S.L: CALENDAR

"FIVE POINTS FÉILE"

Black 47 and Shilelagh Law will team up for a Five Points Féile (Faylah) at The Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, NYC 10013 (212-219-3006) on Friday June 12th. This will be a take-no-prisoners night of New York Irish Rock and Traditional Music with both bands doing full sets (SL/9pm -B47/11pm) and combining for a final jam at the end of the night. ($18adv/$20 day of show).

The evening will be filmed for DVD and TV distribution. Band and audience members will be interviewed for inclusion on a documentary that will explore the history of New York City and the role of Irish music therein. Much of this began in the Five Points, once known as the “World’s most notorious slum” but where, amongst other things, tap dancing originated because of the fraternization between Irish immigrants and African-Americans. The Knitting Factory, situated on the border of the Five Points will soon be closing its doors and will reopen in Williamsburg in the summer.

“Black 47 has had a long relationship with the Knitting Factory,” said Larry Kirwan, leader of Black 47. “They asked if we’d like to do a special show commemorating the Irish connection to the club where they would supply a five-camera shoot, edit the footage, and market DVDs of the performance. I wanted to put something together that would capture the spirit of the old Five Points area in all its zest and irreverence, and I could think of no better band to share the stage with us than our friends, Shilelagh Law. Come prepared for singing, dancing, drinking and cavorting.”

Black 47 erupted onto the American scene in 1993 with their hit single, Funky Céilí. They formed in the Bronx in late 1989 and became immediately controversial because of their provocative, often political, lyrics. Their music fuses reggae, traditional Irish, hip-hop, rock, folk, New Orleans trad & modern jazz in a New York City gumbo. They have recorded 11 albums, including their latest, IRAQ - have appeared on all major TV shows, and their music has been featured in many movies. Their songs have long been used in political science and history courses in high schools and colleges throughout the US.

 Shilelagh Law play bare-knuckle Irish music! New York and the Irish have a long and storied history together, a collision of two cultures that results in bedlam, beauty, and a lot in between. Shilelagh Law embodies all of that and hence describe their style as New York Irish Music: old songs, new songs, jigs, reels, dancing, weeping, lots of laughter, plenty of drinks, and the inevitable visit to the local diner at 5 a.m. By interpreting traditional Irish Music through a filter of urban grittiness, Shilelagh Law helps to define the Irish-American experience that is such a big part of New York town. They have just released their latest CD, The One and Nine.

Féile (Faylah) is the Gaelic word for Festival. The Five Points - centered on the intersection of Worth, Baxter, and Mosco Streets - features heavily in Herbert Asbury’s Gangs of New York and Martin Scorsese’s film of the same name. On June 12th at The Knitting Factory, Black 47 and Shilelagh Law will bring it roaring back to life.