Published: March 03, 2007 05:25 pm      

Killdares back for more

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and “spring into spring” at the same time with the Celtic rock music of The Killdares Saturday.

Returning again this year, the music of The Killdares will rock the Palace Theatre Block Party, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with Irish fare (dinner) and green beverages in the street in front of the Palace, and will move inside the historic theatre at 7:30 p.m. for the concert.

“The street will be blocked off from Beaton to Main on Sixth Avenue, with the big cooker outside smoking the sausage,” said Leah Blackard, Palace manager. “The Killdares will be filming the event, too.”

Tim Smith, founder of The Killdares, does double duty as drummer and lead vocalist. He is joined by Brek Lancaster on guitar, Jim Dawson on bass, Matt Willis of Austin on bagpipes, and Roberta Rast on fiddle. Willis is a world-class bagpiper, and is also a piping instructor for the Austin Youth Pipe and Drums organization. He has competed internationally and at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Rast earned the title of World Champion Grand Master Fiddler in 2005 in Nashville. She began playing at age 5 on custom-made five-string fiddles, and has performed on the Grand Ole Opry more than once.

David W. Wilson Jr. and wife, Mary Beth, have been fans of The Killdares for years, and have seen them perform in several different venues. They and youngest daughter Mary Kathryne were front and center for the 2006 Palace Block Party.

“David doesn’t spend money, so this is unusual for him, but he has all their CDs, and we’ve been to see them other places,” Mary Beth said.

David agreed, saying he is a huge fan of Celtic music, and has traveled in Ireland, where “the people and the music are almost one.”

“The Killdares are very entertaining, and they are unique,” David said. “Roberta Rast herself is worth the price of admission. She is a world-class fiddler. Their sound is basically Irish music with a rock flare — it is very distinctive, very lively, very different.

“The other band members are good, too. I love the bagpipes — you don’t hear that much.”

The Killdares debut CD was “Broken With a Word” in 1998, followed by “A Place to Stand” in 2001. “LIVE” was recorded at various venues in 2002, and their fourth full-length album, “Any Given Element” was released in October 2005.

The Wilsons have been to concerts by The Killdares at the State Fair of Texas and Central Market in Fort Worth.

“One good thing about the Palace program is that you can stay and converse with the musicians afterward,” David said. “They are very available. They will sign autographs, answer questions, whatever. I’m not a rock fan, but I really like what they’ve done with this music. I think they are very good.”

For more information about the Palace Block Party, or to make reservations, call the Palace box office at (903) 874-7792. Tickets are $30 each.

“They are just a great band — and Roberta Rast has a great stage presence,” David said. “She is an excellent artist. The dinner beforehand is fun, eating out in the street, and then to go in and hear the concert ... The band last year was very complimentary of our Palace Theatre acoustics, as well as our technical/sound people. They wanted to come back!”

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Deanna Plemons may be contacted via e-mail at deannap@corsicanadailysun.com