Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys - Interview - Mar 8/12

Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys are a four-piece roots/traditional band from PEI that consists of Gordie MacKeeman (fiddle), Peter Cann (vocals, lead guitar), Thomas Webb (vocals, bass, banjo), and Mark Geddes (vocals, drums, bass).  With plans for a new album and a showcase at the Roots Room during ECMA, the band has an exciting year ahead.  I was able to talk with Gordie and Mark about the band and their upcoming St. Patrick’s Day show at Hunter’s Ale House.

1. Will the band be recording an album in the near future?

G: Probably within the next year for sure.

M: We just want to wait and do it right, have the right amount of money and the right amount of songs.

G: Exactly, we don’t want to rush it, we want to come up with a good album and put a lot of work into it.  We’re looking towards the fall, but we’ll see how we are.

2. Are you playing a lot of live shows?

G: Not a whole lot this time of year, mainly just gearing up for the summer.

M: We have a New England tour in May with the New England Celtic Arts.  Phil MacIntyre brings a lot of Canadian artists down like Tim Chaisson, Cynthia MacLeod, Ward MacDonald, and Richard Wood.

G: Then we’re going to the UK in late July, early August and then playing lots of festivals.

3. When did you decide music was your career?

 M: A couple of weeks ago, haha.  Realistically 5 years ago I started taking it seriously and knew I wanted it to be a career.

G:  We both started in our band with Nudie from Nudie and the Turks.  We both started playing with him and it got us into it more.

4. Are you excited for St. Patrick’s Day at Hunter’s?

 G: Yes, we’re playing all day long from 2pm to 2am.  We’re getting lots of guests to help us out.  The Wynnes, Mike Dickson, and Peter Webb are going to play with us.

M: Probably a few surprises too.  There’s that odd person you see in the crowd you know knows a song, so we grab them to come play. Especially on a Saturday at Hunter’s, it’s going to be a time.  It’s a good place to play.

5. Any final thoughts?

M: See you on Saturday at Hunter’s!