Cumberland Times-News
— CUMBERLAND — WFWM Public Radio is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with an evening of music and dancing featuring performances by Shanty Irish, Academic Probation, Morbheanna, Greg Latta and the Scottish Country Dancers.
The event will take place in Windsor Hall at Town Centre on Wednesday. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with Lynne Barnes-Dale’s harp students performing to welcome audience members. Tickets will be available at the door. All proceeds will benefit Western Maryland’s only public radio station, WFWM 91.9 fm in Frostburg.
The Shanty Irish band consists of several friends who enjoy making traditional Irish folk music similar to what one would hear in “singing pubs” scattered throughout Ireland. Much of their music dates from the 18th and 19th centuries and tells tales of fighting and revolution, love, and the wonders of poitin and porter (whisky and beer).
The nonprofit group consists of Mike Burkey, vocals, whistle and bodhran; Tommy Dunn, harmonica and tenor vocals; Gil Hocker, pipes, vocals and box; Ron Leaf, guitar and vocals; Jim Moen, fiddle, mandolin and vocals; Steve Owens, guitar, box and vocals; Denis Reen, whistle and vocals; and Vic Ward, soundboard.
Academic Probation is a trio of musicians, based in Frostburg, which plays old-time and not-so-old songs and tunes on acoustic instruments (banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and pennywhistle). The members, Gerry Snelson, Fritz Kessler and Woody Getz, take turns singing the lead vocals and harmonies. The trio’s name came from their contact with students in that category while serving as Frostburg State University faculty. Combined they represent many decades of addiction to various musical instruments and genres.
In Scots Gaelic, Morbheanna means “great mountains.” The quartet of musicians includes three Gibson Fireside pipers and a tenor drummer. Gibson Fireside pipes are smaller pipes often used for playing at Ceilidhs and parties. The three pipers in Morbheanna are Annie Bristow, Kenny Braitman and Marci McClive. They are joined by drummer Lynn Farnsworth.
“Chances are, if the spirits of the crowd are high enough, they may even pull out their full Scottish pipes and make Windsor Hall rock,” said Chuck Dicken, station director for WFWM.
Greg Latta is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and performer. Among the many instruments he plays are the Irish bouzouki, concertina, uilleann pipes, banjo, guitar and dulcimer. Latta is a three-time winner of the Mid-Eastern Hammered Dulcimer Championship and two-time runner-up at the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. He will be playing a set of traditional Irish tunes. He also is the host of the “Just Plain Folks” radio show heard on WFWM each Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m.
The program features an hour each of bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music.
For additional information, contact WFWM Public Radio at (301) 687-4143 during normal business hours.
