Mac Bones and the B Band
Bones and lead vocals by Scotsman Yirdy "MacBones" Machar with Button-Box, Banjo, Bouzouki, Bodhran, Bones and Backing by Beck
Features 17 full tracks of traditional Celtic tunes you can rattle with and sing along to

Grab Your Bones and Rattle Along with Yirdy

He lives in a wooden cottage under a large oak tree at the edge of a forest on the island of Sealland in Denmark. His passions include singing, playing music, giving workshops on bones and bodhran, and teaching the fine art of calligraphy.

Originally from Scotland, Yirdy has performed with many bands in Denmark including Yirdy's Pipes and Drums, Foxhunters, The McSherry's, McEwans Export, Folk in a Rune, MacMortensens Trio, Paddy's Pint, Three's a Crowd, and Buttons and Bones. A veteran of the touring circuit, Yirdy has shared the stage as a guest performer with such notable musicians and groups including Eleanor Shanlley, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, The Dubliners, Wolfstone and Dervish.

2002 World Bones Champion
Yirdy visited the United States in 2002 where he won first place in the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA) Bones and Spoons contest. I first met Yirdy in 2005 at Bones Fest IX in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This CD demonstrates why he is always a big hit at any venue where he performs.

Not for Bones Geeks Only
This CD is for anyone who loves down home traditional Celtic music that's alive and free. Yes, it's one of my all time favorite bones recordings. And this recording is the real deal. You'll even hear a hearty dash of Scottish brogue.

'Mac Bones' is a delightful romp through a colorful meadow of jaunty traditional jigs, reels, hornpipes, and songs rounded out with a mazurka and waltz. The tunes are awash in Irish, Scottish, and Danish influences that will keep your toes tapping long after the CD stops playing. Bone players will find it impossible to listen to the 'B Band' without rattlin' along while the CD is playing.

Band Members (left to right in back): Bjane G. Schmidt banjo, bouzouki, jaw harp, dabouka, vocals. Malene D. Beck electric piano, vocals. Anders Trabjerg button accordion, vocals . (front w/bones): Yirdy "MacBones" Machar bones, bodhran, spoons, shakers, snare, lead vocals.

I've gotta tell you that I'm not a big fan of vocals in traditional music. But this recording is a rare exception. Yirdy has an incredible voice. He reminds me of a professor I had years ago whose voice was so soothing we could listen to him talk all day long. Older readers might remember the potato chip challenge: "You can't eat just one." Well, listen to track 9, "McGinty's Meal And Ale". Bet you can't listen just one time.

Yirdy also plays bodhran, spoons, shakers, snare drum and is backed by a tight-knit trio including Anders Trabjerg on button accordion and vocals; Bjarne G. Schmidt on banjo, bouzouki, jaw harp, darbouka, and vocals; and Malene D. Beck on electric piano and vocals. It's anyone's guess who's doing the cool bird calls on track 16.

Oh, and by the way, Yirdy's bone playing ain't too shabby either. Listen to this CD and you'll see why he was judged the 2002 World Spoons and Bones Champion.

Bottom line:
This is a must-have CD for every serious bone player.

Exceptionally Rare CD
This CD is not available via the regular recording industry pipeline. So you won't find it at Amazon or iTunes or your local music shop. In fact, the only way you can get this CD is from a band member, or a small Danish online folk music store - or here at Bone Dry Music.

Give the Band a Guinness
Yep, the retail cost is a bit pricey. So I asked Yirdy about getting a lower wholesale rate. "If it was just up to me," Yirdy explained, "I would be able to charge less. As a 4-way split...we would have to sell eight CDs to afford a pint of Guinness each (ridiculous Danish prices). In Norway we would have to sell 12 at that price." So nobody is getting rich off this recording. But the band deserves at least a Guinness for their fine work, don't you think?

Mac Bones and the B Band makes a uniquely marvelous gift for anyone who enjoys Celtic music whether they are a bone player or not. And you can write your own personal greeting inside the parchment note card!

Order 1 CD: Treat One Band Member to a Half-pint of Guinness
Your purchase of 1 CD gets one band member half a pint of Guinness.

Order 2 CDs: Treat Two Band Members to a Half-pint of Guinness
Your purchase of 2 CDs gets two band members half a pint of Guinness.

Order 4 CDs: Treat the Entire Band to a Half-pint of Guinness
Your purchase of 4 CDs gets each band member half a pint of Guinness.

Order 8 CDs: Treat the Entire Band to a Pint of Guinness
Your purchase of 8 CDs gets each band member a pint of Guinness.

Look what's on the CD:

1. Trip To Sligo/Woods Of Old Limerick*/Blackthorn Stick* 4:29
2. Juleaften* 3:04
3. The Battle Of Sowerby Bridge* 3:17
4. Gan Aimn*/Cameron's Wife* 3:43
5. Conadines Grove*/Paddy Cronin's* 4:13
6. Nicki Tamens* 2:19
7. Der Er Langt Imellem Snapsene* 2:31
8. Eddie Kelly's*/Pull The Knife And Stick It Again* 3:15
9. McGinty's Meal And Ale 4:37
10. Johnny's Wedding*/Farewell To Miltown* 3:41
11. Min Første Komposition "My First Composition"* 3:12
12. Maggie Lauder* 1:43
13. Charlie Mulvihill's Jigs* 3:03
14. Auld Maid In The Garret* 2:19
15. The Buck From The Mountain*/Pretty Maggie Morrissey 4:22
16. The Blarney Stone* 2:30
17. Gan Aimn/The Tempest* 3:47

*Yirdy Machar on percussion

Musicians
Yirdy "MacBones" Machar, Bones, bodhran, spoons, shakers, snare, lead vocals
Anders Trabjerg, Button accordion, vocals
Bjane G. Schmidt, Banjo, bouzouki, jaw harp, dabouka, vocals
Malene D. Beck, Electric piano, vocals

• Media Type: Audio CD. Listen to audio disc on CD player or your computer.
• 17 Tracks: Rattle along or just listen and enjoy.
• Plastic Jewel Case: Protects your CD.
• Liner Notes: Eight pages.
• Running Time: 56:00
• All tracks recorded live in Copenhagen City except tracks 1, 2, 7, & 11 recorded at Melene's mother's summer house.
• Record Label: Open Ear Productions
• Produced in Galway, Ireland
• Year Recorded: 2004
• Produced in Galway, Ireland

Yirdy Machar and Story Behind MacBones

Yirdy Machar in a Nutshell
Traditional Celtic musician...award-winning bones player...international stage trouper.

Traditional Celtic Music and Beyond
Born and raised in Scotland, Yirdy has performed with numerous traditional Celtic bands. But it was with Buttons and Bones, a duo with accordion player Anders Trabjerg, which led to the formation of THE B BAND.

At the time of this recording, Yirdy was also a passive member of The Heather Pipes and Drums, of Copenhagen, with whom he has played side, tenor and bass drums as well as serving as Drum Major. While Yirdy's main love is bones, he also plays bodhran, spoons, "a few tunes on the melodeon" (button-box accordion), and tin whistle.

Besides MacBones and the B Band, Yirdy has also recorded with the group, BoneZone which he describes as "basically traditional music, mostly Irish and Scottish, with a swing and a few added flavours."

Yirdy visited the United States in 2002 where he won first place in the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA) Bones and Spoons contest. It was here that Yirdy adopted the name "MacBones" in homage to his late father, a bones player affectionately known as "Big Mac".

International Entertainer
Besides playing with various combinations of Scottish, Irish, English, Danish, and Swedish musicians and folk groups around Scandinavia, this well travelled Scottish-born multi-instrumentalist has performed at myriad venues including pubs, clubs, concerts, cabarets, old-time music halls, radio & television broadcasts, variety shows, folk nights, and festivals around the world. A consummate entertainer, Yirdy is equally at home in the role of master of ceremonies, stand-up comic, singer, musician, actor, storyteller, or clown.

A veteran of the touring circuit, Yirdy has shared the stage as a guest performer with notable musicians and groups including Eleanor Shanlley, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, The Dubliners, Wolfstone, Dervish, and Give Way.

Health issues have been slowing Yirdy down lately. But he is a flinty and resilient old trouper who continues to appear on stage alongside other notable Celtic musicians as his strength and fortitude allow.