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Mardi Gras Fever hits Kinvara!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
KAM's annual Mardi Gras party, held on Sat. Feb. 13th, was a great success. The Community Hall was again transformed into a club layout with great lighting, a stage projecting into the hall, lots of room for dancing and tables for food and chat. Headline band Awsum Adudu brought the night to a pulsating finish.
Local photographer Ger Ryan has posted some great photos on HIS SITE - just click on the Mardi Gras link.
Accounts are not yet finalised but we hope to add significantly to add to the €600 raised for flood relief by Jack Harrison's December KAM gig. | | | |
News Flash!
| | Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Clare FM's Pat Costello came down to Connolly's of Kinvara on Monday Feb 8th to record a Session to promote the Mardi Gras. Highlights of the session will be broadcast on Pat's regular Friday night show this Frday [Feb 12th] at approx 7.30pm on Clare FM. Tune in for a taste of what to expect on the night!
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Mardi Gras 2010 in Kinvara!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Every year, we at KAM like to throw a Mardi Gras party to celebrate our birthday, have a community event with music, dancing, food, drink and (optional!) fancy dress to raise funds for a local cause. This year the very worthy causes are flood relief in South Galway, and the Gort Family Resource Centre.
“Mardi Gras” means “Fat Tuesday” (or Pancake Tuesday as we call it) – but that doesn’t stop us celebrating it a little early this year on Saturday, February 13th (8pm, €10/8, Kinvara Community Centre). Which means you can warm up for Valentine’s Day at the same time…
In the best New Orleans tradition, there will be plenty of tasty food and drink – and lots of tasty music! Local bands are a feature of KAM Mardi Gras and this year we have one well-established band and two relatively new bands with well known local musicians. Awsum Adudu is an Afro-funk dance band from Gort who have been around a good while, though they haven't appeared in Kinvara during KAM's time. They are our special guests this year, as the funds will go directly to their community. The Analogue Band is made up of well-known Kinvara musicians, Paul and Cian Mulligan, Tony Trundle, Darren Roberts, and Cormac Dunne. They play a mix of country and trad rock and this will be their debut. Gone to Grass is Pete Lamb's newest bluegrass/Americana band, this one with fiddler Ivor Otley, Tom Portman on dobro, and Paul Johnston on double bass, with a special guest on five-string banjo. The boys will be pickin' and grinnin' their way through a mixture of high octane Bluegrass fiddle tunes and standards, plus some original Americana. This will be their Kinvara debut as well.
For last year's Mardi Gras we transformed the Community Centre into a club with great lighting, a stage projecting into the hall, lots of room for dancing and tables for food and chat. Food served included Lousianna chicken gumbo and pancakes, to celebrate two traditions of marking the last day before Lent. This year’s offerings will be just as tasty. A bar will be available and you can be sure we will again make the venue unrecognizably intimate and warm. Last time, lots of people turned up in fancy dress - a great Mardi Gras and Carnival tradition so this year's event will include a fancy dress parade with prizes for the best outfits!
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The Gringo Stars hit town!
| | Friday, November 20, 2009
The latest addition to our Performers Page are The Gringo Stars, who play an exciting range of Mexican and other roots music. Click here for details. | | | |
KAM reviews another successful year...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The KAM 2009 AGM was held on Thursday Oct. 22 in the recently refurbished Burren Beo Café. The new, spacious, bright surroundings provided a welcoming atmosphere – helped by generous amounts of tasty food and wine. Tony Trundle and Paul Mulligan supplied equally tasty tunes in the background, with a sprinkling of Johnny Moynihan for added zest! About 25 members attended – an excellent indicator of the level of commitment of the organisation. Thanks to those who paid their subscriptions on the night, incidentally.
KAM’s President, Jack Harrison, briefly outlined the year’s activities, highlighting both the extensive gig list promoted by KAM throughout the year and the background work done by the committees on such items as the KAM Vision and Mission statements..
Breda Joyce, of the Nominating Committee, introduced the candidates for the Board of Directors and explained the process involved in their selection. Voting, under KAM’s particular system (interesting even by Irish standards!) proceeded smoothly – resulting in the election of Paul Gunning and Colm Corless for a three year term.
While the votes were counted, Sean Plunkett’s documentary film “In This Winter Sun: A community of Musicians” was shown. This prompted lots of nostalgic comment – and helped clear the last of the wine supplies…
Many thanks to: An Burren Beo, Tony Trundle and Paul Mulligan – and all the committee members who helped to make the evening a great success.
KAM’s Vision
A thriving, diverse and inclusive music scene in Kinvara
KAM’s Mission
To maintain a lively and creative forum to support and help develop musical activities in Kinvara.
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Two New Directors elected to KAM Board
Friday, October 23, 2009
At a well attended AGM in the Burren Beo Cafe on Oct. 22, 2009, two new KAM directors were elected from a panel presented by the Nominating Committee. A very tight vote reflected the excellent calibre of the candidates willing to serve the community for a three year term. The following candidates were elected:
Mr. Paul Gunning
Mr. Colm Corless
The committee of KAM wishes to espress its thanks to the candidates, the voters and the Nominating Committee. | | | |
Classical Indian Concert on KinvaraLive!
Monday, August 03, 2009
You can see a tantalizing bit of the KAM presented Classical Indian Concert with Sougata Choudhury (sarod) and Debojyoti Sanyal (tabla) and our own Mattu Noone, at Johnston's Hall, July 24, 2009 at KinvaraLive.com (click here). An interesting site to visit for many reasons. Check it. | | | |
New Mission Statement Adopted
Saturday, August 01, 2009
To maintain a lively and creative forum to support and help develop musical activities in Kinvara.
The board adopted this mission statement at its meeting on July 30, 2009. It had been hammered out by the "mission statement working circle"—a group formed at the Vision & Mission meeting of the board in May of this year. | | | |
New Vision Statement
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
On May 10 of this year (2009) the Board of Directors and Management Circle of KAM met at the Burren Coast Hotel in Ballyvaughan for consideration of a Vision/Mission Statement. With the facilitation of Rory O'Connor, the group of participants (including Cath Taylor, John Griffin, Olga Connolly, Paul Gunning, Finola O'Siochrú, John Martin, Eileen Flemming, Jack Harrison, Rosaleen Tanham, Pete Lamb, Breda Joyce, Mallika McCarthy, Paul Mulligan, Stuart Cowell, and Frank Hall) discussed many aspects of the potential functions, mission, aims and vision for KAM. Finally settling on developing first the vision statement—to be followed by a mission statement (for which a subgroup was appointed to develop a proposal), and finally the aims. The Vision Statement adopted is:
The Vision of KAM is a thriving, diverse and inclusive music scene in Kinvara.
Stay tuned and check this space for a mission statement to follow in another month or two! | | | |
Mardi Gras, Community Centre Shindig: Great Success
| | Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saturday, February 21st, the Kinvara Community Centre was transformed under the magical touch of Rosaleen Tanham, John Martin, Cath Taylor and others, to a cabaret festival venue with colorful tables, food prepared by Anna O’Donnell and family, and a bar provided by the combined efforts of Michael Keogh, Olga and Cathal Connolly, and Mike Burke. The event was Mardi Gras, French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, an international celebration of the day before Lent begins (moved to Saturday in Kinvara for festive purposes), and marking the third birthday of KAM (The Kinvara Area Music Collective). Needless to say there was music! Five bands, all featuring local talent provided dance music from 8 pm until midnight.
 
Starting the night was the debut of Kinvara’s own Mexican band(!), under the name for the night of The Sombrero Brothers (Paul Gunning, John Martin, Pete Brazier and Frank Hall). Featuring lively polkas and a romantic torch song, the ‘brothers’ got the night off to an eclectic start! Four cool characters in panama hats and fedoras followed with blues songs that brought the first dancers to the floor. The Stillwater Blues Band (Hugh Kirwan, Kevin Kinane, Michael Daly, and John Cronin) looked and sounded great on the stage nicely lit by Breiffne O’Rourke. Set Dancing followed to the lively strains of The Set Dance Band (Peter Parson, Mike and Sue Fahy, and Cath Taylor). The dance floor then filled to capacity as Boucherie (John Martin, Paul Gunning, Pete Brazier, Cath Taylor, Kevin Kinane, Frank Hall, and Paul Reid) churned out Cajun two-steps and waltzes. Not allowed to leave the stage after their set without an encore, band leader John Martin invited Stuart Cowell and Johann Hofsteenge of the following band to join for the encore. Stuart then played an inspired set of mixed rock-a-billy music to bring the night to its happy conclusion. The night was wonderfully MC’d by the slam poet, Brendan Murphy, and acoustically engineered by the masterful Bruno Staehelin.
The bar provided a welcome addition to the Community Centre venue and was expertly set up and operated by Enda Mahon. Perfectly complementing the music, dance, and bar was a scrumptious menu of food, including gumbo, chili, pancakes, wraps, and nachos, all available at very reasonable prices.
Some 35 volunteers worked to put together and bring off this community celebration which was in aid of the Kinvara Active Retirement Group. Some of these volunteers aside from many (including musicians) already mentioned are: Kasia Szumska, Pete Lamb, Trish Carroll, Conor Daly, Sean Twomey, Atrago Conneely, Doreen Wynne, Mercedes Varona-Pereira, Yohanna, Mary Reynolds, Marian Coady, Daniel and David Krause, Killian Kenny, Mallika McCarthy, Padraig O’ Mairtín, John Conneely, Jennifer O’Connor, Gus and Hannah O’Donnell. KAM is very appreciative of the efforts of these and all the above volunteers who made the night a notable success.
KAM’s birthday, like Lent will come around again; and this year’s celebration provides something to grow on. Keep an eye out for next year’s Mardi Gras.
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NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
| | Friday, October 03, 2008
KAM's first official (not temporary) Board of Directors:
Seven elected at AGM:
John Griffin
Máire O’Keeffe
Paul Gunning
Olga Connolly
Breda Joyce
Paul Mulligan
Jack Harrison
One appointed by elected board as Coordinator of Management circle:
John Martin
One elected by Management circle as representative to Board:
Frank Hall
Board's responsibilities:
Ensure legal responsibilities of the Company are met.
Appoint main administrator of the Management Circle.
Provide advice, information, consent, and long range direction for the activities of the organization.
Ensure the lively, relevant, agreeable and appropriate role for KAM in the wider Kinvara community.
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KAM PROJECTS
| | Friday, March 07, 2008
SERIES OF SAMPLER CDS FROM KINVARA MUSICIANS
The CD project group is involved in producing a series of CD samplers of recordings from local musicians.
KAM COLLECTION volume I
Launched February 2008.
KAM COLLECTION volume II
Your involvement is welcome.
They will include all the musicians interested and involved in professional or semi-professional music-making. The first CD has been released. The idea is to use the CD for promotion purposes as well as to sell it in various places, including KAM concerts, Kinvara shops and other area locations. This project includes the following jobs, each of which is composed of several tasks or further jobs: Selection & Recruitment, Production, Design, Promotion, Distribution.
CONCERT SERIES
KAM produces regular concerts in Kinvara, presenting a variety of musical styles. To view the posters of concerts presented since Feb, 2007 click here
Jobs involved with the concert series production include: Selection and Planning, Booking, Promotion, House and Stage Managing (incl. lights), Sound/P.A. Each of these jobs involves other jobs, like distributing posters, working at the door, set-up, clean-up, etc. Involvement large and small is welcome.
WEBSITE
A committee of members has designed, continues to design, and maintains/updates the KAM website (www.kamcollective.com). Jobs include Content Developers, Submission and Update Managers, Writers.
COMMUNITY LIAISON
This group of members explores the possibility of venue development and an expanded voice for music makers and music lovers in Community affairs, as Kinvara and the area undergo major changes. The idea is provide a conduit for information, concern, ideas, and proposals, and to facilitate participation of the music and music-loving community in larger civic bodies.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership group administrates all aspects of membership in KAM, including membership policy suggestions, record-keeping, communication with members, and member functions.
FUNDRAISING
Fundraising includes determining the financial needs of the organization and researching possible means of funding.
VOLUNTEER POWER
KAM is an all-volunteer community group. Everything we accomplish, have accomplished and will accomplish for the foreseeable future, is a product of community spirit, caring, and belief in the importance of musical expression as part of the heart and soul of the Kinvara Community. You can be involved.
If you’d like to volunteer for any of these jobs Email: info@kamcollective.com
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