After a lively St. Patrick’s Day weekend and two shows with his Celtic-pop band, Bob Halligan Jr. got back to Syracuse at 1 a.m. Monday and was in the classroom teaching at Syracuse University Monday afternoon.

This Saturday, his music grind will resume. At the Steeple Coffee House, Halligan and Joe Davoli, fiddle player and one of his five bandmates from their 22-year-old project Ceili Rain, will bring an “unplugged” version of their Celtic-Pop music to the stage. The set will mix three styles — Irish-Pop from Ceili Rain, Irish fiddle and songs by The Beatles.

“We keep it relaxed and informal,” Halligan said. “Absent drums, bass, electric guitar and all that — it’s not as loud and obnoxious as we sometimes are. It’s a nice chance to hear the songs and hear Joe’s ability on the fiddle.”

Davoli joined Ceili Rain in 2006, but has been playing the fiddle since he was 3 years old. He played in traditional bands growing up and began to experiment playing blues and rock music in college at DePaul University in Chicago when he saw the fiddle being played at concerts.

He said since joining the band, he has gained even more of an appreciation for The Beatles because of Halligan.

“Learning Beatles songs has taught me a lot about arrangements and hooks,” Davoli said. “Whether you’re playing it on a bass guitar or a fiddle, it’s Pop music.”

Both Davoli and Halligan recognize incorporating the fiddle is far from common when it comes to playing The Beatles’ music, but that goes along with the theme of their set — to be flexible and experimental with their style, waiting to see how the crowd responds to their songs.

“My philosophy is you play the room that’s there,” Halligan said. “For the people who are in the audience rather than planning out a show for some imagined audience. You want to plan, but you also want to be light on your feet and go where the audience wants to go. You want to give them their money’s worth.”

This is the first time they’ll play at the Steeple Coffee House, but it is not the first time performing a duo show. Halligan hops on the keyboard and acoustic guitar, and Davoli plays the fiddle with some songs on the mandolin.

Halligan said keeping a constant flow of Ceili Rain songs, fiddle songs and Beatles songs keeps the crowd engaged and gives he and Davoli creative freedom as performers. They even take requests from the crowd.

Davoli is a fan of Halligan himself and said he is one of the best musicians he has ever met. He appreciates Halligan’s songwriting skill to always write new positive, uplifting songs.

Both Halligan and Davoli look forward to playing in a more intimate setting with some familiar faces in the crowd.

“Since I’ve started playing with Ceili Rain, I don’t play as much locally anymore,” Davoli said. “I always love it when I do a local show, when some family and friends can come and see a nice concert.”

Published on March 21, 2017 at 9:34 pm

Contact Connor: cbfogel@syr.edu