Black Pudding are: Frank Cassidy, Dennis Alexander and Philip Murphy
Frank Cassidy
From Co. Offaly, Ireland, Frank is a multi talented instrumentalist, not unknown to throw in the odd song here and there when asked nicely... Frank plays all manner of flutes and whistles, and is a dab hand at the old mandolin as well. Has been known to play a few other instruments, including regular and tenor guitar, not to mention concertina. However, he does not play the fire-extinguisher as the photograph may suggest! As a youngster, he won All-Ireland music awards for his efforts. Since then, he has played many venues from Dublin's Trinity Hall to the first multi-racial concert in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has co-written the theme music for an Irish Arts program for RTE (Irish TV) and has appeared on Irish, South African and Canadian television. Frank has made guest appearances on many albums and performed at festivals and concerts throughout Canada, his original music having been recorded by musicians in Ireland and Canada. Frank's recent and highly acclaimed CD 'Tin Air' is a collection of original and traditional tunes played on flutes and whistle, accompanied by several of his fellow friends and musicians. Frank maintains his own website here
The man with the big smile and equally big talent on the fiddle hails from Alymer, Quebec, Canada. A master luthier to boot, Dennis has been making and playing fiddles since he was a teenager. His reputation as a skilled craftsman has earned him respect from some of the top fiddlers in the Ottawa valley and beyond, and his most recent CD 'Dennis the Fiddle Maker' brings together a fitting tribute from those musicians who own and play his fiddles. Dennis is one of the stalwarts of the local Irish Ceili band, but his talents go far beyond that, having played with most of the finest musicians in the valley and beyond, and is in constant demand for both his talent as a fiddle maker and musician.
From Dublin Ireland, the band's youngest member, Philip provides the driving rhythm and eloquent chording that set him apart from many of his contemporaries. His unique approach to Celtic accompaniment on the guitar brings a freshness and vitality to the music that inspires those around him to play to their best. As well as chording, Philip is equally at home playing the tunes both on the guitar and the mandolin, to bring yet another dynamic to the group. As well as playing with Frank & Dennis, Philip is also one of the founding members of the 'Old Sod Dance Band' that have been playing together for the past 15 years and are in constant demand for contra dances up and down the east coast. He has also appeared on Frank's CD as well as another local gem, Don Kavanagh's 'A Dubliner & His Harmonica'