MULLANEY
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MULLANEY

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | SELF

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | SELF
Band Folk Acoustic

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"Killian's Angels - The Ladies Room"

Killian's Angels
THE LADIES ROOM
(Self-released)
It's getting tougher and tougher to describe local favorites Killian's Angels as simply an "all-woman Celtic band." The all-woman part is still true, but for all the Celtic flavor and covers, it seems more appropriate to describe Killian's Angels as a rocking folk outfit that knows how to raise the roof and put it back on with a lullaby.
The band -- Beth Mullaney, Satomi Hofmann, Ginger Bruner, Dolly Coulter, Lisa Viscuglia and Nan Fortier -- is likely one of Vegas' highest concentrations of musical talent, and shows its chops on its second self-produced disc, The Ladies Room -- a huge leap, both in production and material, from its first release.
Produced by Bruner, The Ladies Room (available at www.killiansangels.com) manages to capture the band's live energy while sounding crisp and professional. The instrumentals are particularly good, and show the band's range. Killian's Angels can go from goofy jigs like "Whiskey in the Jar" to heartfelt and accomplished songs like Mullaney's "Fisherman's Daughter" with aplomb. Even a hoary chestnut like "Danny Boy" (a song that, really, no one besides a plastered tenor in a County Cork pub should sing) is redeemed when the band turns it into an up-tempo rollicking romp halfway through its maudlin refrains.
Not all the covers are entirely successful -- a version of the Pogues' "If I Should Fall from Grace with God," mysteriously renamed "Let Me Go" in the track listing, lacks the fire of the original -- but overall, the Angels strike just the right tone with their interpretations. This is one Ladies Room where no one is going to lie down on the couch.
GREGORY CROSBY
- Las Vegas City Life June 14, 2004


"Tom Sawyer at Spring Mountain Ranch"

”Local girls group, Killian's Angels, provide solid rockabilly accompaniment, often leaping into the scene's action from their side stage perch, and further proving my theory that violin should be included in every band.”

Review from Las Vegas City Life, Kelle Schillace, June 2006
- Las Vegas City Life June 2006


"Angels In Las Vegas"

Beauty and brains are an undeniable combination when it comes to one of Las Vegas's best local acts, Killian's Angels.

The all-girl group can play just about anything. From old fashioned time Irish ballads such as "Danny Boy," to pop favorites like Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping" and country tunes such as Dixie Chick's "Goodbye Earl," and R&B, folk and classical music. They even have their own special twist to the birthday song and "Bad Moon Rising" for those Credence Clearwater Revival fans.

The bands members each provide a unique flavor to this versatile band. Lead vocalist and founder of the group Beth Mullaney plays a variety of instruments such as the guitar, the mandolin and the drums. She has been performing at the Excalibur with the Celtic duo Mullivan's Edge for seven years.

Las Vegas native Ginger Bruner (bass, tuba, percussion and vocals) is also recognized for her voice on KNPR-FM. Satomi Hofmann began her career as a classical pianist. Now with Killian's Angels she also does vocals, guitar and drums. Lisa Viscuglia, a classical violinist also does percussion. Dolly Coulter plays the guitar, keyboard and vocals with an R&B touch.

Killian's Angels performs at the Irish pub Fado inside the Green Valley Ranch Station every Wednesday night from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Anyone who checks them out can have the luxury of eating great food and drinking good beer. Family and underage friends can join in on the fun as well.

This band is truly unique, and by far, the hottest all-girl band there is. To find out more about them log onto www.killiansangels.com.
- Coyote Press online - by Haleigh Isball


"John Katsilometes captures a moment at the Orleans when a figure from old Vegas gave up an E-string to save a band"

The request from the stage was both urgent and unlikely. "We have an emergency: Does anyone in the audience have an E string for a violin?" Killian's Angels frontwoman Beth Mullaney asked Saturday night during the band's appearance at its regular haunt, Brendan's Pub at the Orleans.

The scene reminded of when Monty Hall used to ask contestants on "Let's Make a Deal" for odd items in exchange for cash: "Anyone with a plastic fork gets $50! Anyone carrying a pair of tweezers gets $75!" As the crowd chuckled, the Irish-tilted quintet's violinist, Adrienne Lefebvre (standing in for Lisa Viscuglia, who is also a member of the "Monty Python's Spamalot" orchestra) scrambled to find a replacement for the string she had just snapped.

It seemed a lost cause as the all-female band slipped into the requisite jokes about having no spare E-strings, but plenty of G-strings. But at Mullaney's plea, a dapper, silver-haired figure in the back of the club took action. Longtime Vegas musicians know the man well: he is venerable violinist Sasha Semenoff, who has been performing in town for at least 50 years. Semenoff's quartet was a fixture at the Dunes in the mid-1960s, and he played the orchestra leader on the "Aces High" TV show in the film "Casino" (he also had a cameo as a waiter in "Honeymoon in Vegas"). I met Semenoff in November 2005 when he performed during a wedding ceremony for Margaret Nixon and Francis Murphy of Defiance, Ohio, the couple who exchanged vows while seated in motorized scooters at the drive-thru "Tunnel of Love" at the Little White Wedding Chapel.

Semenoff retrieved a string from his violin, which was in his car at the casino, presented it to Lefebvre and, like a king of life-saving apparition, faded from the scene. Lefebvre was still shaking her head at the end of the show, saying that she would never forget to pack spare strings again. Mullaney added, "I just asked as kind of a joke. How crazy is that?" Very, and it was an old Vegas moment money can't buy.

- Las Vegas Sun - May 07, 2007


"Everyone's Irish when Angels perform"

By LAURA CARROLL
VIEW STAFF WRITER
August 2007

sara Tramiel/ViewKillian?s Angels members Beth Mullaney, left, and Adrienne Lefebvre perform at Brendan?s Irish Pub inside The Orleans on June 16. The group will perform on Aug. 20 at the Rainbow Library Amphitheater, 3150 N. Buffalo Drive, 8-10 p.m.
With the ladies from Killian's Angels, valley residents can catch Irish fever any time of the year at Brendan's Irish Pub inside The Orleans.

The band, made up of Beth Mullaney, Lisa Viscuglia, Dolly Coulter, Ginger Bruner, Nan Fortier, CJ Borden and Adrienne Lefebvre, keeps audiences lively with Irish drinking songs, rock and roll covers and original music written by Mullaney.

During their performances, the female musicians transform many popular songs into something altogether different, giving classic rock songs an Irish edge. "That all came out of her head," said Viscuglia of Mullaney.

"I grew into my Irish name big time," Mullaney said. "It works well for us because it's so varied, you can do whatever."

Known for their instrumentation, the ladies of Killian's Angels play an assortment of music-making devices, including a harmonica, a melodica (a modified harmonica with a small keyboard on it), a keyboard, a violin, drums, guitars and the "rock and roll tuba."

"We all have different things that we do musically," Mullaney said.

These things include Bruner's strolling tuba act, which extends to unassuming slot players outside of Brendan's, where she frequently gets thrown back into the bar by hotel security. During an Angels' performance, audience members can expect multiple Irish toasts and lots of wise cracking, but really it's the way the ladies switch between so many different instruments and play to one another that seems to get the crowd pumping song after song.

"She's actually a band in a box," Viscuglia said of Mullaney.

"We're very versatile," Coulter added. "I get to stretch out and play more instruments."

While some aspects, like the toasts and seeing many instruments, are standard at a Killian's Angels performance, other things, like what songs they play, are not.

"I cannot stand doing the same set list even twice," Mullaney said.

"We have songs we haven't done in years," Bruner agreed.

Don't bank on every Angel being at a performance, either, because the women are busy, and you never know who's going to make an appearance. "We kind of roll the dice to see who shows up," Bruner joked.

For instance, the band has three or four substitute drummers, and Viscuglia's substitute, Lefebvre, may show up on a night when Viscuglia is there, making for an interesting fiddle performance between the two ladies.

"I have the most fun playing with these people," said Viscuglia, who's played with musicians like Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Coulter agreed and said the band, which has been together since 2001, is probably one of the best things that ever happened to her.

Killian's Angels also has a die-hard fan base who, according to the band members, even make them cookies.

"As the newbie in the group, I think rarely do you find a band that's so engaging with the audience," Lefebvre said. "They're very transparent with their gifts."

"We've had letters from all types of people saying that we made them feel welcome. That makes me feel really good," Mullaney said.

"Everyone who walks in there falls in love with them," Lefebvre added.

As for the Angels' future, Bruner wants to play more festivals, and Mullaney hopes to have the band do some traveling, if their busy schedules permit.

The group has recorded two CDs, which are available online at Amazon.com, CD Baby and the band's Web site, www.killiansangels.com.

The group also can be hired to do personal performances.

Killian's Angels will perform on Aug. 17 and 18 inside Brendan's at The Orleans, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., and on Aug. 20 at the Rainbow Library Amphitheater, 3150 N. Buffalo Drive, 8-10 p.m.
- Las Vegas Mercury - View


"Gut Reactions: Pub-a-dub-dub"

Thursday, July 04, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Gut Reactions: Pub-a-dub-dub


By Dayvid Figler


Oh, joy. One more opportunity to bemoan our populace's perpetual expansion to the mountains. Well, at least with no end in sight until the juggernaut of development abuts the immovable forces of rock and hits the "forbidden zone." Have you not heard of the forbidden zone? Somewhere behind Black Mountain is the land where apes rule the desert. Where the old El Rancho hotel sign is buried halfway in the sand. The skeletons of mob songbirds and ancient Binion card cheats strapped to make-shift crosses like Blair Witch. Each day we inch closer to encroachment on this land that time forgot. Prepare for the monkey rebellion, dear friends, and the doom that will encrust our valley.

On a brighter note, the food at Fado in Green Valley Ranch Station is delicious. Easy to dismiss as yet another chain-run Irish pub, Fado (pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd) maintains the elements of traditional Gaelic feasting, but with a new twist. I think they call it food fusion, but really, it's more confusion. Take the "boxty." According to the menu, the boxty is a "traditional dish common to rural parts of Ireland which comprises of a potato pancake, rolled and stuffed with a filling." What would Ruaidhhri an Einigh (Rory the Hospitable) and Pilib na Tuaighe (Philip of the Battleaxe) think of a boxty filled with portobello and cajun spice, or another tossed in a sweet hoisin sauce, topped with pesto aoili and jicama slaw? Personally I dub the Seafood Boxty filled with yellow rice, salmon, cod, shrimp and mussels ($11.95, garnished with a zippy black bean and sweet corn relish) hiontach (Gaelic for wonderful). Dare I say (and with apologies to any battle axe-wielding Irishman) change isn't always a bad thing.

The crew and I (you know, my peeps, posse, what do the kids call it today?) popped into Fado on a recent Wednesday night and (to sum up quickly so I can talk about something else altogether) everyone enjoyed their meals, the pints were flowing (Harp Lager, Stel Artois, Murphy's Irish Amber) and the service was right on (our waitress even had a cute, Irish brogue--fake or not, you decide). At some point, much Bush Mills Irish Whiskey was consumed. Oh, yes, to immerse oneself in another culture in the safe and recognizable confines of a hotel-casino. Fado looks the part, tastes good and blah, blah--it's an Irish Pub--check it out, especially on Wednesday nights from 9 until midnight when the free entertainment takes center stage.

Killian's Angels is an all-female collective of absolutely beautiful and extraordinarily talented musicians belting out both drinking ditties and pop songs with equal aplomb. So well-received, it was recently announced that the pub has extended their contract throughout the year. It's no wonder. In addition to their unique estro-heavy component, each member brings with her a unique flavor and a penchant for intriguing instrumentation and arrangement. Take bass player Ginger Bruner (disclaimer: I was once in a punk rock polka band called Tippy Elvis with the incomparable Frau Bruner). Ginger (to many, the voice of public radio KNPR) is equally adept on bass guitar as swinging tuba. Lead singer Beth Mullaney, familiar to anyone who's wandered into the Excalibur and spied the lovely Mullivan's Edge, lists guitar, mandolin, harmonica and bodhran as her musical specialities. The vivacious Satomi Hofmann is angelic on harmonies (not to mention wicked on the spoons) and known for her work on the Strip in numerous production shows. Hot-shit violin virtuoso Lisa Viscuglia is one of the top string players in Nevada, and plucky Dolly Coulter can strum a gee-tar like the devil herself. So please trek to Fado (if you don't live close by) for goodness sake.

That said, why oh why must the valley be stretched so thin? (Yes, I'm back on that). Imagine if we were more densely packed...if all the rich people and retirees lived in harmony in the city proper, too. Would there be a call for more intellectually and culturally interesting projects? Would a performing arts center be such a Herculean endeavor? Would there be more centralized acts of charity benefiting the children and the homeless alike? Could the city take the shape of the dreamers of the '50s making a desert into a livable oasis? Nah! This is Vegas, buddy. Enjoy your faux suburbs and your "authentic" Irish pubs while you can. Things implode. Stretch to the mountains. Stretch to L.A. Stretch until you're paper thin and the wind whistles through your skin. Here come the monkey monkeys.

- Las Vegas Mercury


"A night with the Angels: Killian's Angels make Celtic-tinged rock fun"

The opening scene

Sunlight streams through a dark, wood-paneled office somewhere in Las Vegas. Five gorgeous women crowd around a huge oak desk, listening intently as a male voice with a thick Irish brogue crackles out of a speaker phone. "Top of the morning, Angels!"

"Morning, Killian!" reply the Angels in unison.

"Your assignment is to make it safe for people to menjoy their pints by playing good Celtic music with snap, sizzle and sparkle!"

"Don't we do that every week?" says one Angel, and the others laugh.

The other opening scene

As a matter of fact, they do indeed do that every week, currently at Fado, the Irish pub inside Green Valley Ranch Station. But there's no mysterious, musical mastermind from Galway directing them. "We needed a name when the band turned from a three-piece into a five-piece," says the Angels' bassist, tuba chick and raconteur Ginger Bruner. "We were playing at J.C. Wooloughan's at the time, and there was a poster for Killian's Irish Red above our heads while we were discussing it. Somebody said 'Killian' and somebody said 'Angels' and that was that."

Thus, Las Vegas' finest all-girl Celtic band was born. "I think we're the only all-girl Celtic band in Vegas," says Lisa Viscuglia as she warms up on her violin.

She doesn't have much room to do so. The real opening scene every week answers that age old theological question: How many Killian's Angels can dance on the head of a pin? The pin in this case is Fado's tiny stage, and the Angels wind up doing a great deal of close dancing as they maneuver their instruments and equipment into place. Each Angel seems to be a musical double or triple threat, playing multiple instruments and excelling on them all: guitars, banjos, mandolins, keyboards, fiddles, bass guitars, tubas, percussion, harmonica and spoons all prepped and ready.

The music

Lead vocalist Beth Mullaney, a singer/songwriter who has performed solo and in a Celtic duo at the Excalibur for many years, tunes her mandolin while wearing a decidedly un-angelic Devil Girl T-shirt, then switches back to guitar as Viscuglia launches into a fast-paced Irish vamp to get the evening going. Between them, Satomi Hofmann (vocals, guitars, piano) joins in, while to Mullaney's right Dolly Coulter (vocals, guitars, keyboards), her eyes hidden for a moment beneath a battered cowboy hat, swings into action on her guitar as well. Within minutes the crowd is swept up in the speeding train of rhythm the band lays down.

But it's the diversity of talents that make Killian's

Angels more than just another Irish bar band. Rock, folk, country, R&B and pop all work their way into the band's Celtic sensibility, and even the casual listener who's only dropped in for a Guinness is struck that the band could do anything, tailoring their rich store of musical lore to the venues they play. Mullaney, Coulter and Hoffman all trade off on lead vocals, giving each song, whatever its style, a personal stamp.

"Here's a little mix of countries and types, starting with a jig," announces Mullaney, and soon enough the Irish-style reeling and rocking is transmuted into a comical version of "Bad Moon Rising," with Mullaney singing "There's a bathroom on the right" in places.

Next comes the musical question "What shall we do with a drunken sailor?" which each Angel answers in her own inimitable way. By the time the band hits an unlikely but rousing cover of Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping," the crowd is theirs.

Next week's episode

More of the same. Killian's Angels, with their awesome array of musical talent, sense of fun, and eclectic takes on songs, is the best reason to make the long trek out to Green Valley Ranch Station on a Wednesday night, even better than that pint you've been dreaming of. Oh, and did we mention they're all gorgeous to boot? How many Irish bands can you say that about?


Copyright 2002 Las Vegas City Life
- Las Vegas Weekly


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

MULLANEY is high energy, ever moving, multi-layered music and dance with violin, mandolins, vocals, spoons, guitar, bodhran, world percussion, Irish tin whistle and more. Offering an extensive repertoire of hundreds of songs and styles, featuring music spanning hundreds of years, MULLANEY can be a solo with Beth or as a duo, trio or quartet, featuring 4 of the members of the popular Las Vegas band, Killian's Angels; Beth Mullaney, Willy Wainwright, Anne Donohue and Nannette Fortier.

Venues played include Tourism Ireland's Las Vegas convention, The National Firefighter's Convention, The Las Vegas Age of Chivalry Renaissance Faire, McMullan's Irish Pub, O'Mulligan's Pub in Primm, NV, Big Dog's Draft House, Big Dog's Winterfest and Henderson Artfest. They have also been featured with Killian's Angels at Brendan's Irish Pub, Todd English PUB in City Center, Excalibur, Boulder City Renaissance Faire, The International Food and Folklife Festival, The Son's of Erin St. Patrick's Day Festival, Henderson Artfest, Reed Whipple Cultural Center, Clark County Library Moonlight Music Concert Series and much more.

Individual band bio highlights include:

Nannette Fortier (nannettefortier.com) - Currently playing with Blue Man Group in Las Vegas; percussionist for Celine Dion on the sell-out 2008-2009 ‘Taking Chances’ World Tour; two year's as percussionist for Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, "A New Day"; toured Turkey/Europe as percussionist with pop-star Mustafa Sandal, performed with Scottish Pipe & Drums group, Japanese Taiko group, and studied Afro-Cuban and Afro Brazilian drumming with "O"percussionist, Kurt Rasmussen.

Willy Wainwright (willywainwright.com) - Performed extensively with Ricky Van Shelton, Patty Loveless, Eddy Raven, Jennifer Weatherly (Female Vocalist of the year, Swiss Country Music Federation), Career Highlights include regular appearances on “THE GRAND OL’ OPRY “ And The Nashville Television Network show “NASHVILLE NOW”, appeared 3 times at “WILLIE NELSONS FARM AID”, Ernest Tubb and the Texas Troubadors, The White House, “THE TONIGHT SHOW” with Jay Leno, “ AUSTIN CITY LIMITS”, Dick Clark Country Music Specials and the “CMA” Awards.

Beth Mullaney (bethmullaney.com) - Member of The Academy of Recording Musicians/ Grammy; Owner and CEO of MULLANEY MUSIC, a music production company specializing in performance and recording production; Founder and leader of the popular, all girl, Las Vegas based Celtic band, Killian's Angels; Arranged "Celtic High Step" and recorded with Killian's Angels. This song is featured in the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto IV; Arranged and Co-Produced Jeopardy theme song with Kilian's Angels. This was one of 5 award winning new Jeopardy jingles in 2006; Strolling and stage entertainer at Excalibur Las Vegas from 1994-2007; Toured extensively in fairs, festivals and colleges throughout the midwest, Played at Branson's Silver Dollar City International Music Festival; Produced 5 CD's; Beth Mullaney - Simon Says (1990), Beth Mullaney - Home (2003), Killian's Angels - co-produced with Killian's Angels(2003), Killian's Angels - The Ladies Room - co-Produced (2004), LIFE - St. Baldrick's compilation (2008).

Anne Donohue - Born in New York and raised in Connecticut, Anne moved to Las Vegas in 2001 and continues to be a popular force in the Las Vegas Acoustic music scene, working regularly with acoustic artists including Killian's Angels, Michael Soli, Rick Duarte, and as a popular solist. In 2005 joined Las Vagrants, a roots/funk band that became a local favorite known for their raw, powerful and inventive sound. Anne performed as lead vocalist with New England bands including the Delta Blues Band with Rocky Lawrence, and regional swing/R&B favorites Eight to the Bar; and performed and recorded with the Who Whos, an all original music group featuring a female vocal trio. Anne also contributed vocals to a number of recordings including New Orleans blues singer and guitarist Kenny Neal's Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain on the Telarc label, and Wicked Time by Christine Ohlman of the Saturday Night Live Band.