Sister Doin It For Herself

How do you know when you ve arrived in traditional music? When you become All Ireland Fiddle Champion at the age of 18? When you re awarded a National Heritage Fellowship as an exemplary master folk artist ? When the mayor proclaims a day in your honour? Or is it when your peers clamour to your gigs, and your album garners critical and punter acclaim alike?

Liz Carroll can take her pick of all of the above and then some. She s done her growing up in the midst of sessions, she s written over 170 tunes of her own, and after some time away from the solo spotlight, she s back with a fine album, Lost In The Loop, and a lightning Irish tour.
So what is it with all these second-generation players Stateside? Carroll, Eileen Ivers and Seamus Egan have been upping the ante for a while now; pushing the music way beyond the boundaries that had traditionally contained Irish music abroad. No longer is it sufficient to revere past masters like Michael Coleman and James Morrison. The mould hasn t so much been broken as been re-fashioned to accommodate a new generation with impeccable playing credentials and can do attitude by the bucket load.
It s funny, you know, she laughs, the last time I was talking to Martin Hayes, he was, like: What is the deal? All the men players are playing soft and sweet and all the women are going nuts! And I suppose it s true! Though I don t tend to think of myself like that. I like playing a driving tune but I like the quieter airs too.
Carroll is quick to point to the influence of Irish players on her own playing and on other Irish American musicians.
I think the Irish player led the way, she avers. I think we were all very shy, playing in the States and when we would come over here to play, no matter what way we would play, we d hear: oh, you re playing bluegrass or that somehow it wasn t really Irish. And the thing is, all we really wanted to do was fit in a lot. You just happened to be born over there! Then, we started hearing Irish bands throwing in elements of Old Timey or bluegrass music, but it wouldn t have occurred to us to put on an album. And it was only then that we began to realise that we could do what we wanted, too.
Although Carroll has been intermittently recording with the trio Trian (with accordionist Billy McComiskey and Altan guitarist, Daithm Sproule), her recent solo album is the first in a decade, an absence that was far too long for her, as well as her fans liking.
You know, the whole recording was a blast, she smiles. I m so happy with the album, from the tunes to the cover. Everything was really how I wanted it to sound.
Chi-town has been a good spawning ground for a slew of fine musicians, and Carroll s very much a daughter of that northern light.
You know, I think Chicago is a good place for people to experiment, she says. Martin Hayes lived in Chicago for a few years, and he went from doing a semi-rocky kind of band to stripping it all back down. And John Williams who used to play with Solas is there too. And Lawrence Nugent, and Jimmy Keane. People are coming into their own and being their own person there.
There s no fear of Carroll losing the run of herself in her hometown either.
There s no shortage of sessions at home, she says, and it s really good, and really humbling as well. You go off and do a really great gig and the audience is great, and then you come back and you play at a hardware store! There s no room for getting a big head, so nobody does!