DAVID MUNNELLY BAND

Who's got the button?
By JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
2/23/2007

Button accordiont is at heart of Dave Munnelly Band

The joke goes like this: "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the accordion ... but never does."

Ah, the accordion. Along with the bagpipes and the viola, it's one of the more casually reviled instruments in music. Rodney Dangerfield got more respect in his life than the accordion has received.

Until, that is, an accordion ends up in the hands of someone who can get this contraption of bellows, reeds and keys to sit up and sing.

David Munnelly is one of those fellows, and in a relatively brief time has made his name as one of Ireland's premier traditional musicians. His energy and enthusiasm prompted one Irish critic to dub him "The Bullet From Belmullet," Munnelly's hometown in County Mayo, Ireland.

He's worked with legendary bands such as the Chieftains and De Dannan, and recorded his first solo album, "Swing," in 2001. That disc mixed traditional tunes with original numbers, all done in a style designed to evoke the the American Irish dance hall scene of the 1920s.

Munnelly put together his own band a short time later, with his younger brother Kieran on bodhran and flute. The lineup has shuffled a bit over the years, withthe most recent configuration including Tony Byrne on guitar, Paul Kelly on fiddle, mandolin and banjo; and vocalist Kat Eggleston.

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DAVID MUNNELLY BAND

When:
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Where:
Williams Theater, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Second Street and Cincinnati Avenue

Tickets:
$22, available at the PAC Ticket office, 596-7111; and www.MyTicketOffice.com