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The Fireside Wakes the Bard

A Toe-tapping, Hand-clapping Good Time!

By Peg H
Thursday, June 4, 2009

The definition of "Bard", according to Dictionary.net is "a professional poet and singer, as among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroism of brave men."

Bards, as officials of the court, performed a number of roles. They were mostly chroniclers, whose job it was to praise their employers. Their tales and songs were never written down. The Bards held the history of the tribe and that information was handed down from generation to generation.

When the British took control of Ireland, anything Irish was either destroyed or outlawed, including the Bards, their harps, their tales and the songs they sang. However, the Irish were not discouraged, their traditions continue today.

A local Irish band, "Wake the Bard", carries on those traditions. The term "Wake the Bard", according to the band's website, has two meanings. "One, to wake, or mourn all that was lost due to the oppressive English rule over Ireland. And two, to wake-up the tradition, the music and the poetry of the song lyrics in the spirit of the ancient bards."

Wake the Bard does just that. This group of Irish songsters is comprised of two couples who are all accomplished musicians: Pat and Sandi Huckaby and Michael and Stephanie Adams.

Wake the Bard. (Photo by RobH.)

Pat and Sandi moved to the San Bernadino Mountains about six years ago. They met Michael and Stephanie, who had recently moved to the mountains themselves. All four lives changed forever. Stephanie and Mike, were introduced to Celtic music by the Huckay's. The couples got together to play music for fun. From those sessions, Wake the Bard was born.

Wake the Bard has developed quite a group of fans. Often they play at local pubs as they did Saturday (May 30) at The Fireside in Running Springs. With a small group of people surrounding them, the four musicians played a variety of Irish music.

Eyes were drawn to Stephanie, not only because she sings many of the songs performed by the band, but also because of the unusual instrument she plays. The Harmonium resembles an accordion—a keyboard and bellows. It is a reed organ with a pressure bellows that pushes the air through the reeds. With her left hand, Stephanie pumps the bellows and with her right hand, she plays the keyboard.

Harmonium played by Stephanie. (Photo by RobH.)

Mike, who sings and plays a variety of guitars for the band, has learned to play the bodhran, a traditional Irish drum. The bodhran is a double layer of billy goat stomach stretched over a round, wooden frame. Mike holds the bodhran in one hand and beats it with a drumstick called a tipper. Placing his hand inside the drum and pressing against the skin, he can match the tones being played by the other instruments thus filling in for the bass as well as keeping tempo.

Mike and his Bodhran. (Photo by RobH.)

Sandi also plays an instrument that catches the eye. The Hammered Dulcimer is a stringed instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. The Dulcimer sets on a stand in front of Sandi and she taps the strings with paddles called hammers, thus, the name.

Hammered Dulcimer played by Sandi. (Photo by RobH.)

Pat has played guitar since he was young, playing rock and roll. Sandi is the one who lured her husband into the world of Irish music. Pat plays guitar, harmonica and mandolin for the band. With his tenor voice, he ably handles both lead vocals and background harmony for the band.

Together, these four people, and their variety of instruments, are Wake the Bard. On Saturday, they served up Irish jigs, reels, drinking songs and beautiful ballads. Early in the evening, The Fireside was typically rowdy; with people drinking, talking and playing pool. However, as the group of musicians in the corner began playing songs, the crowd's attention inevitably became theirs. With familiar songs like "Cockles and Muscles" interspersed with lesser-known Irish tunes, the crowd seemed to find the atmosphere created by the Irish melodies more interesting than anything else in the room. This seemed to be an evening well spent for everyone in the room, including the band themselves.

Wake the Bard is Mike Adams, Pat Huckaby (rear), Sandi Huckaby and Stephanie Adams. (Photo by RobH.)

Wake the Bard will be performing again at The Fireside (located at 32031 Holiday Ln. Running Springs) on July 18. They also perform regularly at located at 33241 Green Valley Lake Rd., Green Valley Lake. Although The Lake Inn is closed, management opens their doors once a month specifically for an evening with Wake the Bard. If you missed them this time, check out their website at Wake the Bard to view their performance schedule as well as purchase their CD's: "At It Again" and "Whiskey You're the Devil".