A man adorned in a Scottish kilt and glengarry hat takes the stage with bagpipes in hand. He plays under blue-lit shadows for a moment, then the rest of the band joins him to reveal a folk-like jig. It almost immediately makes the audience simultaneously nod their heads and clap.
Craic in the Stone, a local Celtic-inspired folk rock band, plays at Fullerton’s Muckenthaler Cultural Center on Sept. 19.
Scotty McKay, the percussionist, said that the band has been together for a total of 13 years, but their current band has been together for about the last five. These members include McKay, Janelle Vione, Chris Caputo, Matt Brislawn, Jay Rofsky and Bill Strongin. The man who began the show playing the bagpipes, Jeff Cullen, is an occasional member who stands in sometimes for recordings and shows at bigger venues.
Craic in the Stone is from the surrounding area, but both Vione and McKay attended college in Fullerton. Mckay briefly attended Fullerton College before going off to become a lawyer and Vione moved from Northern California to Southern California to attend Cal State Fullerton and graduate with her bachelor’s in Theater.
“If you were walking on the streets of Dublin and you asked- Where’s the craic, man?! They would point you to the nearest bar with the greatest music and greatest people,” says McKay.
According to the band, craic is a Gaelic word that means having a good time with good music and togetherness, and that is just what they want to show their audience.
They started off the first half of the concert with the folk side of their setlist by playing songs like Rat in a Bog, Caledonia, and Cod Liver Oil and Orange Juice. When Craic played their original song, Guinness, much of the crowd got in line at the beer cart to join in the song with a Guinness in hand. This was long-time fan Terry Mangold’s favorite song.
The crowd enjoyed the times that McKay and Brislawn danced shoulder-to-shoulder and teased one another by chasing the tempo of each other’s instruments. The pair even went as far as to join the audience in a dance before taking a short break.
“They always look like they’re having fun, and there’s a lot of energy going on. It’s a lot of fun that way. I always enjoy that,” says Mangold.
During the intermission, the Muckenthaler was available to explore its 18-room mansion, built in 1925, which hosts frequent shows, classes and special events. The layout includes a green courtyard, an indoor gallery and an amphitheater with open seating and tables for picnic-style entertainment.
For the second half of the concert, Craic took on the rock side of their setlist, which is inspired by music from the Cranberries and Led Zeppelin. All of the members changed their previous Celtic-casual outfits to black outfits sprinkled with a little grunge. They covered songs like “We Will Rock You” by Queen and “I’m Gonna Be” by The Proclaimers.
The evening also featured the McNulty School of Irish Dancers, who performed in shimmery sequined and colorful dresses that showed off a traditional Irish pattern alongside sleek white button-ups and matching vests highlighted by alternating red and black neckwear. Their traditional dances enhanced the musical experience as they took the stage multiple times.
Their next shows will take place at Muldoon’s Irish pub and at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Oct. 19.
