All in the family: MacTalla Mor headlines New London's Celts & Currachs
As the bass player/songwriter for MacTalla Mór - the bagpipe-happy New York band headlining the fifth annual Celts & Currachs Festival taking place Saturday on New London's Parade Plaza - Erik Ofgang is a versatile master of several musical styles.
After all, the group's broad palette, in which they infuse everything from rock, reggae and folk into the archival Celtic songbook, is a veritable impressionistic masterpiece of genres.
At the same time, Ofgang is a master magician with a separate career as a prestidigitator working under the name MageErik - and in fact does a "magic solo" in the middle of sets by MacTalla Mór.
Which, then, is more difficult? Sawing a maiden in half? Or learning something like the bass part to "I've Seen All Good People" by Yes?
Ofgang, by phone from his home earlier this week, starts laughing at the question.
"Neither, actually," he says. "The hard part's putting the maiden back together."
Well, there are plenty of difficult things in the extensive MacTalla Mór musical repertoire, but one thing's for sure: they make it look easy. MacTalla Mór is a family outfit, and they've grown up with the band's vision at the fore. Eric's brothers, Jesse and Levon, play bagpipes; sister Ilana is a piano virtuoso and the haunting vocalist behind their Gaelic-language material; and mom Patty is on the Bodhoran and Celtic drums.
Erik says the band formed organically - and as a solution to arguments.
"My two brothers were learning bagpipes while my sister was taking classical piano lessons," he says. "There was a lot of noise in our house and a lot of fighting. It seemed easier just to join forces and play together."
It worked. Behind their ingenious band slogan - "The Pipes are Calling, Resistance is Futile" - MacTalla Mór has all the high energy of the most dynamic rock shows, along with a much revered appreciation of Irish musical tradition. They've become international headliners whose venues range from Central Park to Caesar's Palace. And they never stop working on new ideas or songs.
As Erik says, "From the word go, if something interested us musically, we'd try it."
He says his mother was a big fan of Celtic music from the ancient folk material to the Pogues. At the same time, the Beatles and Dylan and Bob Marley were always playing in their home.
"We were always interested in all kinds of music across the board," Erik says. "We would try some modern idea with the old material and, you know, it would sound pretty good. Obviously, sometimes, something won't work. But for the most part, the idea of musically bringing the old world to North America has worked really well."
Celts and Currachs is a celebration of Irish music and dance, and there will also be plenty of Irish crafts, food, and family entertainment.
Along with MacTalla Mor, which plays at 5:30 p.m., other acts include Celtic Ceol & Chris Neilan (1:30 p.m.), Trouz Bras (2 p.m.), Spirited Soles Irish Step Dancers (3:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.), and Danny Quinn (3:45 p.m.).
Celts & Currachs, 1:30-7 p.m. Saturday, Parade Plaza, Bank at Broad St., New London; free; (860) 444-2489, newlondonmainstreet.org.