Colin Farrell and Dave Curley

>>From the second floor of the Orlando Public Library, welcome to Melrose In The Mix, our series of live recording sessions from the audio studio here at the Melrose Center.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Jim Myers.

Today's session features Colin Farrell and Dave Curley.

Colin and Dave are accomplished musicians and songwriters specializing in traditional Irish music and have each played shows in Ireland, Europe and across the U.S.. Dave is a multi-instrumentalist and singer, while Colin is a composer who plays fiddle and whistle.

Before the session, we had a chance to talk to the duo about growing up in musical families and their early starts to music, their influences as performers and writers, some of their memorable shows, and more.

>>Hi folks.

We're going to start off with a selection of tunes, and the first tune is called The Sign of the Times.

And I'm going to go into a jig called The First Pint, which I wrote when I was about 14 years old, far too young to be having a pint.

But there you go.

And then we'll do a tune called The Mouse in the Kitchen, and we'll finish with a tune called Trip to Miriam's.

And Miriam is the landlady of a great Irish pub in Amsterdam called Mulligan.

So here you go.

♪♪ >>Yeah, there's two vocal songs that I wrote.

One I wrote with a great Bouzouki player from Rathcoole in Dublin, Mick Broderick, and he moved from Dublin, Ireland to Dublin, Ohio, and I was in his house one day.

We're trying to write songs and we were just talking about how much easier it was for our generation to emigrate into the US to come here for work versus the generations that came before us.

So that's one of the songs called Real Men Gone Before Me, just talking about the different experiences Irish people would have had in the US and the jobs and kind of things that got involved in.

♪♪ Out of place, out of time Weary face, a troubled mind Sorrow tinged with a sense of pride For the real man gone before me.

Cold as stone, their hands laid down Streets of gold, no treasure found Tough and hard, no time to frown The real men gone before me They were searching for a better time A connection lost at sea They built it up and they drank it down And they died ‘neath the railroads They slept in the dark dead end streets.

Ran where the cannons roared And there they dreamed.

Western shore to the Statten Isle.

Count by corpse, not by mile Standing strong, eyes open wide The real men gone before me.

Doomed to fail when they arrived on the streets got organised United all in one great voice The real men gone before me They were searching for a better time A connection lost at sea They built it up and they drank it down And they died ‘neath the railroads They slept in the dark dead end streets They ran where the cannons roared And there they dreamed ♪♪ Through town and country scattered wide.

Montana mines to the New York Isle.

With spade and pick to the earth consigned The real men gone before me Some fortune found, some reached the top Some damned to hell and were soon forgot But all in sorrow turned to song The real men gone before me They were searching for a better time A connection lost at sea They built it up and they drank it down And they died ‘neath the railroads They slept in the dark dead end streets They ran where the cannons roared And there they dreamed Their shouts and cheers to the past consigned But still the names and still the signs From subway walls to soaring skies The real men gone before me And they died ‘neath the railroads They slept in the dark dead end streets They ran where the cannons roared And there they dreamed And they died ‘neath the railroads They slept in the dark dead end streets They ran where the cannons roared And there they dreamed ♪♪ >>We both play in a in a pub in Disney Springs here in Orlando called Raglan Road.

And there used to be a location in Kansas City that Colin played with an amazing guitar player-- >>2008, 2009.

>>Was that?

Okay, so my first few years over, I would have seen Colin play at this location in Kansas City.

>>It was always bothering me because I play with you.

Dave Keep practicing.

Yeah.

So during COVID, Raglan Road contacted me and and said, what?

Would I come back and play the pub?

And if I knew any anyone that would come with me and Dave, like one of the finest singers and musicians you'd ever meet.

And I rang him just by chance.

You were in Chicago and you're thinking about going back to Ireland during COVID and and moving down here to Florida was two and a half years ago.

Now.

It was only meant to be for a couple of months, but no one knew.

>>I'm going to try a few tunes now on the Tin Whistle.

This is one of the first instruments when you start playing Irish music as a kid, you usually handed one of these cheap and easy to play.

So I'm going to do a jig and a couple of reels.

I used to live down in Killarney in County Kerry, a beautiful part of Ireland.

I wrote these when I was living there and the first year and it's called the Moving Note.

And then the real two called the Settlers Corner on the bridge of Finny.

♪♪ >>It's on my first time here and it's absolutely incredible all the facilities you have here.

And yeah, it's just it's just nice to be asked to do anything but to be asked to come is very special.

And then I, myself and Dave even know we're playing together for like two and a half years.

We don't actually have much stuff, Right?

Recorded.

>>Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

We don't have those kind of little snippets of things here and there, but we haven't had too many opportunities to sit down and do something like this.

>>So this is staff and now we have to do an album now, next month after this and then.

Yeah, but no, it's an incredible facility.

>>You've been walking through, you're saying doing the courses and like I live 50 minutes away.

I should be coming down here Monday to Friday during the day before I go to work.

>>To do guitar lessons on a Wednesday.

>>So we're going to do a song called Ghosts and Dreams now.

And this is one I wrote about a failed relationship and I have a few of those songs and a few of those relationships.

But I was sitting down feeling a bit sorry for myself and trying to tell myself to get up and move and leave the town I was in, go somewhere else and find something new.

And that's kind of what the song is about.

Yeah, Ghosts and dreams.

♪♪ I dont believe in ghosts and dreams these crooked little smiles are tearing at their seams I throw it all away So, come the end of day Ill be on my way.

♪♪ I don ‘t know how to settle in they put cinnamon in everythin and I dont feel the same as anyone I see You had the best of me but now theres nothin left of me.

You won ‘t know until I go, but I dont need you now So I will rise and take my leave, I wont know you anymore.

♪♪ Well you gave me your word, The likes Id never heard to spill from your lips And now yours are on his How did it come to this?

Well you wont know until I go, but I dont need you now So I will rise and take my leave, I wont know you anymore.

♪♪ Its better to love and lost well that is what they say but what do they know ‘cos now its time to go You wont know until I go, but I dont need you now So I will rise and take my leave, I wont know you anymore ‘cos I dont need you now.

And I will rise and take my leave, I wont know you anymore.

♪♪ >>I enjoy composing music.

So I thought, all right for 2020, I'm going to write a piece of music every day for the year.

So I did that.

And then and then last year, for some stupid reason, I decided to do it again.

So I'm doing it again at the moment.

So we're on day 320 and so we actually just before we came down today, we actually wrote today's tune, I'm going to call it the Melrose Mix, I think.

So that was a little reel.

So yeah, my wife said if I do it again next year, she'll kill me or divorce me.

Yeah, I try not to spend too long doing it.

Like, you know, sometimes a piece of music will just pop into my head and it's 5 minutes, another time I spend half an hour, an hour.

But I try never to - and Dave, because he's living here and play music with me, have been roped into it.

So we're going to finish with a quick selection of tunes.

The first tune is a jig called Maryanne's Choice, and then we'll do a reel called The Hounds Way named after me, me coonhound Heidi, my favorite dog.

I'm going to say, are you allowed to have a favorite dog?

Shes me favorite.

And then we're going to do a tune just just before we came on.

We write a piece of music every day of the year.

So we wrote a quick tune before we came on in the back room.

And we're going to call it the Melrose Mix.

So thank you very much.

♪♪ >>Thank you.

>>Thanks very much.

>>Well, we're actually, like I said, about an album, were recording one, were starting it in December.

So we'll have that ready by March.

A new a new CD.

Myself and Dave and Kevin Crawford flute player with Luna Center.

He's from class.

So we'll be doing a record.

And then, yeah, we'll be back playing at Raglan Road most of next year.

They've asked us to come back again and then so we're trying to pick out like we can't be away every weekend they play in every festival, so we have to.

Pick and choose.

Yeah.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Melrose in the Mix, featuring Colin Farrell and Dave Hurley.

We'll see you again soon for another live recording session here in the Melrose Center at the Orlando Public Library.