For fans of local band The Last Order who have been asking the band why they don’t have a CD for offer – good news, Craig Agus Ceol will be off the press and available on Oct. 19.
The Last Order will celebrate its debut Celtic offering at a Winter Warm Up (An evening of Celtic Music) CD release party at the Canmore Legion, Saturday (Oct. 19) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance or $20 at the door. There will be 50/50 draws and spot prizes.
The Last Order is founders Tara Brehaut (vocals, keys, tin whistle) and John Paul McBride (vocals, guitar, harmonica, kick drum), along with Grant Hilts (mandolin) and Larry Jarret (drums).
Craic Agus Ceol (good times and music) features nine tracks of Celtic music. “They’re old traditional Irish songs people have been asking us to do for them,” said McBride, a native of Newry, 60 miles from Dublin. “Some of the songs are from the 1700s, modern stuff, you know.”
“But they’re our version with our sound,” said Brehaut, a native of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. “We wanted the CD to sound like us when we play live and I think we have that.”
Brehaut and McBride have been playing jams at Good Earth Café, for example, and after shows are often stopped by people asking why they don’t have a CD available. To satisfy that demand, they’ve gone ahead with Craic Agus Ceol, a labour of love that’s been “amazingly difficult,” said McBride.
“Stuff you play all the time, when you hit record, it’s suddenly all different. When you hear what others hear, it then sounds different. We’ve been working on this for a couple of months, it’s been a long process. Actually, I’m sick of listening to it, it’s been that long.”
Brehaut and McBride began playing together in 2009, when they were backpacking in New Zealand and staying in a hostel. They moved on to Australia, then the U.K., playing and picking up new influences. After eventually arriving in Canmore, the pair hooked up with Hiltz and Jarret via the jam scene and began playing as The Last Order.
“The response from people has been amazing,” said McBride, “you play a place like Good Earth Café and people are really into it. Our last three gigs were sold out a week before, that’s quite a response. I think it’s because nobody in Canmore is doing what we do (Celtic).”
“It’s such a good vibe,” said Brehaut, “it’s nice and it’s intimate and people really listen. Canmore has a real hub of musicians and I love it.”
A Winter Warm Up seemed a good idea, said McBride. “People in Canmore are hardened to winter, but the nights are getting darker and we thought we might as well huddle together and have a hot toddy.”
Having now listened to their own album, Brehaut and McBride are happy with the result. “We wanted to have a good, professional final product and I think it sounds like we do live.
“The family back home will be getting copies and we hope everyone likes it.”
With Craic Agus Ceol in hand, the band is looking farther afield, playing some in Calgary, and lining up a gig at an Irish pub that’s opened in Cochrane.
