I was born in the heartland of America. My great great grandfather came here from Ireland. I grew up listening to all kinds of music and was fortunate enough to play with some very talented and soulful musicians right out of high school. It was a time when you could go on the road, play music and make a living. I played with everyone from Brenda Lee to Maynard Ferguson and had a ball. A few years back I started listening to Irish music and it it literally struck a chord with my ancestral roots. I love pure traditional music. It gives us insight into cultures. I am also aware that the world is in constant change, always evolving. I am an amalgam of all the music I've experienced in my life. All musicians are. Some are dutiful keepers of the flame while others feel the need to create something new. While I have undying respect for the former, I am more of the latter. As a result, I have collaborated with like-minded musicians and come up with an album that takes the essence of traditional genres and blends them together to form something new. I call it Irish American. Although there is more than a hint of Irish music in these tunes, the American influence is what prevails. If your musical tastes include rock, blues, R&B, soul and jazz, you may find yourself liking what we've come up with. I sincerely hope you do. It took ten years to complete and I enjoyed every minute of it. I received a lot of help from some world-class musicians along the way. Among them are my cousin, Bruce McCabe, world-renowned piano player and songwriter, Don Markese, first call LA studio musician and long time Neil Diamond sax player, Wayne Nelson, bassist and lead singer of the Little River Band, John Williams, five time all-Ireland Masters Champion on button accordion and Lynn Nicholson, the best damn lead trumpet player alive today. I don't believe a trombonist has ever been featured playing Irish music and I will concede it's a bit of a stretch but give it a listen. I think we got it right. I'd like to thank guitarists Dean Magraw, Charlie Bingham and Arkadiy Yushin for their inspired contributions. A huge thanks to John Ahern and Todd Matheson. I appreciate their insights, their big ears and most of all their good vibes and patience as we strove for the perfect mix. Thanks to the entire Clan McCabe. You guys are like family to me... Thanks to the Warren Felts family. A special thanks to Wendell Minor for his brilliant cover art. I would be remiss not to mention my wife, Ann. She kept the fires burning. I'm her biggest fan. Produced by Larry McCabe and John Ahern Don Markese plays Michael Burke Whistles. All tunes recorded at The Terrarium in Minneapolis, MN; Jason Orris, Dustin Miller engineers/Creation Studios in Minneapolis, MN; Jim Ryberg engineer/Barking Jack Studios in North St. Paul, MN; Jeremy Johnson engineer/Blue Heron Studios in St. Paul, MN; John Ahern engineer Mixed at Blue Heron Studios; John Ahern, Todd Matheson engineers Mastered at Rare Form Mastering in Minneapolis, MN; Greg Reierson engineer