And so, another year comes to a close. 2010 has been a year of extremes for O'Keefe. We started the year with great sadness at the loss of my father (December 1, 2009). A tribute song, "In His Shoes", pretty much wrote itself as I mourned his loss; and it became the impetus for a 2nd CD. The work on that CD became bogged down for all kinds of reasons...in retrospect, none of them worth the excuses I could make. That CD remains in limbo at this time, although Nate and I have revisited it in conversation recently, vowing to complete it before spring of 2011 rolls around. Summer of 2010 ended with an abrupt and disappointing health situation for me. Those of you close to me are very aware of my battle since my September 22nd diagnosis of Prostate Cancer. Unsuccessful surgery and a spread of the cnacer has put me in the Stage IV category. Hormone and radiation therapy are the next steps. While I am struggling with this situation, Nate and I have decided to continue on with the O'Keef project. It is good to keep busy and stay focused on the positive! To that end, we will be back on the road locally starting January 7th at, where else, Tucker's Pub, our long standing home base for all things O'Keefe. Check the calendar dates and join us for some fun and a pint.

Slainte! Greg

Do you remember when you returned to school after summer break and the teacher asked you how you spent your summer? It may have been a few years since I had to sit in class and squirm as I tried to adjust to school after a lazy summer, but it is still fun to take a minute to reflect on the past couple of months...so...

Well, the missus and I had a brilliant summer. We spent most of it in our little cottage near the ocean down on Cape Cod...lot's of time spent reading at the beach...some crabbing followed by a delicious "crab boil"...on one of the very few rainy days, we had a "Lobsterpaloosa!" event with good friends in Orleans...should we get "Lobstahpalooza 2011" T-shirts for next year's event?...attended some great music events; met some fellow Celtic music fans in Alan and Lois as we listened to Stanly and Grimm (aka Sean Brennan) on the green in Harwich...got in a little saltwater fishing...did a bit of gardening, both vegetable and flower...did you know that rosemary grows so much better in the sandy soil of Cape Cod than the rocky soil of northwestern Connecticut?...We met some very nice folks on the Cape as we became more and more "indoctrinated" into the seasonal resident culture of the Cape. Thanks for great days in the orchard picking blueberries, Richard...looking forward to the Blueberry Cookbook!

Musically, I wasn't a complete slacker...I managed to pen a few new tunes. They're getting a little polishing and will be heard as part of our revised set list at our upcoming gigs...we look forward to sharing them with you! And, finally, we hope to add the finishing back-tracks to our long awaited second CD and have it available this fall...should be good, we're working with a great young recording engineer, Joe Harris. The working title of the CD is "In His Shoes", the title song being a tribute to my Dad, who passed away this last winter.

So, keep an eye on the calendar page for upcoming events. And remember, get out and support live music! Slainte!

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back,
The sun shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall softly upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Slainte!

Why Venison Jam 2009? It all started when my 2nd cousin twice removed (or whatever its supposed to be) gave me some venison meat. I thought I'd fix some venison chili for Nate on a night when my wife, who doesn't care for venison, whould be away. The plan was hatched...while the missus was going to be at a conference in Philly, we'd have a venison meal and add some music to it...and Venison Jam 2009 was born!

Watch the calendar and news sections of our web site for upcoming music jams and other play dates! - And remember... get out and support live music!

Slainte!

O'Keefe

Good news - We got a gig out of that little guest spot. We'll be playing a full night on March 11th, the Thursday before St. Paddy'd Day. (See our calendar section: "Catch us Live!" for more play dates!)

So, with physical therapy doing its wonderous best to get the shoulder back in shape, we are back in business. So keep an eye on our calendar as we gear up for resuming our play dates in local area venues. We will be looking for more/new bookings in the near future. If you know of a place you think O'Keefe's music would appropriate (or inappropriate, but lots o' fun!) send us an email and let us know. And remember....get out there and support live music!!

Slainte!

O'Keefe