Maybe Tonight - Four Men and a Dog - HOOK002

Cathal Hayden fiddles, viola, banjo

Gerry O’Connor fiddles, banjo, mandolin

Gino Lupari bodhran, vocals

Kevin Doherty vocals, acc guitar

with special guests:

Donal Murphy Accordion

Mairtin O’Connor Accordion

Arty McGlynn Guitars

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FOUR MEN AND A DOG - Maybe Tonight
Hook Records Hook002

The boys are back! Cathal, Gerry, Gino and Kevin are joined by several guests including Mairtin O'Connor and former Dogs Donal Murphy and Arty McGlynn. Maybe it's their new-found maturity, or maybe it's a cunning marketing ploy, but with this recording they're bursting back onto the scene in a more low-key style than I'd anticipated. They're still a long way from chill-out land, and fans of their masterful mix of Celtic fire and transatlantic vibes will not be disappointed by Maybe Tonight.

The album opens with a slightly restrained bash through the ever-popular Music for a Found Harmonium, then the first of three songs by Kevin Doherty lays the foundations for the funkier side of things. Mairtin's virtuoso box takes us on Rambles in Russia, combining influences from Gagarin to Galway, next comes the first set of reels and things begin to hot up as Gerry O'Connor unleashes his banjo. The title track shows Kevin Doherty in super-relaxed mood, the polka Barlow's Knife picks up the pace a bit, and the high octane deisel finally kicks in on Leslie's March. Interestingly, Gerry's back on banjo and Gino Lupari makes his first appearance now. Gino's considerable presence continues on Midnight Special, a fitting vehicle for the band's tasty fun and games, and another high point. A pair of spirited instrumentals bring us close to the end, with a lovely tight sound on some West Kerry classics before the lads gather speed through a trio of well-known reels. The final scene starts with Kevin boogying on down to an arrangement that includes the kitchen sink and even the Hammond organ, then our heroes ride off into the sunset to the strains of The Last Rose of Summer. In jig time.

It's great to have them back, no question. A bit more flash banjo wouldn't hurt, though, and more of Mr Lupari too (you know what I mean). Still no sign of the dog either. That aside, Maybe Tonight is a first-rate album full of class and more than worth the money. If you can't find it, enquiries@4menandadog will be delighted to help.

Alex Monaghan (Living Tradition Magazine) Added to site on 19th May 2003

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4 Men & A Dog

Mother Redcap's, Dublin

Gerry O'Connor, Cathal Hayden, Dónal Murphy, Kevin Doherty and Gino Lupari: the roll-call is formidable, each musician secure in a solo reputation yet hell-bent on inhabiting a different identity in this ensemble. Theirs is a magnificent mix of traditional rythms and sweeping country, with more than a tincture of Tijuana hallucinogens thrown in.

O'Connor and Hayden are two of the most-rounded fiddle and banjo players south of the Mason-Dixon Line or east of the Pale. Murphy does for the accordian what Martin Hayes did for the fiddle, unpleating its pleats and assembling them all over again. As for Doherty, his lineage stretches from Hank Williams to Joe Cooley. Lupari is that rare breed: an Italo-Magherafeltian, and his bodhrán is no more than a daisy in a bull's mouth.

These boys tickled the old tunes, including Music For a Found Harmonium and Joe Cooley's Roaring Mary, and coaxed a rake of their own into the limelight. Doherty is convinced the Brazilian hoopla of Bloomsday will line their pockets with silver, and if there's any justice this gemstone rememberance of Molly and Leopold's courting days will sweep the charts worldwide.

Rafters were raised, sweat poured from unspeakable locations; this was a night to remember and a band whose reincarnation is complete. Glorius mayhem to savour long after the rains of the bank holiday subsided.

Siobhán Long (The Times) Added to site on 13th May 2003

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Who let the dogs out? well whoever they are; we owe them a favor as Four Men and A Dog are back. In the early 90’s, and Four Men and a Dog exploded onto the Irish traditional music scene with a blast of vibrant energy. The said energy was kinetic enough to win the 1991 fRoots album of the year with their debut album Barking Mad. The Dogs replaced Mick ‘Black Dog’ Daly with Kevin Doherty and carried on until they gradually ran out of steam.

Maybe Tonight is the their return album and its business as usual. The eclecticism and off the wallness, are there as is bitingly intensive traditional music that made them so unmissable first time round. While the obstreperous behavior, is left to the musical end, the Dogs sense of their capabilities has also grown. Eastern European influences join the fray from Mairtin O’Connor’s accordion on Rambles in Russia and subtle keyboards and percussion add light and shade. Kevin Doherty’s songs still sound like Delta blues from Buncranna, resembling an Irish Howin’ Wolf on Baby Loves to Boogie while Gino Lupari shows his Fats Domino inflections on Midnight Special. Music for a Found Harmonium gets the kitchen sink treatment while The Ash Plant and West Kerry Set belt along like no tomorrow.

Maybe Tonight is the sound of a band having fun with their music and reinventing itself in the process. Whoever did leave the dogs out should be commended, as Four Men and a Dog have come screaming back into our lives again and all is right with this part of the world anyway.

John O’Regan fRoots magazine (Folk Roots)

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After five years off the road, Four Men and a Dog are back in action with a new album, Maybe Tonight, and a nation wide tour. Known for their high-energy, high-precision approach to traditional music, the Men prove they have lost none of their capacity for producing steam. The playing is muscular and true; the arrangements full of innovation.

On Maybe Tonight several former Men returning to fill their guest spots. The basic line-up of Cathal Hayden (fiddle/banjo), Gerry O’Connor (banjo/fiddle), Gino Lupari (vocals/bodhrán) and Kevin Doherty (vocals/guitar) is augmented by the likes of Máirtín O’Connor on accordions, and Arty McGlynn – who also produces – on guitar.

The result is a great variety of styles, and an incredible lack of coherence. There are several different albums here; various traditional styles are alongside western swing and more contemporary sounds.

The familiar Music for a Found Harmonium kicks off. Layers of sound create an almost overpowering anti-silence with hardly a sliver of space for an extra note. Máirtín O’Connor’s wheezy accordion leads out on Rambles in Russia, a piece as lively as a puppy and clever to the point of smart-assery, snatches of tunes weaving in and out of the main theme. The Ashplant set, in contrast is more straightforwardly traditional. Kevin Doherty’s I Wanna Ramble sounds like it’s played by an entirely different band, swinging like a Texas Roadhouse. The title track is deliciously sparse: Doherty’s voice and guitar backed up by the light banjo and harmony.

On Baby Loves to Boogie, he brings us back to the saloon, whooping it up like it’s Saturday night. In track 7 Gino Lupari finally puts in an appearance laying down the bodhrán foundation for a frenetic set of reels – The Trip to London / Séan Ryan’s / Leslie’s March. He switches to lead vocals for The Midnight Special coming on like a Manic Cowboy.

The West Kerry Set, captained by Donal Murphy, is too squarely 2/4, with all the subtlety of the polka form battered into submission by the over-zealous accompaniment. There’s a fine fiddle-banjo-accordion-bodhrán combination on Martin Whynne’s.

Bass, guitar and drums push their way through for Touch Me If You Dare; the result is a high-class céilí band. By the time The Bucks of Oranmore are roled out, the place is jumping.

And the digestif? The Last Rose of Summer – a nice tune, despite its associations, and its morphs seamlessly into a pleasant closing barn-dance. Why is it there? Probably as a reminder that these boys are unclassifiable.

Irish Examiner, Pat Ahern, Thurdsay 17.02.2003

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To quote renowned Belfast Playwright Marie Jones, “I’ve never heard a CD before that has the power to literally transport you to the gig. So powerful, you feel the excitement, experience the adrenaline and witness the brilliance of their live performance”

Quite a recommendation, especially when you read the liner notes to discover Maybe Tonight is a studio album rather than a live one! Recorded over six weeks during the few intermittent breaks in four heavy solo schedules, this first Four Men album in nigh on seven years does exactly what you’d expect it to; showcasing the talents of four of Ireland’s foremost musicians at the pinnacle of their artistic energy and virtuosity.

Officially “disbanded” some five years ago but occasionally allowing themselves to be “reunited” for a select few memorable concerts, Four Men did/do what few Irish bands have been able to accomplish since, blending serious musical expertise with a lyrical creativity which has long been central to their success, combining the irresistible synergy of Irish trad and bluegrass in concerts and recordings that ooze fun from every pore and groove.

Music that’ll have you dancing round the kitchen on miserable Winter mornings and laughing out loud as the rhythms evoke the stage antics that would usually accompany the live performances Maybe Tonight is released on the Hook Music label on December 1st and will be followed by an extensive Irish tour in February 2003.

Distribution: Gael Linn www.gael-linn.ie

Ossian www.ossian.ie

For further details, photo requests etc. contact:

Four Men and a Dog

e-mail: enquiries@4menandadog.com
website: www.fourmenandadog.com
telephone: +44 776 027 2992