Seneca, a band from Limerick, Ireland, played the Warehouse in Port Costa Friday, Nov. 21st

Sorry for the delay– to many excuses even to count…

After dinner at the Bull Valley Inn (mentioned in the previous post) we went across the street to catch “some band from Ireland”– Seneca– and as we arrived they were still setting up.

The entrance to the Warehouse (more pictures here):

The band had arranged a national tour of the US before they had difficulty obtaining their visas in a timely manner, concert dates were cancelled, and the gig at The Warehouse was pulled together somewhat quickly. Their band set up (with a borrowed PA system, which had some problems) beneath a stuffed Polar Bear in a glass case:

 

(sorry about the picture quality. I’m still having difficulties shooting indoors under less-than-adequate lighting)

They played really well together: bassist Yvonne Conaty and lead guitarist Brendan O’Gorman contributed mightily to shaping the overall sound of the band. Unfortunately. this was not necessarily reflected in their debut record, Sweeter than Bourbon which, while compelling in its own right (and which landed the group two spots on the UK’s Top 25 charts), focussed primarily on the singing and songwriting of singer/rhythm guitarist Robert Hope (whose vocal efforts this night were ironically thwarted by the hastily arranged sound system), but the production on the CD didn’t fully covey what the band was capable of in their live performance. Rounding out the combo was drummer Daragh O’Loughlin, who also added to the overall sound and texture of the music, rather than being contented to merely stomp out a beat.

All in all, an enjoyable evening. I look forward to listening to them when they come around the area again. I tried to pick a song from the album (below) which I felt best represented what the band was able to accomplish musically onstage.