The Masterless Men bandmembers include, starting from left: Mock Greene on bass, Wilf Curran on guitar and lead vocals, John Curran on guitar and lead vocals, Greg Walsh on fiddle, and Dave Lush on banjo. Greg and Dave also sing backup and harmony vocals. Masterless Men photo.
By Mark Squibb / July 21, 2023
Brothers John and Wilf Curran of the Masterless Men have played in many a festival in their time, but there’s nothing quite like playing the Shamrock Festival in their hometown of Ferryland.
“For myself and John, we’re playing at home, and we don’t often get the opportunity to play at home,” said Curran. “And I think with the exception of a couple of weekends we may have missed because the band was booked somewhere else, we’ve played almost every single festival. And you’re playing before your hometown and seeing your friends and people you haven’t seen in a while, and so it’s nice to be able to perform for them. And sometimes you do different songs, songs that you probably didn’t do at the festival the weekend before, because you’re home and you know some of the guys there like these certain songs. It’s really special.”
The band has been a festival mainstay from the very beginning.
“The Masterless Men have been involved with the Shamrock Folk Festival since the Masterless Men were formed, which was 32 years January past,” said Curran. “Even before the band was formed, my brother John and I performed in the festival in its early days.”
And while much has changed since the festival’s inception in 1986, such as the inclusion of family friendly sessions complete with bouncy castles and laser tag, much has stayed the same.
“The Southern Shore flair, the Irish flair, hasn’t changed at all,” said Curran. “I see some of the same faces I used to see way, way back in the early days… the people who go because they love music and they love to get outdoors.”
Curran added the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council building is the perfect venue for a night of singing and dancing.
“The Saturday afternoon session is on the deck, so you’re right out on the water,” said Curran. “And then the building itself, the way they’ve maintained the building’s structure and kept all the old wood is phenomenal. I go to a number of events at the Folk Arts Centre and I’m in awe of the old wood and the rafters and the way they’ve renovated it. It’s just a beautiful place to spend an evening.”
The Masterless Men (not so named, it turns out, because the men don’t have wives, but in a nod to a group of legendary late 18th century and early 19th century runaway seamen and workers who escaped servitude from early Newfoundland plantations to live as free men away from the coast) will be playing Saturday evening, along with the Dolly Kits and Karla Pilgrim and the Mayflowers.
“It’ll be a fun night, because they know how to have fun on the Southern Shore,” said Curran.
