Interview: Summer’s Last Serenade with Drank the Gold at The Cock ‘n Bull

GALWAY–Summer inevitably ends, bringing with it cooler and much shorter days. Thankfully, folk music duo Drank the Gold aims to soften the blow, ushering out August at The Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant in Galway with their lush sound and joyful spirit. Joining the band is Chris Carey, a well-loved and multitalented musician who will round out their group in a live performance on Thursday, August 31st, at the famed rustic venue.

James Gascoyne and Oona Grady recently agreed to talk with me about their busy summer and their upcoming show at Cock ‘n Bull, a venue they graced this summer a few times with their folksy sound.

“The shows this summer at the Cock’n Bull are special for a couple of reasons,” Gascoyne related. “Chris Carey will be joining us on guitar and vocals.  I’ve worked with Chris for a long time in various settings, and when Oona and I were doing our weekly gig at Mouzon House in Saratoga Springs, he would often come by and sit in.  Chris always elevates any musical situation that he’s a part of, which is probably why he’s one of the most busy and in-demand musicians in the area!”

Grady conferred. “Absolutely, we always love playing with Chris.  Also, and this seems almost too obvious to mention, the Cock’n Bull is such a lovely music venue.  Inside, it has amazing wooden acoustics, and the patio stage is one of my favorite places to play outside around here.  James and I have been working up some new material this spring and summer, both originals and original arrangements of traditional material.  I think that intersection between old and new, making something new from old sounds, is where we have some of our best musical fun.”

The duo has played traditional/folk music together since meeting in Louisiana at Blackpot, a Cajun music festival in Louisiana. Grady recalled, “James was on tour with a band, and I was there with friends.  We had all week to get to know each other, chatting around the late-night campfire and between classes.  I remember he let me play his bass for one song in Cajun band class when I couldn’t get my fiddle to stay in tune!  We both lived in NYS, so after the festival, we decided to stay in touch, and I moved from Ithaca to Saratoga the following summer.”

The duo is a couple outside of the music world, and I wondered how they balanced their collaboration at work and their home dynamics. (After all, Jim and I are also experienced at this balancing dance called “work-life balance.”)

Gascoyne noted it comes down to spontaneity and not overthinking things. “We come from very different backgrounds musically, so I think that keeps things fresh.  We definitely collaborate and rehearse the music that we play together, but it’s mainly spontaneity that drives the music we make together.  We certainly don’t rehearse things to death!  We’ll often try things we’ve never done before in a show, like when we played a festival in Buffalo this past weekend and were making the setlist and needed an extra number. I thought it might be fun to do a pretty common Irish song, Star of the County Down, but on banjo in a minor tuning.  It worked great!  Like we had always been doing it…” he noted.

The playfulness between them definitely comes across in their music and their trust of one another. When I first saw them play together, I noticed that they fell into each other’s gaze often, as music was just an extension of their communication. Grady added, “We started playing music together as we got to know each other, so I really can’t imagine it any other way.  I think we find a good balance between hard work and focus with spontaneity and fun.”

Both musicians describe childhood dreams of playing and performing music and seem to have incorporated their youthful aspirations into successful careers. Gascoyne does much of the writing, and his willingness to pivot and remain flexible has definitely benefited their audiences in creating some fun compositions. I asked him about the inspiration for his work, and he answered with an ongoing sense of awe for the creative process.

“I’d say whatever is happening at the moment,” inspires Gascoyne. “Which could be that things are sounding really good, and you look around and think, “isn’t this nice?”  But more often than not, It’s something that’s gone wrong or isn’t working.  You have to think fast, fix things somehow, and make it sound good by any means.  I usually know just what to do, or if I don’t, I figure it out pretty quick, and that’s very satisfying.”

Drank the Gold certainly is a lot of fun to listen to, with Grady’s fiddling often pulling me forward through some of the traditional songs. The duo traveled and performed quite a bit this summer, including teaching at two summer camps for younger musicians. I was curious about that work, which Grady confirmed was both gratifying and, well, work.

“After spending the past couple of years not traveling and performing very much, we made a conscious decision to try to do more of that this summer.  In fact, I was just looking at the calendar, and since June, I think we were away more nights than we were home, and much of that travel was music-related – either performing or teaching.  I’m feeling a tiny bit weary from it all, but also incredibly grateful and inspired and ready to dig into some projects now that I will have a little more time at home,” Grady admitted.

The couple taught at two music camps this summer: one at Caffe Lena and another at Grass Roots Culture Camp, before performing at the festival in Ithaca. Grady is originally from Ithaca, New York, and the camp seems to be a true inspiration for the duo. “The GrassRoots Festival has been around a long time, and it’s amazing.  The camp has only been going for a few years, and it’s getting better every time,” Gascoyne explained. “It was a tremendous privilege to teach a couple of classes, sharing what we do, but also learn ourselves from all the incredible musicians there.  If you play or are interested in learning old-time, Cajun, Irish, bluegrass, or other folk traditions, it’s definitely worth checking out.”

But that’s for next summer. This week, Nippertown fans should have their sights set on Cock ‘n Bull for their upcoming performance—and the food. Gascoyne reminded me, “I believe their slogan is “Enjoy Beef.” The smoked brisket is incredible! They source really great oysters, too. Be sure to save room for dessert; their pastry chef, Andrea DeCiero, is on point!”

Reservations are recommended, as the barn has limited seating and the venue is extremely popular. With both outdoor patio seating and an indoor setting as a rain location, both settings promise an enjoyable evening to enjoy gourmet food and sound.

Interested in listening before you go? Check out their 2019 album, Sipped the Silver, at https://drankthegold.com/new-album.