If you’d like a taste of the modern Irish pub scene, put on something green and head to The Palace Band concert at Hard Rock Cafe on March 15. The four-member band from Dublin promise raw energy, swirling harmonies and frenetic rhythms. The band, comprising of singers John O’Regan, Karl Moran, Damian Hillan and percussionist Michael O’Connor, derive their name from The Palace Bar, a traditional pub in the centre of Dublin that has been the haunt of Ireland’s great musicians, writers and artists. Karl tells us, “We started playing together at The Palace Bar once a week and that’s how we got our name.”
The band’s music is inspired by the creative setting and great Irish musicians like Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher and Planxty. “We play a fusion of folk music, Irish traditional and delta blues. Our music is very focused on vocal harmony,” says Karl, adding, “We also use percussion instruments like the African djembe, the Irish bodhran and the Peruvian cajon. Mikey’s also a fan of tabla player Zakir Hussain and we all admire Indian classical musicians like Ravi Shankar and Debashish Bhattacharya.”
Speaking about their desi experience, he adds, “We’re loving India. The food is great and we got a very warm welcome when we played our first gig of the tour.”
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up this Saturday, how does the band plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in India? Karl adds, “It’s an enormous festival back home, with parades all over Ireland and everybody wearing green, which is one of the Irish colours. There’s plenty of whiskey, Guinness and good music. This is the first time we’re away together as a band and we’re looking forward to sharing and celebrating this great festival with the Indian people.”