Altan
No Irish traditional band in the last dozen years
has had a wider impact on audiences and music lovers
throughout the world than Altan.
With their exquisitely produced award-winning
recordings, ranging dynamically from the most sensitive
and touching old Irish songs all the way to hard
hitting reels and jigs, and with their heartwarming,
dynamic live performances, Altan have moved audiences
from Donegal to Tokyo to Seattle.
Throughout, there has been the unwavering commitment
of the band to bringing the beauty of traditional
music, particularly that of the Donegal fiddlers
and singers, to contemporary audiences in a way
that brings out all its qualities and destroys none.
In fact, Altan have always believed that Irish
traditional music is a modern music in every sense
and its growing influence and popularity have proved
them right.
Altan's international status and success found
a very practical recognition when they were signed
in 1996 to Virgin Records, the first Irish band
of their kind to be signed by a major label. The
band gained gold and platinum albums in Ireland
and toured larger venues, literally throughout the
world, with tours in Japan, Australia, New Zealand,
Europe as well as regular successful U.S. tours.
In spite of a hectic touring and recording schedule,
Altan continue fresh in their vision of bringing
the beauty and joy of traditional music to audiences
everywhere, and have always promised themselves
to continue as long as it's fun -- fortunately,
it still is!
Battlefield Band
Under their banner Forward with Scotland’s Past,
Battlefield Band have been performing on the international
scene for more than three decades, inspired by their
rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength
of the modern Scottish cultural scene. The band,
who pioneered the integration of bagpipes with fiddle,
keyboards, guitar and voice, mix the old songs and
tunes with new self-penned material, playing them
on a unique fusion of ancient and modern instruments:
bagpipes, synthesizers, fiddles, guitars, cittern,
bass, whistles, and bouzouki.
Founded by a group of friends in 1969 and named
after the ‘Battlefield’ area of Glasgow, Battlefield
Band now perform throughout the world, playing to
audiences in Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle
East & Canada, as well as more than 60 cities annually
in the United States. Their music is played regularly
on National Public Radio’s Thistle and Shamrock
program, and they are frequent guests on Minnesota
Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion.
In September 13th 2003, Battlefield Band were
awarded Best Live Act at the first annual Scots
Trad Music Awards. The awards celebrate Scotland’s
thriving traditional musical scene; the nominees
chosen by a panel of Scotland’s traditional music
experts, and the winners chosen by popular public
vote. Still leading the way after 30 years! This
is the band that others measure themselves against.
Over the years new members have brought with them
new ideas, new music, new instruments, attitudes
and influences, leading to continued creativity,
freshness and enthusiasm.
Brock McGuire Band
Residing in County Clare, button accordionist/melodeonist
Paul Brock and fiddler Manus McGuire have been at
the forefront of Irish music for many years through
their joint work with ‘Moving Cloud’ (which they
formed in 1989). Manus is also a founding member
of ‘Buttons & Bows', and both bands, ranking among
Ireland’s finest, have helped to introduce international
audiences to the virtuosity of their playing. Paul
and Manus are joined in the band by the brilliant
Galway musician, Enda Scahill, and by accompanist
Denis Carey.
A multiple All-Ireland champion born in Athlone,
County Westmeath, and now residing in Ennis, Paul
Brock pursued a solo career through the 60’s and
70’s by mastering the single-row, two-row, three-row,
and five-row button accordions. His collaborations
with fiddle player Frankie Gavin during the 70’s
and 80’s culminated in their 1986 Gael-Linn recording
‘Tribute to Joe Cooley’, regarded by critics and
fellow musicians as one of the outstanding traditional
albums of the modern era.
In May 1989, Paul co-founded the group Moving
Cloud with Manus McGuire. This Clare-based group
produced two albums for Green Linnet Records, including
their 1994 self-titled release that was selected
by well-known U.S. music critic Earle Hitchner as
the best Irish traditional album of the year. Paul
was voted as 'Best Male Musician' (2004) by the
Irish American News.
Born in Tullamore, County Offaly, raised in Sligo
Town, and now residing in Scariff, East Clare, Manus
McGuire is an Irish fiddler who blends dazzling
technique with faultlessly far-ranging taste. In
Sligo, Manus instinctively developed the local fiddle
style made famous by such legendary Sligo fiddlers
as Michael Coleman, James Morrison and Paddy Killoran.
Manus’s musical mettle became apparent to all in
1970, the year he won Sligo’s prestigious Fiddler
of Dooney competition – at age 14.
Brother
BROTHER has toured internationally for over a
decade. Along the way the band has performed alongside
some of the biggest names in music, from the likes
of the Eagles', Joe Walsh and Jon Entwhistle of
The Who, to superstars Alicia Keys and Linkin Park.
Soundtrack credits include BARAKA (Australia's longest
running feature film), the Twilight Zone and a cameo
appearance on NBC's 'ER'.
Angus and his brothers first came to Los Angeles
from Australia as little more than fresh-faced farm
boys after leading their high school pipe band to
successive Australian championship crowns. In LA,
they found themselves busking at Venice Beach, the
Hollywood Bowl and Universal Studios to survive.
Since those days, BROTHER toured extensively evolving
its trademark sound free from current musical trends
and industry pigeon holes. The band has released
12 albums, sold more CDs in the USA than any other
independent Australian act and is now regularly
cited as a role model within the independent scene.
BROTHER live today is a powerhouse Celtic tribal
trio. The band's legendary live shows have reached
a whole new level, with soul brothers Angus, Dalbo
and Drew filling the stage with their energy and
sound.
Celtic Spring
Referred to as the "Von Trapp family of Celtic
music," and recently voted one of the top acts in
the finals of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Celtic
Spring is a fiddle and dance band composed of the
six Wood family siblings on fiddles and in dance
shoes, joined by their father on the traditional
Irish drum, the bodhran, and their mother on the
piano. Celtic Spring’s awe-inspiring performances
feature a rich variety of music from the Celtic
lands and beyond, including original compositions,
with arrangements that range in expression from
lyrical beauty to dance tempo exuberance.
The band members are also championship Irish
dancers. Wearing colorful and ornate costumes, the
children perform spirited reels, jigs, and hornpipes,
dancing in both the graceful soft shoes and the
powerful hard shoes. Throughout the performance
some of the fiddles will be exchanged for dance
shoes, creating the dynamic interaction between
the music and the dance. The show culminates with
the band members effortlessly fiddling and dancing
simultaneously!
Piers Morgan, the British judge of America’s
Got Talent, said of all five Wood children: "They
are brilliant and could win the million dollars!"
The David Munnelly Band
Irish button accordion wizard David Munnelly
& his popular, multi-award winning group bring new
excitement to Irish music with their jazzy Irish
tunes influenced by the Golden Age of Irish music
of the 1920’s & ‘30’s & their stunning traditional
songs, all performed with an exuberance, energy,
and a fiery passion that has won them widespread
audiences around the world.
Based in County Mayo, with members from Donegal,
Dublin, & Galway, The David Munnelly Band has exploded
onto the international Celtic music scene in the
past four years with hit albums in Europe, Japan
& North America. Featured on a PBS-TV special, National
Public Radio, Ireland’s TG4, & on BBC World Television's
program "Destination Music," the group is acclaimed
for their outstanding, precision musicianship and
exciting live shows.
David Munnelly - Composer of the Year, 2004,
2005 (Ireland) Best Traditional Artist, 2005 (LiveIreland.com,
Irish American News) Best Vocalist, 2006 (LiveIreland.com,
Irish American News) The David Munnelly Band - Concert
of the Year, 2006, 2007 (Irish American New, LiveIreland.com),
Best Band, 2005 (Irish American News, LiveIreland.com)
Kieran Munnelly - Composer of the Year, 2004 (Ireland)
Shauna Mullin - All-Ireland Champion / English Language
Song, Newcomer of the Year 2007 (LiveIreland.com,
Irish American News) Fergal Scahill - All-Ireland
Fiddle & Bodhran Champion
OTHER CREDITS: David performed with The Chieftains
from the age of 21 to 25, and is featured on The
Chieftains' CD "Water From The Well." He also was
a member of Irish supergroup DeDanaan. He has released
three critically acclaimed albums with his own group,
and a fourth CD is scheduled for release in 2008.
MEDIA: The David Munnelly Band has been seen
worldwide on the BBC World Television program "Destination
Music: Ireland" for their headlining performance
at Ireland's prestigious Ballyshannon Festival.
They have also been featured in the U.S. on Superstation
WGN-TV, and were highlighted in a two-part concert
on NPR's "Celtic Connections," aired on over 100
stations across America.
Paul Keating of the Irish Voice says, "A real
crowd-pleaser and one of the more fascinating groups
coming out of Ireland...the band to see!" Bill Margeson
of LiveIreland.com & the Irish American News states,
“There is no more loved group in the tradition…Munnelly
is a creative force at the true epicenter of Irish
music…
Munnelly is arguably the best button box player
in the world (though fans of Brock MaGuire might
want to argue the point)...brilliant, brilliant
music...Miss it, and you'll be missing where the
tradition is going."
Ed Miller
A perennial favorite for many years, Austin's
resident Scotsman, Ed Miller is back at NTIF
with his fine voice and great mixture of Scots songs,
old and new, funny and serious. Singer, folklorist,
radio host, teacher, tour guide - Miller is one
of Scotland's best singing exports, a product of
the Scottish folk revival who crossed the Atlantic
many years ago to study at the University of Texas.
Over the past 2 decades, he has moved from academia
to full-time performing and is in great demand at
festivals and clubs throughout North America.
Joining Ed will be Scottish fiddler par excellence,
John Taylor, now resident in San Jose and
increasingly recognized as one of the best, most
pleasant and most knowledgeable carriers of the
rich Scots fiddle tradition. Rich Brotherton,
on guitar and bouzouki, also adds his prodigious
talents to a trio that never fails to entertain
and enthrall. Rich plays lead guitar in the Robert
Earl Keen band; but his first love is Celtic music,
and he has produced and played on all 7 of Miller's
CD's.
The Matt & Shannon Heaton
Band
Matt & Shannon Heaton’s traditional and modern
Irish music is a simultaneously cheery, refined,
and homegrown mix of traditional dance tunes, heart-wrenching
ballads and appealing originals. The Boston-based
duo moves seamlessly from flute- and guitar-based
instrumentals to songs about love, death, and bicycles.
With the reverence for tradition that purists crave,
and the timeless stories and stirring melodies that
song-lovers adore, the Heatons offer a show rich
in variety and emotion.
Joining them at this year’s NTIF will be acclaimed
dancer/choreographer Kieran Jordan. Originally from
Philadelphia, this Boton-based luminary of dance
has appeared onstage throughout the States and Ireland,
with such productions as Celtic Christmas Sojourn,
Childsplay, “And They Called it Ireland,” and the
Bias and Catskills summer music programs.
Also joining the Heatons will be stellar accordionist
and currently Boston-based Dan Gurney, originally
hailing from the Hudson Valley, where he developed
his largely self-taught, virtuosic button box style.
He has won the Eastern U.S. Fleadh Cheoil Irish
music competition six times, and won a bronze medal
at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil. He has performed
alongside Celtic music giants John Whelan, Paddy
OBrien, Joe Derrane, Johnny Cunningham, Tony DeMarco,
and Cherish the Ladies.
Needfire
Needfire's music is a unique mix of all original
high energy modern rock and traditional Scottish
and Irish music. This five-piece Texas-based Celtic-rock
band combines the talents of an award-winning Grade
I Highland bagpiper, Celt-rock fiddle, and tribal
didgeridoo with electric guitars, bass and drums.
The group is comprised of seasoned performers whose
music has been submitted for Grammy awards, won
songwriting awards, and has appeared in movie soundtracks
and television shows.
With two CD releases to date, Needfire's music
is currently being aired on radio stations and internet
podcasts across the U.S. and Europe. Needfire is
just at ease in the rock songs as in the ballads.
...Needfire is fresh and explosive! Needfire's high
energy shows and original sound have been captivating
audiences of all ages at festivals, theatres, colleges,
and clubs throughout the U.S. Get set for Needfire:
modern rock with deep Celtic roots, fire-driven
instrumentals and hard-rocking songs. Needfire-
electric, acoustic, traditional, original.
“A band out of Texas that kicks some serious
ass!" - Celtic Music News
Nollaig Casey & Arty McGlynn
Nollaig Casey and Arty McGlynn are an extraordinary
duo with a rich mix of talent and experience. They
first met in Dublin in 1979, after which their musical
paths crossed again and again at recording sessions,
television and radio studios and on stage with Andy
Irvine, Planxty, Makem & Clancy and Maura O'Connell.
The more they played together the more they enjoyed
each other's company and in 1984 they married. In
1990 they recorded their first album together. Lead
the Knave was released to great critical acclaim
and was awarded the Belfast Telegraph Entertainment
Media and Arts Award for excellence in the field
of Folk Music. Together, they arranged and played
music for the sound track of the feature films Moondance
and Hear My Song, based on the life of singer Joseph
Locke, in which they also made an appearance.
Nollaig is one of Ireland's most gifted musicians,
with her own unique way of playing traditional Irish
music on the fiddle and such an utterly distinctive
sound that it would be impossible to mistake it
for that of anyone else. This "sound" is so attractive
to other musicians that there exists hardly any
major Irish artist of the last twenty years with
whom she has not worked. Her powerful presence graced
Dónal Lunny’s ground-breaking band Coolfin, of which
she was a founder member and with whom she had a
busy international touring schedule. Nollaig’s been
working with Dónal off and on for over twenty years
starting with the legendary band Planxty.
Arty is without question the finest guitar player
in Ireland with a unique understanding of music
he performs. Born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, his family
was steeped in traditional music and when he was
eleven his mother bought him his first guitar. Despite
his traditional music background his first influences
were Wes Montgomery, Thelonius Monk and other giants
of the jazz scene. By the time he was fifteen he
was playing professionally and touring throughout
Ireland. Towards the end of the seventies Arty revived
his interest in Irish traditional music and recorded
his first solo album, McGlynn's Fancy. This was
the first recording where the guitar is played in
an authentic traditional style, and as such has
been hailed as a classic in the traditional music
world. He subsequently became one of the most sought
after musicians in the country, playing and recording
with Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny, Liam
O'Flynn and the Chieftains. He also played as a
member of Planxty, Patrick Street, De Danann and
the Van Morrison Band. He collaborated with Frances
Black on her first two albums, Talk to Me and The
Sky Road, both of which topped the charts in Ireland.
Seamus Kennedy
In his thirty years of professional performing,
Seamus has taken his music from Alaska to Florida,
Maryland to California and a host of stops in between,
playing everything from the pubs to the concert
halls. As a result, he is a master showman of exceptional
musical skills and unmatched repartee.
The Washington Area Music Association has awarded
him a WAMMIE for “Best Irish/Celtic Male Vocalist”
every year since 1993. His versatility makes him
a headliner at Celtic festivals such as Hunter Mountain
(NY); Celtic Classic (PA); Longs Peak Scottish Irish
Festival, (CO) and at Sacramento (CA) Highland Games.
Seamus is often invited to perform for various organizations,
including the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Fraternal
Order of Police, Firemen, military groups and the
Bar Association.
There is always something for everybody. Seamus’
trademark is his ongoing interaction with his audiences.
From the moment he steps on stage, he starts talking
to them — and encourages them to talk back! He is
quick with a quip and likes nothing better than
to discover someone in the audience who is similarly
inclined. Fast-paced humor is very much a part of
what Seamus does, whether he’s telling a series
of rapid-fire jokes or launching into a lyrical
parody. In fact, Seamus seems to be having such
a grand time and he makes it all look so effortless
that it is easy not to notice what a superb musician
he truly is.
Shay & Michael Black
Say and Michael Black are members of Ireland’s
foremost family of song. The brothers are among
the country’s finest and most popular singers. They
are highly regarded for their diverse and strong
voices, which The Irish Echo described as “exquisite”,
“exhilarating”, and “nothing short of thrilling”.
Their unique sound combines Shay’s hearty, robust
singing and Michael’s thrilling tenor, and alternates
between unsurpassed solos and close harmonies.
Irish Music Magazine has praised their “fine
acapella singing” as an “intricate tapestry of family
voices”. Their unique sound is an effortless blending
of Shay’s hearty, robust singing and Michael’s thrilling
tenor. In addition to their fine vocal talents,
the brothers adroitly accompany themselves on a
variety of instruments including guitar, banjo,
and bass mandola. The recent addition of keyboardist
Bryan Seet and cellist Myra Chaney has added considerably
to the overall richness of the group’s multifaceted
sound.
When the two brothers come together to perform,
their solos and close harmonies create a sheer celebration
of singing which they generously share with their
audience. Shay draws from the rich tradition of
Liverpool sea songs along with more contemporary
songs of England and Scotland. Michael’s solo work
and extensive touring with Ireland’s best traditional
musicians adds a key element to their unique musical
recipe. His recent solo album, Michael Black has
received excellent reviews and is one of fifty albums
short listed for the 2008 Grammies. It is produced
by John Doyle and features many outstanding musicians
and all members of the Black Family. A popular aspect
of Shay and Michael’s performance is their lively
introductions and easy audience rapport. They always
welcome participation, adding to the fun. SHAY &
MICHAL BLACK are a musical delight to relish again
and again.
Town Pants
The Pacific Northwest may not be the first place
you would expect to hear rollicking Celtic, Folk
or World music, but The Town Pants are determined
to change that. The Vancouver, Canada– based band
combines aspects of Irish traditional, acoustic
pop, roots Americana, even Australian and Mexican
influences, to create their own unique brand of
“West Coast Celtic.”
Armed with a pawnshop’s worth of musical instruments,
The Town Pants play songs that appeal to young and
old alike. The music of The Town Pants remains in
the heart and head long after the music stops. The
Keogh brothers, Dave and Duane, lead the band in
vocals and instrumentation with banjo and acoustic
guitar, teamed with Aaron Chapman on tin whistle,
harmonica and vocals, and fiddle maven Virginia
Schwartz, who weaves a fiery thread through the
songs. Together they generate a rare blend of passion,
energy, animation and spirit. With the added musical
touch of a hand percussionist and bass player, The
Town Pants are unsurpassed with their fast-paced
West Coast Celtic style.
Feverish and stampeding, The Town Pants’ lively
renditions of traditional and contemporary Celtic-influenced
tunes, combined with the group’s original compositions,
create a distinctive sound that has attracted fans
from around the world. At home, Vancouver fans selected
The Town Pants as one of their favorite National
Celtic/Traditional Acts in Vancouver’s Georgia Straight
entertainment weekly annual “Best of Vancouver”
readers’ poll, where they were short listed with
such groups as Great Big Sea and Natalie MacMaster.
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