A&E FYI: McInnis’ Kitchen announces CD release party

McInnis’ Kitchen announces the U.S.

release of its new album, “The Water that Connects Us.”

The public is invited to attend a special CD release party event, which will be held Oct. 25 in the Murphy Fireside Room of Dubh Linn Irish Pub & Billiards, 109 W. Superior St. in downtown Duluth.

The event will include hors d’œuvres, “peel-and-eat” shrimp and CD signing from 6 to 7 p.m., a special cameo performance by McInnis’ Kitchen from 7 to 7:30 p.m., more CD signing from 7:30 to 8 p.m., and live Irish pub music from 8 to 9 p.m.

There will also be drawings for “McInnis’ Kitchen - The Water That Connects Us Tour 2007” T-shirts.

McInnis’ Kitchen released their album in Canada in August, during its two-week concert tour in Newfoundland.

The album has already received rave reviews and airplay on CBC Radio and local radio stations in the St John’s area in Newfoundland.

Prior to the U.S. release of “The Water that Connects Us,” McInnis’ Kitchen’s music was featured here in Minnesota and throughout the region on KAXE during the station’s “Best of the New Music” showcase on “Currents” with Mark Tarner.

McInnis’ Kitchen performs music that is energetic, rhythmic and represents the synergy of combining Newfoundland and Cape Breton “kitchen music,” an Irish ceilidh and a New England contra dance.

The group’s original compositions take the listener to exciting new ground. Its instrumentals feature plenty of driving double-fiddling, and the songs are rich in the tradition of Irish music of Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes.

Since forming two years ago, the group has performed internationally at festivals and concerts, and has been featured on radio and television.

The members of McInnis’ Kitchen are Mark Boggie, Chuck Butler, Sue Spencer and Jim Ofsthun.

During the August tour of Newfoundland, the band was featured in major Newfoundland newspapers – and on Newfoundland television they were featured on the very popular “Summer Breeze” program, which boasts an audience share of 50,000-60,000 households throughout Newfoundland.

McInnis’ Kitchen was also featured at three major festivals: the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in St John’s, the Festival of Friends in Outer Cove and the Blueberry Festival in Brigus, which boasts an attendance of around 20,000 people.

For more information about McInnis’ Kitchen, the CD release party and Dubh Linn Irish Pub & Billiards, contact info@mcinniskitchen.com or info@pondstage.com.

(Image and press release courtesy of the band.)

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In other CD-release news, the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank will play a show in honor of their hot new album* ("Sing!") at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Pizza Luce. The Floorbirds will open.

*I'm not making this up. An advance copy made its way into my hands this afternoon, and I've been listening to it ever since. Early verdict: Another Duluth classic.