69th Pa. Irish Band Hopes For Movie Boost

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The 69th Pennsylvania Irish Volunteers hope to boost their fundraising through their band’s appearance in a movie.

During a performance two years ago at the Sumneytown Tavern in Lansdale, Pa., Faith Sherry and Keith Feighan, husband and wife and co-founders of independent film company Anomaly Pictures, were in the audience. They were taken with the band’s music and uniforms and wrote the band into their latest film.

The couple recently filmed “Placebo” in Montgomery and Bucks counties. Band member Robert Levine said some of the 69th Volunteers performed in a scene and a song from the band’s new release, “In Their Honor,” will be used in the film score. They shot their scene at a bar in Schwenksville.

The movie is described on line as being “a coming of age dramedy [comedy and drama] about a 20-something male who struggles with the effects of alcohol on his family and friends, ultimately leading to a discovery that their alcohol related behaviors are not what they seem.”

Sherry and Feighan have produced three award-winning short films and have done work for the ABC Family Channel and The Philadelphia Theater Company.

The 69th Pennsylvania Irish Volunteers band has 19 Civil War ballads and Irish music, with seven original songs, on the new CD, which honors the patriotism and courage of the men of the 69th Pennsylvania Regiment and fallen soldiers of all eras.

All proceeds are donated to organizations that honor the memory of Civil War heroes. The 69th Irish Volunteers take part in reenactments, parades, cemetery dedications and band performances to raise funds. Levin said donation recipients include the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg, Antietam National Battlefield, tombstone dedications, classroom programs and scholarships.

CWPT President James Lighthizer said, “There is no group of its kind like the 69th Pennsylvania that has done more for preservation.” Since 1999 the unit has raised more than $80,000, putting the unit into the CWPT’s “Top 250” donors to battlefield preservation. All of the funds came from two CDs and donations from more than 100 businesses.

Capt. John Kopich says members of the 69th hope publicity from the film will enable them to raise more money. “We need funds to be able to continue to fulfill our organization’s core mission, which is to preserve and honor Civil War history,” he said.

Both the new “In Their Honor” CD and the first one, “Rock of Erin,” are available for $18.95 each, including shipping, from The 69th Pennsylvania Irish Volunteers, P.O. Box 14598, Philadelphia, PA 19115. Go to www.pa69Irish.com for additional information.