In his own words — bodhrán player Gino Lupari

The Four Men And A Dog bodhrán player and vocalist Gino Lupari has just released his first album No Turning Back which has been inspired by meeting up with other musicians including John Prine, Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Iris DeMent. He'll be launching No Turning Back at the Irish Cultural Centre on Saturday, February 17 in the company of guests & friends Tim Edey, Dermot Byrne and Gerry “Banjo” O’Connor

 

At the moment I’m promoting my first solo album, and I’m really excited about it. It’s got quite a spread of music ranging from the Ry Cooder song Jesus on the Mainline to Percy French’s Mountains of Mourne. It’s an eclectic mix, and I suppose you could say its rooted in Irish traditional music with big dollops of Americana and rock & roll. Other musicians on the album include Dervish’s Cathy Jordan, Liam Bradley who’s an amazing percussionist, and the pianist and Hammond organist John McCullough. He ‘s workedwith Van Morrison and Sinéad O’Connor.

The piece of music that stops me in my tracks is Mahler’s Adagietto from his 5th symphony. It’s breath-taking. It’s just written for strings and harps — no woodwind or brass. Not even any percussion. Mahler was an amazing musician, an amazing composer.

I was always interested in music from a young age, all sorts. I sort of fell into the career. I really got into it in Bundoran, in Co. Donegal. I was working for my uncle in when I was a young lad and passed a music shop on my way to get dinner. In the window was this bodhrán and to be honest I wasn’t even sure how to say bodhrán. Anyway I walked passed it every day and I would look at it in the window (the instrument was calling to me I suppose). I plucked up the courage to go into the shop to try this mysterious thing. And that was it. I was in love. . .

I eventually got into playing sessions — sometimes with my oldest friend Cathal Hayden. We travelled all over the island playing. But then I went to the University of Ulster as a mature student; at the same time Cathal & me formed the band Four Men and a Dog. We honestly didn’t realise how popular it would become. I tried to keep both things going, but the pull of music was to strong .

Sooooo — goodbye academia!

I’m from Magherafelt, Co. Derry, near the shores of Lough Neagh. All my family live in town except my sister who moved to Dungannon an my brother Carlo who is the chairman of the Carrickmacross branch of the family.

My grandparents are from Bologna, and came to Northern Ireland at the end of the Second World War.

My grandmother remembers hearing the German bombs exploding on Belfast in the final years of the war. They moved from Belfast and settled in Magherafelt, and did what Italians do: chip shop, ice cream. But my grandfather was also a skilled tradesman and worked on marble floors, as far away as Belfast. My family are still involved in the business to this day.

On my travels throughout the world I always check phone books & look up my surname, I’ve found quiet a few Luparis

One of the most interesting one was in Sydney a barber call Anthony Lipari He reckoned that when his family arrived in Oz he the immigration people changed the u to an I.

The rock drummer I’d name as the best I’ve ever come across would be Levon Helm of The Band. I had the great pleasure of getting to know him a bit and getting to play with him — along with other members of The Band, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson It was a musical highlight for sure. I loved the band. Robbie Robertson’s The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down is sound of America to me. But one of my favourite lines from a song is from the great James Taylor: “Perfect strangers call you by name a and pay good money to hear fire and rain.”

I turn off from music, from everything in fact, by cooking and learning to bake bread. When you’re making bread it needs all your attention, so in a way it clears the head.

My bodhráns are made now by a brilliant maker called Rob, Forkner, from Texas. They’re called Metloef bodhráns, made of deerskin. Great craftsmanship and beautiful sounding instruments. A special mention also to Seamus O’Kane, I am the proud owner of bout 10 of his bodhráns. He’s been making the instruments for more than fifty years in Dungiven, Co. Derry. He actually started me on this road of bodhrán playing. A great manand always pushing the limits of bodhrán making.