Jonathan Ramsey

Jonathan @ Harling's - 23 December 2004. Photo thanks to Phocas.Net

I’m excited to be in Kansas City for another great Saint Patrick’s Day! The train ride from Saint Louis was only 4 hours 20 minutes. That’s like, um, on time and stuff.

So, tomorrow… My Kansas City friends, come out to Lew’s Grille and Bar, in lovely Waldo. I’ll be there from 1 PM to 4 PM. So, come check out the hook, while my DJ revolves it, so to speak. Lew’s is nestled in the shops on the southeast corner of 75th Street and Wornall Road. This is a great place to come out with the family for a bite to eat. I’ll be in the giant white tent in the parking lot. My auntie may even come out for a sandwich and some tunes.

I’ll then return to dear Harling’s, on Main Street at Westport Road. I’ll play from 5 PM until the peelers come… or 1 AM, whichever comes first. Harling’s is 21 and over, the prices are the lowest in town, and the staff is the friendliest in 98 states. I’m looking forward to seeing my old friends there or Saint Patrick’s Day fun!

Sláinte!

If you like what I do, check out Tullamore. If you remember my days in Bully Ruse, you’ll remember Mary Hanover, now singing and playing whistles, percussion, and hammered dulcimer (arguably/classically yet more percussion) with Tullamore. In fact, Mary, Mark (Clavey), and I share even more history. If you go further back into the dark ages of the early 1990s, you’ll find dusty flyers, recordings, and memorabilia from when Mark and Mary, and later Mary and I, were in Maid in the Myddle. Yes, it’s a twisted family tree, much like the one of Fairport Convention from a few years ago. Add Rachel Gaither, though and you have the whole mix. If you’re thinking, “Gaither, huh?”, well, wait. Watch her interact with Mark, and you’ll know that she can do a endure far more than any other musical Gaither in the world of musical Gaithers.

Tullamore takes off from where our old groups excelled –in my humble opinion- beautiful, but dark harmonies. It’s a bit like Irish music meets acoustic Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and chambre music on speed. With all the movement of guitar, whistle, hammered dulcimer, and fiddle, it’s a frenzied fun.

So, make sure to head over to Tullamore and Tullamore on Myspace, and see for yourself!

Cheers!

I’ll be on the road, later this week, and have added a Saturday morning show at KC Organics. KC Organics is one of Kansas City’s long-standing organic farmers’ markets. Several farmers from the area bring some of the freshest produce to the market. It’s always a treat to visit.

If you’re in Kansas City, Saturday morning, join me at KC Organics, Minor Park, Red Bridge Road east of Holmes Road. Take I-435 to Holmes Road (Exit 73). Head south, then east (left) on Red Bridge Road. Cross the little red bridge –not the namesake- and look for the market on the right.

If you like my music, you should definitely check out my friends the Kelly Band. Lead by Kelly Dougherty, they drive a very soulful, thoughtful sound. Kelly’s vocals produce a clean, classic sound, when they perform lyric airs, but I’ve heard her rip up the strong upbeat songs as well. I’m also been pleased to see her teamed up with my friends Mike Dugger and Gordon Bearss.

Kelly has a new CD, and will celebrate with a CD release party, Saturday, Sep 13 2008, at Kansas City Irish Museum & Cultural Center, in Kansas City, Missouri. That’s in Union Station, at Pershing and Grand. They’ll perform at 8:00 PM.

Check out more of Kelly at…

• Kelly’s MySpace
• Kelly’s Official Site

This Labor Day weekend, I’m returning to my hometown of Kansas City, MO for the 8th Annual Kansas City Irish Fest. Kansas City has multiple Irish festivals and celebrations, but this is the big one.

I will perform Saturday and Sunday afternoons, at Noon on the Atrium Stage. Of course, my friends The Elders, and Tullamore will be there. Mary, of Tullamore, and I were both in Bully Ruse (AKA Clandestine KC), together.

So, make plans to come to the KCIF 2008!

Check out the whole Kansas City Irish Fest 2008 Schedule…

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I was checking out my friend Eolai’s blog, earlier, when I realized how important it is that you all check it out. I especially enjoy his coverage of Irish film and video, in whatever denomination it occurs. This week, it’s Best Short Film at the Irish Film and Television Awards, Joyriders.

Eolai’s ironic wit just makes me yearn for my own family’s lost sarcastic patriarchs. The younger of us haven’t preserved that tradition as well as they did, and Eolai reminds me of its place in my mind. Of course, Eolai’s wit is less likely to warrant some good old American therapy, so serve it up.

Check out Eolai at Irish KC.

Okay. This is nice. I received an email from my friend Valerie, of the Missouri Valley Folklife Society. She sent me a link to the Kansas City Star Community Faces Page, and noted that the Star used my performance photo as the cover photo.

I’m a bit amazed. Everyone else there was quite glamorous, professional, the picture of the bold and beautiful. That friday evening, when this photo was taken, I felt like a sweaty mess. Perhaps, sweaty, messy Jonathan is the new face of “the approachable rock star”. I’m, at the very least, certain that my children will ridicule me for using “Jonathan” and “rock star” in the same sentence, even more, the same clause.

Well, rock on sweaty, KC Fringe, MVFS, and the Kansas City Star. Jonathan is right here with you.

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If you missed it, or just want to relive the glory that is KC Fringe 2007, here you go:

Check out this video: KC Fringe Festival 2007 Photos

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It’s just like Reaganomics (“Voodoo Economics” George H. W. Bush, 1980), but different. So, follow me on this one. I realized the other day how my shows at KC Fringe displayed a trickling down to Jonathan Ramsey.

Missouri Valley Folklife Society sponsored a stage. For that stage, they’d arranged a band, an incarnation of Uncle Dirtytoes from Lawrence, KS. Maria, singer and fiddler for the band, was to have hand surgery, so they might have had to bow out. My friend Gordon’s band was put on standby. The crew each said that would work, and all was set. Sometime later, as the time to call up Gordon’s band came, one band mate realized he had a Belgium trip. Another had a conflict. So, they weren’t going to be able to do KC Fringe.

So, MVFS called Jonathan (uh… me). I was able to do it. I may be number three, but I’m certain MVFS may call on me again, if disaster ever strikes a couple other performers.

On with the show. I discovered that many of the fine folk who came to my Friday and Saturday evening shows in 412 Delaware Street were, in fact, there only after they had been turned away from the sold out Naughty Knickers burlesque show in 412-A Delaware Street. They got there too late for nudity and coarse social and political banter. So, they came into the next hottest venue they found, and lucked upon my coarse social and political banter. My absence of nudity must not have been too disappointing, since many signed up on my mailing list. Indeed, I must point out that these folks were not the bare skin show seekers of the River Quay run by the mafia days of the 70s and 80s. They were well dressed, literate folk who had, in fact, come for cerebral stimulation, not the other kind of stimulation found in the River Quay’s “all girl show” establishments. The area now called The River Market has, indeed, improved.

Tags: kc+fringe+2007 kansas+city+mo festival music theater dance

I had a blast, this weekend, at the Kansas City Fringe Festival. Cup & Saucer looked so sad, no longer a restaurant and bar. Now, it’s a shell. It looks much like the way CBGBs was always described in the 70s. I think I may have even seen a stain left by David Johanssen.

Thank you to all the folks who came out, this weekend. You were great. I know the venue was small and a bit warm, but you were great sports. Thanks to Missouri Valley Folklife Society for inviting me to perform for them at KC Fringe. Thanks to the Fringe Festival.

I must also thank the burlesque show next door. I believe 90% of the crowd at my Friday and Saturday evening shows were people who were turned away from your hugely sold out, provocative show. These were top shelf people that spilled over into my show, not knowing what to expect. So, your show must have featured taste, style, and class. So, I thank you.

To all my new friends from Kansas City, I hope to see you at O’Malley’s, next time.

Cheers!

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