Last Saturday, was the 95th memorial for the anniversary for the Eastland Disaster. On July 24th, 1915, 844 people perished when the Eastland ship turned over into the Chicago River. The boat was set to travel across Lake Michigan to Indiana for a picnic. The people that perished were employees of the Western Electric Company along with many of their family and friends. More passengers died during this disaster than had died during the sinking of the Titanic. Unfortunately the incident is not rembered as well. I highly suggest visiting the Eastland Disaster Historical Society website at www.eastlandisaster.org for all sorts of information regarding this tragic event.
The memorial was held right where the incident took place at the riverwalk between the LaSalle & Clark Street bridges. The head of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society gave a short, touching speech about the disaster . Followed by that, a spokesperson from the Red Cross (who played an integral part in the rescue effort 95 years ago) gave a speech as well. To end, there was a moment of silence while the coast guard layed of a wreath down in the Chicago River. Displayed here are a couple of pictures from the memorial.
God Bless those 844 sould aboard the Eastland that one fateful day.
You’re heat has been as oppressive this summer as the Daley Machine was in its prime. Still, I love you all the same. The Avondale Ramblers and myself will most likely be taking the rest of the summer off to enjoy all it is that you have to offer – your beaches (quite interesting), your cuisine (quite varied), your nightlife (quite ample), your greenery (quite limited) and your broken pavement (quite). We will, however, be starting work on our full-length album that we are planning to release early next year. Many of the songs we have presented to you recently: 5 Weeks, 5 Days, Pope of the Windy City, The Eastland will be on there – as well as others. We hope you caught us on T.V. – it went quite well. Everyone was very nice to us there and we played great. Oh, and that Linda Yu is even better looking in person. The IAHC Fest was a blast – I’m still recovering from it myself. The music, food and staff were top notch. The rest of the band are doing well. Nils will be leaving for Europe soon, Fred has been hitting the road on his motorbike, Andy is still learning the joys of fatherhood and Sean, as always, is having a good time.
Tune in to ABC 7′s mid-day news this Friday (11:00AM – 1:00PM) to see Kevin and the boys perform live. The band will be doing at least one song and someone will be interviewing Kevin on the air. It’s all to promote this weekend’s Irish Fest at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago, so watch the news on Friday and come see the bonafide TV stars at the festival on Saturday.
That’s right..Vatican City…named after Pope Richard I – father to Pope Richard II….the Chicago Five..myself and the Avondale Rambler crew. I see your Abbie Hoffman and raise you Sean Mulroney. We will not play quietly.
Kevin Flynn & The Avondale Ramblers
Thursday, July 1st
at Noon @ Daley Plaza 50 W Washington St Chicago, IL
well..let’s see…we had: Oshkosh, rain, bangers & mash, rain, half & halfs, will I play the Wild Rover – no never, no more!, rain, the Oshkosh nightlife (I can’t believe we went back there – twice!), the brown liquor, watermelon, Super 8, Road America, bratwurst, the car accident, Madison, college kids, college girls…..?, rain, You don’t want me..you don’t want ME…, misty rain, the Metronome Celebration, rain, the brown liquor, 5 weeks and 5 days, more brown liquor, the Irish American Heritage Center, the Broken Pavement of Avondale, Guiness, come on feel it – taste it, I can feel the notion, the 75 year-old dancer..?, Natasha McShane (I hope we raised a lot of money for you and hope see see you up and about soon..), the trapeeze girl’s van, and a blast (we had one – thanks for everyone that was a part of the wild, terrific weekend with us)…..and rain..
Me and The Avondale Ramblers will be quite the busy band within the next week and a half. Starting tomorrow at 5:00 we will be playing at Gate 4 in front of U.S. Cellular Field – home of your Chicago White Sox – before the game. Hopefully this will spur them onto a winning streak and keep them from ruining my summer. On Friday, June 11th, we’ll be appearing at the Oshkosh Irish Fest in Oshkosh Wisconsin – B’gosh! On Saturday, June 12th, we’ll be at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI – playing on the campus lakefront at Memorial Terrace. It’s KF & AR’s first trip to Madison and we’re looking quite forward to it. On Sunday, June 13th, we’ll be back in town at the metronome celebration at Milwaukee, Armitage and Western – hoping to “keep time” (metronome joke – get it?) with all the great acts that will be playing. Last, but not least, word has it that we’ll be stopping by the Irish American Heritage Center for the Natasha McShane benefit to help raise money for the unfortunate incident that fell upon her recently.
Should be an exhausting, but fun weekend – we hope to see you out!
Avondale Stomp
Take the highway – JFK
or ride the Blue El Train
Well you can bus it, hike or ride your motorbike
Just pray it doesn’t rain
When the boys arrive, each will hand you 5
And send you down the avenue
To the corner store where the mustachioed lady
Sells you wine and brew
How was your weekend?
Who wants to bet?
What should I play there?
Did you make a set?
Well, smoke em’ if you got em’
Your vacation starts today
I’ll be there soon
I’ve just a couple of stops along the way
There’s a-pleanty guitars and amplifiers
But there can never be enough
Ask your trapeze gal if we can use her van
To take our instruments and stuff
Let’s play a few songs
(Play us a new song)
Grab me a beer
When is our next show?
How much did we clear?
The latest KF&AR CD is now available at CD Baby and iTunes. ”Double Door 9-15-09″ features 11 live tracks, coincidentally enough, performed live at Double Door last September. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the band live, this is the next best thing. Go to cdbaby.com to pick up the round version or iTunes for the invisible version.
Today is known as International Workers’ Day or May Day. It is a day that the band hold dear. One-hundred and twenty four years ago at the Haymarket Plant in Chicago Illinois, a rally was being staged in favor of the “Eight-Hour Day” and better overall treatment for laborers. The police began to try and disperse the rally when bomb was thrown at them, killing one of the officers. All hell broke loose. The police began to fire into the crowd during the mayhem, killing at least a dozen people. As a result, four so-called “conspirators” were hung despite the inconclusive evidence towards their involvement. An additional “conspirator” hung himself in his jail cell.
Although we, the working class, still strive for the proper treatment of all laborers across the world, we cannot help but be grateful for the blood that was shed by those brave souls. They died so that we could receive the proper benefits and wages for the work we provide and have enough time in the day to see our families and love ones.
This song was written by Kevin Flynn & The Avondale Ramblers commemorating that event. From the live album Double Door 9-15-09, this is One Day In May. One Day In May (Live)
Another May Day has rolled around. KF&AR have been getting a head start on some new songs in the studio, including a little nugget called “Five Weeks, Five Days.” The charge towards an album has begun anew.
But lets take another moment to thank those who fought for the weekend we are currently enjoying. May 1st is a special day all over the world, and it’s thanks to what Chicagoans started, One Day in May.
Another May Day has rolled around. KF&AR have been getting a head start on some new songs in the studio, including a little nugget called “Five Weeks, Five Days.” The charge towards an album has begun anew.