Entertainers

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Irishfest - La Crosse is in the process of scheduling entertainers for the 2008 festival which will be held August 8th through August 10th. Interested entertainers may
click here for more information.

Thank you.

2008 Entertainment Chair
entertainment@irishfestlax.org



The Elders
Friday, August 8th
http://www.eldersmusic.com

High octane and progressive, yet rooted in tradition, The Elders have set the Celtic/American music scene on its ear with a skillful mix of amped-up roots rock, powerful vocals, blazing instrumentals and top-notch song writing.

They create original music that transcends the stereotypical notion of Celtic music and they deliver it with passion and fire. The songs are mystical, comical, political and cultural while covering a wide variety of topics such as poverty, civil war, family bonds, spirituality, love and friendship.

The Elders continuously attracting capacity crowds throughout the US and abroad. Their fan-base is ever-expanding, consisting of people of all ages, from all walks of life, many who follow the band from gig to gig, sometimes driving for hundreds of miles to see their energetic performances.



The Fuchsia Band
Friday, August 8th and Saturday, August 9th
http://www.thefuchsiaband.com



Gaelic Storm
Saturday, August 9th and Sunday, August 10th
http://www.gaelicstorm.com

Since its inception nearly ten years ago, Gaelic Storm continue to broaden the musical horizons of the Celtic music genre by creating compelling originals and fresh arrangements steeped in Irish traditional melody and acoustic instrumentation combined with their unique blend of world rhythms. Released on July 25, 2006, the band's latest album Bring Yer Wellies (Lost Again Records) debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Chart, #16 on the Internet Sales Chart and #31 on the Independent Album Chart. The 14 new tracks capture the contagious energy of Gaelic Storm's renowned live performances. Channeling the rowdy communal feel of an Irish pub on raucous sing-alongs, driving pipe sets and spirited fiddle tunes, the band's sixth studio album was recorded in a one-month fury in April 2006 at The Zone recording studio in Austin Texas.

The new album comes on the heels of the band's first concert DVD, Live In Chicago, released in January this year. The Hi-Def DVD was taped on September 14, 2005 before a packed audience at the House of Blues Chicago. The 2-hour video showcases the trademark energetic performance and enthusiastic audience interaction that make the band a front-runner in the Celtic music genre today.

Touring aggressively and playing over 125 dates a year, Gaelic Storm routinely breaks attendance and merchandise sales records, pushing their popularity beyond the World music genre and into the mainstream music consciousness. Gaelic Storm performed on The Rock Boat 2004 along with mainstream rock bands such as Cowboy Mouth, Tonic, Sister Hazel and Gavin Degraw and set the Rock Boat CD sales record. The band was invited back to The Rock Boat in 2006 alongside acts such as Better Than Ezra and Marc Broussard. Gaelic Storm broke the attendance record previously held by Alan Jackson at the Albuquerque, NM Bio-Park and they continue to headline some of the largest Celtic and Folk festivals in the world including Festival Interceltique in Lorient, Brittany, the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, and Dublin Irish Festival. Remarkably, the band has headlined the largest U.S. Irish Festival, Milwaukee Irish Fest, for 4 straight years, and has become an exception to the festival's usual policy of not inviting artists to perform in consecutive years.

Gaelic Storm released their fifth album "How Are We Getting Home?" in August 2004 (Lost Again Records) which debuted at #3 on the Billboard World Music Charts and #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and re-entered the September 2005 World Albums Chart at #3. Their previous four albums (Higher Octave Records/Virgin-EMI) have all charted high on the Billboard World Music Chart, including reaching the #2 position on three different occasions. Since their selftitled first album (#5 on Billboard's World Music Chart) and their appearance in the film Titanic, Gaelic Storm continues to thunder onto stages around the world.

On St. Patrick's Day, 1996, co-founders Patrick Murphy of Cork City, Ireland (vocals, piano, accordion, spoons, harmonica) and New Yorker Steve Wehmeyer (bodhran, vocals, didgeridoo) officially joined forces with Steve Twigger of Coventry, England (vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki), at O'Brien's pub in Santa Monica, California. Their first performance was such a hit that the crowd refused to let them off the stage for the next act. In 1997, Gaelic Storm was catapulted out of their formative pub haunts by an appearance in the blockbuster film Titanic. Cast as the "party band" in the steerage scene, they landed the part while still drinking pints and playing weekly at O'Brien's. After the film's release, the band was met by huge crowds on their first tour. However, they still pride themselves on remaining as accessible as ever and sharing "a pint" with fans whenever possible.

Gaelic Storm also includes: Ryan Lacey on drums and world percussion (graduated twice from the Los Angeles Music Academy, once for hands and once for sticks), Pete Purvis of Merrickville, Ontario on uillean pipes, tin whistle, daeger pipes and highland pipes (a Grade 1 piper who toured with award winning pipe bands including the Braemar Pipe Band and played at 2000 Sydney Olympics) and the newest member of the band Jessie Burns on fiddle (originally from Suffolk, England, now living in Colorado).



The Screaming Orphans
Friday, August 8th and Saturday, August 9th
http://www.screamingorphans.com



Scythian
Saturday, August 9th and Sunday, August 10th
http://www.scythianmusic.com


 

 





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