The Sheriff Support Group of Altadena's 15th annual Summer Concert Series in Farnsworth Park starts Sat., July 9 at 7 PM with The Irish Volunteers.
The Irish Volunteers are a traditional Irish band new to the L.A. Irish music scene. The group is made up of John McKenna on accordion, Timothy Moynahan on tin whistle, Mike Manning on guitar and Sean Manning on lead vocals. They have combined their years of experience in Irish music to make a sound that is unique to their American Irish experience.
The name of the Irish Volunteers goes back to the brave men that have fought for a free Ireland since 1798. The Manning’s own great-grandfather was an Irish Volunteer himself, serving in the New York 15th of miners and engineers during the American Civil War. The most famous Irish Volunteer regiment of the time was of course the Fighting Irish of the 69th, New York .
John McKenna, musician and actor by trade, is the son of Irish immigrants and hails from the Bronx. John’s love of his own upbringing has carried on the family tradition of playing the small accordion, or “the box” as it is known. His skill with it gives the band its rich ethnic sound. John also plays the Irish drum or bodhran, and lends his fine Irish pipes to lead and back-up vocals.
Timothy Moynahan, second-generation Irish American and the band’s spiritual director of music grew up singing and playing Irish music with his four brothers and parents in Orange County. An expert trombone player and an international reggae star with that instrument, Tim’s additional prowess on the penny whistle, or Irish tin whistle, roots the fellas in Irish flavor. Timothy also writes and sings original music for the band.
Mike Manning brings his nearly 50 years of guitar work and Beatle’s inspired licks to give the Irish Volunteers their base in the folk/rock style. Together with his brother Sean on vocals the pair started a duo , Those Manning Boys , in 2001 and have collected and performed some 80 traditional Irish tunes in their repertoire. The Boys joined forces with John and Timothy in 2010 and have formed The Irish Volunteers. The name came from the fact that nobody was getting paid much to play, but has evolved once again into a force to be heard. “Faugh an Beallach,” or “Clear the Way" for the Irish Volunteers.
Before the concert, you can pick up a dinner from Amy’s Patio Café http://www.amyspatiocafe.net/id3.html or El Patron http://elpatrononline.com/. During the concert, and for the first time, beer and wine are available for purchase courtesy of the Altadena Rotary Club. Webster's Fine Stationers is providing water and ice for the performers.
Concerts are hosted by the Altadena Sheriff’s Station and Farnsworth Park. Sponsors of the summer concert series are: Warner Bros., Rotary Club of Altadena, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, Toyota of Pasadena, Baietti Seyffert/Podley Realtors, All American Audio Visual, M & M Printing, Trinity ThreadWorks, My Irish Pride, Georgia Rutherford in memory of Don Rutherford, and Altadenablog. The concerts this year are dedicated to the memory of Cue MacKenzie.
