The Coming Storm

I've got a special treat for you, kids. Fuchsia Band man Mairtin de Cogain (about to take the stage at the mighty Milwaukee Irish Fest) recently authored a story on fellow Corkman and fellow Kansas City Irish Fester Patrick Murphy of Gaelic Storm for the hometown (Cork) newspaper The Evening Echo. Mairtin was gracious enough to forward the article to me and I present to you now in serial form. Here's chapter one of the story of the Rise of Gaelic Storm:

Patrick Murphy from Montenotte, left Cork City in 1992 to try and make a start for himself in America, where his sister Catherine was at the time. He arrived in LA with a bag of clothes, a Green Card his father got for him via the lottery and 400 dollars in his fist. His brother Peter was over at the same time but only for a visit and while he was there, on a errand for milk found himself looking down the barrel of a firearm as the shop he was frequenting was being held up at Gunpoint. From then on Catherine wouldn’t let any of the boys walk anywhere, “LA can be a rough place,” says Pat.

“For Peter’s going away party we went to a bar where a fella Ken O’Malley from Dublin was playing. I got up and sang a song, ‘Barney Hare’. It went down a treat. He asked me for another one so I sang Jimmy Crowley’s, ‘Johnny Jump Up’. As I came down from the stage a fella at the bar told me he thought I was amazing and that he loved Irish music and he gave me his number to meet up! Sure, I thought that was a bit strange, like.”

Out of pure boredom, due to no work found yet, Pat gave this stranger, New Yorker Steve Wehmeyer, a ring. As it turned out he only lived about 2 blocks away from where Pat was staying in Culver City, so he decided to call over. Catherine insisted in driving him over. “As I was getting out of the car, Catherine looks at me and says, ‘Listen I know you are in LA, don't be thinking you are going to be in the movies and get famous or anything.’ Sure I only wanted to have a bit of craic.
“At the time, I knew only two songs and he was rough enough on the bodhrán. We didn’t expect much. Steve knew a load of songs, great ones. He brought in a few more buddies and three weeks later we played out first concert, in a coffee shop.”
They put out the word and got a great crowd.

“We came on a fair bit since those day, boy.”

Tomorrow: Chapter Two. Patrick gets beaten up by a movie star.