Lamey fiddling with band at Theatre
Published on March 17th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham resident Doug Lamey seems to be just about like any other 20-year-old trying to make his way in the world.
He works at Boston Rock Gym in Woburn as a rock climbing instructor and bartends in Boston, and...oh yeah...one more thing: the kid can play the fiddle.
With the emerald beer-soaked celebration and Irish-jig filled merriment of St. Patrick's Day upon us, it's only fitting that Lamey -- the son of Stoneham Fire Chief Lawrence Lamey -- will be sitting in with Beolach at the Stoneham Theatre this weekend.
"I've been playing for the last twelve or thirteen years," said Lamey, who had a grandfather (Bill Lamey) from Cape Breton that played and recorded the traditional Scottish music, but, sadly, never played with his grandson before he passed away. "I go up to Novia Scotia every summer and that's where my family is from, so it just kind of fits."
Lamey said that he was bit by the Cape Breton bug when a standout fiddle player named Natalie McMaster -- who has since become a prominent name on the fiddle playing circuit -- came to visit the Lamey's aunt in the early ninteties.
"She pulled out the fiddle and started playing after dinner and I was absolutely hooked at that point," said Lamey. "She taught me to play 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and that was awesome."
Lamey explained that Cape Breton music is often confused with traditional Irish fiddle playing, but that it had its own unique sound.
"When the Scots were kicked out of England -- the Highland Clearance they called it -- and started to spread out, many of them came to Australia and America, and also to Cape Breton," said Lamey, a graduate of Malden Catholic and a High Street resident. "For a long time there was no easy way to get to Cape Breton, and it sort of became this place that was frozen in time."
Lamey said that in the eighties and nineties more people began to travel to Cape Breton and it lost some its anonymity, but that the tradition of the music still lives on.
Lamey is busy juggling gigs and jobs while also pondering a future that may include firefighting ("My dad has been on me to take the test...I'll probably sign up for it the day before."), but for now he is concentrating on Sunday with Beolach.
"They'll be staying with us this weekend, so it's going to be an exciting week," said Lamey.
Beolach (pronounced "bee-oh-lah" is a Gaelic word meaning "Lively Youth," and that's a perfect name for this lively young group of musicians. Beolach, a group of five multi-talented musicians and dancers from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, performs an energetic mix of Cape Breton, Traditional Scottish and Irish music. The group released their self-titled CD in the summer of 2000, featuring original compositions and many unique and dynamic arrangements of traditional tunes. Ron Foley of Halifax Daily News says, "Beolach are clearly a band to watch and listen to."
Nominated as ECMA 2003 "Roots Traditional Group of the Year," members of Beolach are Wendy MacIsaac on Fiddle, Mairi Rankin on Fiddle, Ryan J. MacNeil on Pipes and Whistles, Patrick Gillis on Guitar, and Mac Morin on Piano.
Beolach has thrilled audiences in North America and Europe with spirited performances, witty presentations and versatile step-dancing. The group has been featured at festivals across England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Canada and the United States. Some past performances include the Sidmouth Folk Festival (2002) in England, the Montreal Celtic Festival (2002) in Canada, Celtic Connections (2001) in Scotland, and the Tonder Festival (2001) in Denmark.
Beolach will be featured at Stoneham Theatre for two performances on St. Patrick's Day Weekend Sunday, March 21, 2004 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $22/Adults and $15/Students. Also appearing are Boston's best Cape Breton-style fiddlers, John Campbell and Doug Lamey, along with the exciting Celtic Cape Breton Step Dancers "Four on the Floor."
Stoneham Theatre is located at 395 Main Street (Route 28) in Stoneham, Massachusetts, just 8 miles north of downtown Boston. Free Parking. To purchase tickets, call the box office at: (781) 279-2200.
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