band — stormed the
historic Collin County Courthouse with its high-energy brand of rock ’n‘ roll.
Over the course of the evening, the band, which was appearing as part of the
McKinney Performing Arts Center’s Fall Season, delivered two energetic sets of
The Killdares has a unique sound that is based in the power of ’80s rock, though the group also adds a healthy dose of Celtic tradition, for good measure. Nevertheless, The Killdares isn’t easy to pigeonhole into any single genre of music. It is an amazing rock band that just happens to feature fiddle and bagpipes. Many of the patrons at the Performing Arts Center had never heard the ensemble before, but they soon were baptized into the fold, as the guitar blazed, the drums pounded, and the bass thumped into the night. The bulk of the set list for The Killdares’ Sunday night concert was taken
from the group’s latest effort Any Given Element. Along with these
original songs and a few Celtic selections — such as the tune Whiskey in the The Killdares sports an all-star lineup that consists of talented drummer and lead vocalist Tim Smith, six-time national fiddle champion Roberta Rast, accomplished rock guitarist Brek Lancaster, competition piper Matt Willis, and rock-solid bassist Jim Dawson. David Taylor, the director of the McKinney Performing Arts Center, booked The Killdares after he saw them in concert earlier this year at The Taste of Addison. When asked what attracted him to the band, Taylor commented, "They had a very unique sound, while relating well to the audience." Assistant Director of the Center, Amy Rosenthal added, "They rocked the Courthouse! It was an awesome show!" Indeed, it was. Any Given Element is NOT available from
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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tunes. The night was filled with amazing fiddling, remarkable piping, and a
bone-jarring, power-rock trio of drums, electric guitar, and bass. The show
began as a lone piper emerged from the shadows to offer a haunting bagpipe solo.
Soon, all five members of The Killdares were on stage doing what they do
best, exciting a waiting crowd.
Jar — the band also pounded out its own rendition of