By Gary Mandell
“Banshee in the Kitchen plays Celtic music with eclectic skill and merry abandon,” one writer extols. Since their splash on the music scene in 2002, the trio (tonight a quartet) has attracted fans from every corner of the globe, from New York to Japan. Four musicians rising together like — cream. Now it’s time to meet the ladies:
National Champion hammered dulcimer player Brenda Hunter (fiddle, hammered dulcimer) and Jill Egland (flute, accordion, whistle) trade off inspired flights of lead and countertrade-offer dynamic backing by Kat Edmonson (six and 12-string guitar, bouzouki).
No strangers to the microphone, the musicians trade off lead and backing vocals on a choice selection of songs, as well as jocular commentary in between. Add to this Kris Martin on stand-up bass and you have the filled out quartet version of the group. The NEWS talked with the ladies recently about their Oct. 20 performance at Boulevard Music, as well as their past and future travels.
1) When did you start playing and writing music, and when did you start taking it seriously?
As individuals, we’ve always taken music seriously. We all started as kids. All of us were performing in one way or another. As adults, we each have our own epiphany story.
2) Who are your main influences?
Banshee in the Kitchen loves anything John Doyle. Including John Doyle. We each bring our own influences to the band. Given that we are, um, women of a certain age, we’ve been deeply influenced by the folk heroes of our generation—Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Stevie Winwood, Crosby Stills and Nash—
3) Describe your particular style…
We’re committed to stuff sounding good. So, we work as a team. We try out each other’s ideas, and we can truthfully say that all our sets eventually wind up being these weird amalgamations of all of us. After all these years, when an idea isn’t working, there’s enough trust among the four of us to be able to say, “Wow. That is truly horrible,” and if what’s being discussed was originally your idea, to be able to say, “Yeah. It really is, isn’t it?”
4) Where are you based? What do you think of the local scene?
We’re based in County Kern, that hotbed of Celtic music. Two of us live in Bakersfield; two of us live in Kernville, this little hamlet about 45 minutes east in the Southern Sierra.
There’s so much music here. It feels like everyone you talk to is in a band. We’re all proud of the Bakersfield Sound—Buck and Merle and all those great folks—but really, we’ve got everything here. A cornucopia. And a lot of crossover.
Our Wed night Irish Session at Dagny’s Coffee House is on the map—we get visitors from all over the place. Size-wise, it ebbs and flows. It’s also unique in that there’s only one bodhran player… and she prefers the whistle.
5) Best gig to date? And worst?
Well, our main best/worst gauge is the food. And we can honestly say that over the years, we’ve had some truly awesome food experiences. Big shout-out to the Starlight Lounge in Kernville for their roasted Brussel sprouts. McClaren’s Ginger Lassies at all the Scottish Highland Games. We have to admit that when we were asked to come to play at Boulevard, our first thought was that Thai restaurant just down the block.'[
6) Do you have any albums / singles available?
Oh heavens yes. Six albums, and a seventh in the works. Although “in the works” at this point means we know we seriously need to do it. Everything is available for download at CDBaby.com.
7) Have you played at Boulevard Music before? How did that connection happen? How did it go?
We think we’ve been playing at Boulevard for at least a dozen years or so. In fact, the picture of us on our latest album, Band o’ Shees, was taken by Peter Figen at our Boulevard concert in 2015. After our first performance, we were all pretty much hopelessly in love with Mike, the sound guy. Of course, it helped that at a gig just the week prior, our sound guy was running everything through his karaoke machine. So, yeah, it was a pretty low bar.
8) What can we expect from your upcoming performance?
We enjoy what we’re doing. We’re really funny. In fact, we continually crack ourselves up. Oh, and we’re really musical. Oh, and we play really well together.
9) What do you have planned going forward, after this show, for 2018?
A new CD. Or whatever technology exists by the time we actually get it done. Our last CD started out as an eight track. Like their Facebook page.
Online tickets sales ($15) close at 6 p.m. the night of the show. Any remaining tickets are for sale at Boulevard Music (4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City) when doors open at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise. Tickets may also be purchased in person at Boulevard Music or by phone 310-398-2583, using a major credit card.
