Father Son and Friends, a Celtic/Folk band from Dayton, Ohio, will present a program of music in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, March 11, at 3:00 P.M. at High Street United Methodist Church, 230 E. High Street in downtown Springfield, Ohio. The program is part of the monthly Sanctuary Series at the church. A free-will offering will be taken to support the series and a reception will follow the concert in The Commons at the church.
Father Son and Friends performs across the United States throughout the year, but stick close to home around March 17, with a marathon of performances leading up to St. Patrick’s Day that any Irishman would envy. This year, the band’s run of pub-and-club shows includes stops at the Dublin Pub in Dayton and Harrigan’s Tavern in Kettering, along with performances at Milton Athletic Club and the Irish Club of Dayton.
The band consists of Joey Hall (Father), Shawn Hall (Son), and a wide array of friends that offer instruments like Guitar, Fiddle, Irish Tenor Banjo, Penny Whistle, Mandolin and Bagpipes. “We play everything from sad Irish Ballads like ‘Danny Boy’to let’s-get-up-and-fight-something English songs like ‘Whiskey in the Jar’,” Shawn said.
“Our fans call this time of year ‘the second holiday season,’” laughs Shawn Hall, the “Son” of the band’s name. “These St. Patrick’s Day shows are when we blast off the cobwebs and get ready for our touring season.” Father Son and Friends travel to many Celtic, folk and renaissance festivals beginning in the spring, and lasting through late fall each year. After a break for the Christmas holidays, the band tends to look toward the new touring season with an eye toward new songs and tunes they plan to incorporate into their shows in the year.
Folks who attend the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations featuring Father Son and Friends will hear songs, like “Danny Boy,” that, to many, make the holiday Irish, but may also hear the band try out some “new” old songs and arrangements that are sure to become band and crowd favorites.
The traditional Irish-Scottish music group, from Dayton, Ohio, has welcomed many fine musicians to their roster since forming in 1989; with Father, Joey Hall, and Son, Shawn Hall, the mainstays of the band. Friends from near and far come in for the St. Patrick’s Day shows.At any given time, you could see John Lardinois (of the Dayton Philharmonic) on fiddle, Bart Cason (of the band Dulahan) on percussion, Sue Tillotson on fiddle, Erich Reith on percussion, Stephanie Garner on whistle, and John Johnston on mandolin, as well as the McGovern Ceili Dancers. No matter who sits in, the band continues its tradition of performing energetic shows that keep their audiences involved and entertained with humorous stories, traditional Celtic songs, shanties, jigs and reels, as well as some good ol’ Irish tear-jerking ballads.