The Killdares
Encyclopedia
The Killdares are a Dallas celtic rock
group formed in 1996. The group has released four studio albums and two live music projects; the live CD LIVE from 2002 and live DVD/dual CD combo Up Against the Lights in 2010. The Killdares have played many local Dallas Metroplex festivals including Taste Addison
, MayFest, Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival
, and Grapefest, and have been featured at the State Fair of Texas
for twelve years.
The Killdares released their third CD in the middle of the 2002. Titled LIVE, this album songs from their live set list, including cover versions of songs from Big Country
, Fairport Convention
, and The Ramones.
and backing vocals, Stacy Edwards on bass guitar
, and Brek Lancaster on lead guitar
. Matt Willis joined the band on highland bagpipes
in September 2004.
. This lineup, Tim Smith on lead vocals and drums, Roberta Rast on fiddle
and ukulele
, Brek Lancaster on lead guitar
, Matt Willis on bagpipes
and whistles, and Jim Dawson on bass guitar
, would go on to record both Any Given Element (2005) and Secrets of the Day (2008).
For Secrets of the Day (2008), The Killdares again worked with producer Ronan Chris Murphy and engineer Chris Bell. The Killdares released Secrets of the Day in July 2008 at The House of Blues
(Dallas). The album has been submitted for multiple Grammy nominations in six categories including Album of the Year, Best Rock Instrumental, and Contemporary Folk Album.
In 2009, Troy Gallaher would be featured on bass. In 2010-11, the lineup only included four members, with the bass position being filled by by special guest players. Gavin Kelso would play bass from January 2010 through April 2011. From April 2011 to present, The Killdares have featured Gary Thorne of the Denton-based band Shaolin Death Squad on bass guitar.
Celtic rock
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
group formed in 1996. The group has released four studio albums and two live music projects; the live CD LIVE from 2002 and live DVD/dual CD combo Up Against the Lights in 2010. The Killdares have played many local Dallas Metroplex festivals including Taste Addison
Addison
-United States:*Addison, Alabama*Addison, Connecticut*Addison, Illinois*Addison, Kentucky*Addison, Maine*Addison, Michigan*Addison , New York**Addison , New York*Addison, Ohio*Addison, Pennsylvania*Addison, Tennessee*Addison, Texas...
, MayFest, Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival
Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival
The Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival is an event held annually in Richardson, Texas, and typically has a turn out of about 60,000 people...
, and Grapefest, and have been featured at the State Fair of Texas
State Fair of Texas
The State Fair of Texas is an annual state fair held in Dallas, Texas . The fair season usually begins the last Friday in September and ends 24 days later. The fair is held at the historic Fair Park where it has been held since 1886. The 2012 State Fair of Texas will run from September 28th...
for twelve years.
1996-1998: Broken with a Word
The Killdares were founded in 1996 by lead singer and drummer Tim Smith, along with former members Jesse Owsley, Ann Purdy and fiddler Linda Relph. Both Purdy and Owsley left within the first year, while Relph was with the band until 2002. In 1998, the band released their self-produced debut CD, Broken With A Word1999-2002: A Place to Stand and LIVE
In 2001 The Killdares released A Place To Stand, which was produced by Chris Bell. This album would be submitted in 2001 for Grammy nominations in 5 categories.The Killdares released their third CD in the middle of the 2002. Titled LIVE, this album songs from their live set list, including cover versions of songs from Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
, Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, and The Ramones.
2002-2004: Transitions
In 2002 six-time National Fiddle Champion Roberta Rast joined the band. More changes to the lineup would occur in mid 2004 with the addition of James Dunning on rhythm guitarRhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and backing vocals, Stacy Edwards on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and Brek Lancaster on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
. Matt Willis joined the band on highland bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
in September 2004.
2005-2010: Any Given Element and Secrets of the Day
In 2005, James Dunning left the band to form Lost Immigrants, but his song-writing was prominently featured on The Killdares' fourth album Any Given Element (2005). In mid 2005, Jim Dawson joined the band on bass guitarBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. This lineup, Tim Smith on lead vocals and drums, Roberta Rast on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, Brek Lancaster on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Matt Willis on bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
and whistles, and Jim Dawson on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, would go on to record both Any Given Element (2005) and Secrets of the Day (2008).
For Secrets of the Day (2008), The Killdares again worked with producer Ronan Chris Murphy and engineer Chris Bell. The Killdares released Secrets of the Day in July 2008 at The House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
(Dallas). The album has been submitted for multiple Grammy nominations in six categories including Album of the Year, Best Rock Instrumental, and Contemporary Folk Album.
In 2009, Troy Gallaher would be featured on bass. In 2010-11, the lineup only included four members, with the bass position being filled by by special guest players. Gavin Kelso would play bass from January 2010 through April 2011. From April 2011 to present, The Killdares have featured Gary Thorne of the Denton-based band Shaolin Death Squad on bass guitar.
2010 to present: Up Against the Lights
On July 30, 2010, The Killdares filmed a live concert at the historic Granada Theater in Dallas, TX. The project became a live dual CD and DVD titled Up Against the Lights, featuring the same members as in 2010, Tim Smith on lead vocals and drums, Roberta Rast on fiddle and backing vocals, Brek Lancaster on lead guitar and backing vocals, Matt Willis on various bagpipes and backing vocals, and Gavin Kelso listed as a special guest on bass guitar. The dual CD/DVD was released on November 4 at the Angelika Theater in Dallas, TX with a viewing of the DVD on the big screen.Discography
- Broken with a Word (1998)
- A Place to Stand (2001)
- LIVE (2002)
- Any Given Element (2005)
- Secrets of the Day (2008)
- Up Against the Lights (2010)