The Shack Session, Athlone

It has been a handful of Tuesdays since I attended the last Shack Session. What with the Christmas, New Year and the trip to France it’s just slipped off the slick edges of my reality. Thank goodness I was able to make it out this week – what a great session.

I don’t mean that it was musically superior or that there was anything out of the ordinary about it, just that it had that warm, lived-in feel of your favourite jumper. I got a later-than-average start to the evening and, by the time I arrived, the session was well underway. At one point I conducted a head count, because the place was full – Pads was sitting above us all (seen perched above in the photo there), VE was hiding behind ze germanz and the sherrif and many other members were seated at adjunctive tables – I counted 12 actively playing musicians with others on the fringe.

Wow.

As well as myself, pads, the bean, angel, the sherrif, ze germanz there was des, bongos, hardy, VE, a bodhran, the newcomer and various assembled others. It was a great night and the songs that floated out into the circle had the lovely and gentle embellishment of the enthusiastic assembly. A great example of this, is this track where Ghost Riders met The Boston Burglar and Spancil Hill in the laughing madness.