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Chris Shannon Chris is an Irish American who grew up in the Tenth Ward on Rochester’s Northwest side. About ten years ago, he decided to write about the world of the Tenth Ward through a book about the life and music of those loyal sons of the Tenth Ward, John and Joe Dady, The Dady Brothers. That project became Singing From the Heart: The Dady Brothers, Irish Music and Ethnic Endurance, published in 2025.
While writing the book, Shannon began writing songs to tell the story of the Tenth Ward Irish in the larger context of the changes in postwar American culture. These songs are folk songs. Usually, the term “folk music” conjures up images of “long ago and far away”—be it Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, or Old Ireland. But folk music is simply music about everyday life, and Irish American life went on in the Tenth Ward after World War II. Shannon’s folk songs about that life became “A Little Slip of Heaven,” a song-and-story stage show that he began performing several years ago—most recently at a sold-out show at the MuCCC (Multi-Use Community Cultural Center) in 2024. At each of these shows, he received requests for recordings. In December of 2025, he decided to finally honor those requests by stepping into the studio and recording the ten songs of the stage show. Many thanks to Dave Kaspersin of Dynamic Recording, located on historic Dewey Avenue!
“Dewey Ave.” just happens to be the first song on the CD. The songs reflect on Irish American life from the very local (the drinking life of Tenth Ward bars) to the national (the assassination of John F. Kennedy) and many things in-between (the “Little Irish” football of Aquinas Institute and Bishop Sheen). A concept album of sorts, “Little Slip of Heaven” ultimately tells the story of the tension between living the American Dream of success and staying rooted in a local community: the Tenth Ward Irish lived some of the American Dream but never abandoned their loyalty to the old neighborhood.
A solo acoustic performance, Shannon will perform many of the songs from the CD, along with new songs about Rochester and the Tenth Ward. CDs will be available for purchase ($10.00 each). For a sample of the music, listen to “Alameda” at https://dynamicmusic.com/chrisshannon/
Doors 7pm, Music 7:30pm
Cover: $7
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Event Venue
153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester, NY, United States, New York 14604
Tickets
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