Hair of the Dog has released a whopping 10 CDs since starting out in 1993. The band includes Rick Bedrosian on bass and vocals, Mike DeAngelis on acoustic guitar, bodhran and vocals, John Haggerty on banjo, acoustic guitar, accordion and vocals, Larry Packer on fiddle, Eric Finn on electric guitar, mandolin, violin and vocals, and Scott Apicelli on drums and percussion. (For those who don’t know, the bodhran is a handheld Irish drum.)  The members all had illustrious careers before joining Hair of the Dog, including work with Stevie Ray Vaughn and Gene Clark of The Byrds. The band has toured throughout the US and appeared in countless Celtic Festivals in addition to doing eight tours of Ireland.

A popular local fixture, Hair of the Dog has been voted Best Local Band by both the Albany Times Union and Metroland. They were also one of many popular artists, including U2, James Taylor, and Carly Simon who were featured on Project Children’s 2005 compilation CD One Child at a Time, all proceeds of which go to helping children in Northern Ireland rise from the political turmoil of their country.

I spoke with Hair of the Dog’s Rick Bedrosian at the beginning of this “month of the Irish” on the band’s background and a look forward at what is to come.

– See full article at The Free George.

Interview and photograph by Jessica Nicosia