The Band
Joe Deegan
I have been listening to and loving
music
for as long as I can remember. I'm always amazed at how music seems to
turn in circles. If you like one artist you will always find that there
is a connection between that artist and another artist that you like.
Some really odd ones can exist, like Nirvana and Leadbelly.
Music is a
never ending voyage of discovery and when you're starting out on that
voyage having an older sibling can be a real
advantage. My older brother John introduced me to rock'n'roll at a
very early age. At the age of ten my main men were Elvis, Dion
and the Everly Brothers. In my early teens I discovered the Stones and
the
Animals, this in turn bought me to Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and
the Chess catalogue. Then someone introduced me to Bob Dylan's 'The
Times They Are A Changing' and another piece of the jigsaw fell
into place. Woody Guthrie, Cisco Huston and Leadbelly entered my
musical world. The final piece was the Byrds album 'Sweethearts of the
Rodeo'. Blues,
Country, Rock, all meat from the same bone.
<>These days I'm listening to Shelby Lynn's
Dusty album, old Rolling Stones R 'n' B stuff and some Robert Johnson.
I started writing songs almost as soon as I started playing guitar. I'm
still writing !>
I've just discovered a crime writer called
Thomas H Cook and I'm really enjoying his writing. Also reading Day by
A.L.Kennedy - fine stuff.
Paddy Hehir
And how would you describe your musical
career ?
Erratic, interesting ,ongoing. Drunken sessions in Joe Malones and
Kilkee singing Eagles, Lightfoot, Prine, Young and Hehir. Busking
London Underground with one song 'Teach Your Children'. Ended up doing
just that, well, trying! Exposure in the Amharclann with Tony, Paul,
Gussie, Joe and Johnny Duhan (almost)...Supporting Thin Lizzy in Savoy
in Limerick. Philo said 'Hello Master Hare' Tom, Tom, Brian, Eddy and
me. Solid rock and so onwards and.. well onwards. Mystery Train
journeys with Joe. Train Train and the Train Now Leaving , no more
trains choo chho e coo.. and Raglan Rodeo.
Briefly, you influences?
Neil, Bob, John, Joe, Gordon, Brian, Tom,
Johnny, Bock, Eamonn, Ryan, Tony, Hank..what..ok..Young, Dylan, Lennon,
Deegan, Lightfoot, Wilson, Jones, Cash, the Robber, Hehir, Adams, Fitz,
Williams.
Current Listening ?
Living With War, TV On The Radio, John
Wesley Harding, Bright Eyes, Jacksonville City Nights, Cash at San
Quentin, Belle and Sebastian, Riot City Blues, Dusty In Memphis.
Books?
<>The Sea, No Country For Old Men, Searching
For John Ford, Lunar Park, Memory Of Running

John Worth
I’ve
played music since my early teens.
From my earlier Trad days as a whistle player I graduated to Mandolin
and
played with Ballad and Trad Irish group “The Squares”. Early influences
were
Planxty, Clannad and the Chieftains.
In my
late teens I discovered guitar and
started listening to people like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Eric
Clapton
and Fleetwood Mac, and American songwriters like James Taylor, Jackson
Browne,
Paul Simon, Jim Croce and Dean Friedman. This healthy balance of
genres, gave
me my grounding in roots music, however, my musical career would follow
a very
different path over the next 20 years or so.
In
1979, I formed pop-rock outfit
“Emergency Exit” along with 7 others. With so many band members, I
undertook to
learn Keyboards, to add to my versatility.
We had
a 4 track demo which generated radio
play, media and A&R interest. Unfortunately, it was difficult to
keep such
a large body of people happy therefore we went the way of a lot of
emerging
bands did, and dissolved in acrimony!
<>For the next 15 years,
with a young family
to feed, I took the “bread head” route and played with cover outfits
“Front
Page” and “Face The Facts”. Both bands
had moderate success as established gigging bands. I also become an
accomplished teacher of the guitar in college.
Eventually,
I tired of playing in cover
bands, and yearned for a new beginning.
Answering
the call to play Bass with Raglan
Rodeo, has been the most positive re-awakening in my recent musical
history.
The
highlights so far have been playing at the
open air festival in Cavan in 2005 and the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots
festival
in 2006. I look forward with relish to the completion of our first
album and to
continue playing to appreciative audiences.
I’m
currently listening to the likes of
Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams and the Dixie Chicks, but people like Marc
Cohn,
The Pogues and Friedman’s newer material are never far from my ears.

Ray Ellis
Began as guitarist with Dublin based new wave band The Vipers.
Headlining their own tours and doing support to Graham Parker and the
Rumour,
Doctor Feel good, Thin Lizzy, Boomtown Rats to name but a few.
Picked up by the Sean Byrne management
company as a session player, drummed with The Neighbours (country rock)
The
Noise Boys (rock) Willie Page and Waving at Trains (country) Riff Raff
(funk).
Playing live, doing TV appearances and recording.
Having moved away from the management
company joined Face the Facts (pub rock band) also temporarily sat in
with
metal band Trojan for their first album and UK dates. Returning to Face
the
Facts until their demise in 2000.
Ray reverted back to the guitar up to
2005 when the call came from Raglan Rodeo to fill in for their drummer
again in
2006 to sit in again at the Kilkenny
music festival,
Finally joining as the permanent member
in late 2006.

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