Local Irish band to perform shows March 15, 17
Local Irish band The Ten Penny Bit is performing at Lincoln Way Winery on Saturday, March 15 and at The Lyric Theater on Monday, March 17.
With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, the local Irish band The Ten Penny Bit has two shows coming up. The five-member group will be at Lincoln Way Winery on Saturday, March 15 from 6-8:30 p.m. and at The Lyric Theater on Monday, March 17 from 7-9 p.m.
“The Ten Penny Bit evolved from the sessions,” said Casey Hoy, a member of The Ten Penny Bit.
Sessions or seisiún (Irish) is an informal get-together to play music. Irish musicians in the area have been sharing these gatherings with the community since around 2012.
It was at the Kidron Beet Festival in 2017 that the performing group first got its start.
“We decided that if we were going to play somewhere and get paid that it should be a subset of the folks who show up at the sessions,” Hoy said.
A group of the regulars got together to rehearse, and The Ten Penny Bit was born. They played around the area for several years until COVID put a damper on live events. The group started up again in 2022 with a performance at the Raccoon County Music Festival in Burton, Ohio.
With a little changeover and occasional fill-ins over the years, there are now five group regulars: Hoy on fiddle, tenor banjo, low D whistle and vocals; Anne Brush on bodhrán, drum; Marcus Ladrach on fiddle, mandolin, concertina, bones and vocals; Danielle Coffinbarger on guitar, keyboards, penny whistle and vocals; and Kyle Humrichouser on guitar and sound.
Group members come from diverse backgrounds to share their love of Irish music. Hoy has been playing for nearly 30 years. Their instruments are a combination of those borrowed from other musical traditions and a few that are distinctly Irish such as the bodhrán, concertina and low D whistle. While there is not a harp player in The Ten Penny Bit, the harp also is a tradition in Ireland, Hoy said.
In addition to catching The Ten Penny Bit at a gig around the area, music lovers can enjoy a bit of Irish music at a seisiún every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. in downtown Wooster at Spoon Bar & Deli. At the gathering musicians play for themselves and anyone who drops by. Regular locals and musicians traveling through or visiting the area may participate on any given week.
There are regular sessions all over the world. Hoy said when traveling, visiting and playing in sessions are a big part of getting right into the community. The regular selections tend to be regional.
“I’ll know 90% of what’s being played at a session in Northeast Ohio, 70-90% in another Ohio city,” Hoy said. “Somewhere else it might be only 10-20%. That’s how you learn.”
Hoy said the local Spoon sessions see drop-in visitors from time to time.
“A musician from Florida came and played a couple of tunes we had never heard of,” Hoy said. “I know them now. There is a constant sharing and learning.”
Find The Ten Penny Bit online at www.facebook.com/p/The-Ten-Penny-Bit-of-Ohio-100084231524714/. They are available to play Irish traditional music at pubs, festivals, weddings, private house parties and more. Send a message via Facebook for more information.
What is it about playing that keeps a musician inspired, practicing and playing? Hoy said, “When you’re in the midst of a session and everybody is dead on the beat and music is flowing, it’s kind of like catching a wave or a good run skiing. You’re entirely in the moment, and all the forces of the universe are in sync around you in those moments of perfect harmony.”