ShamRockers release third CD, perform freewill concert
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POLSON — The Montana ShamRockers officially released their newest CD, “A-Soalin’” at their annual Celtic Christmas Concert Saturday at the Theatre on the Lake. The freewill offering concert featured music from the new Christmas album, traditional carols with Celtic origins, some originals, and a few tunes from their brand new show “Christmas with Lewis & Clark.”
“We like to impart a bit of history with the show,” ShamRocker Neal Lewing said.
The album title “comes from an ancient Irish festival that is the origin of our Halloween, wherein children went door to door begging for Soul Cakes, little muffin-like cakes that were made and distributed in commemoration of the dead. The custom became associated with Christmas in the mid-1800s,” explained Lewing.
The group opened the concert with “Soul Cake,” singing the classic lyrics, “A soul cake, a soul cake, please, good missus, a soul cake. An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry, Any good thing to make us all merry.”
Throughout the event, the musicians embraced the audience with humor spoken with a bit of Irish accent.
Local residents Lewing, John Glueckert, Mike Lozar, Rick Skates and Rob Sloan form the quintet, although they use stage names taken from Irish song lyrics. Glueckert is Liam O’Leary; Lewing, Niall O’Connor; Lozar, Paddy Doyle; Skates, Mick Houlihan; and Sloan, Robby Flynn.
The Montana ShamRockers have been together for more than 11 years. All five musicians and their wives went on a singing marathon across Ireland in June, where Lewing said their music was well received.
“We just love the Celtic history, culture —and, of course, the music — and love to spread the joy and laughter and have a great fun time with it,” Lewing said.
