 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A
| B | C | D | E | F
| G | H | I | J | K
| L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T
| U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Irishfest - La Crosse is in the process of scheduling entertainers for the 2011 festival which will be held August 12th through August 14th. Interested entertainers may click here for more information.
Thank you.
2011 Entertainment Chair
Patrick
Ball
http://www.patrickball.com
Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players
in the world and a captivating spoken word artist. He has recorded nine
instrumental and three spoken word albums which have sold well over
one-half million copies internationally and won national awards in both
the music and spoken word categories.
Along with Celtic Harp and Story, his beguiling blend of music and spoken word concerts, Patrick has written and currently performs two acclaimed solo musical theater pieces: O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music, which brings to the stage the legendary life, the turbulent times and the glorious music of Ireland’s most celebrated and beloved musician, Turlough O’Carolan, and The Fine Beauty of the Island, a musical journey to Ireland’s legendary Blasket Islands in search of a deeply haunting tune and the vanished islanders who played it. Patrick also presents an ensemble performance, The Flame of Love, a spoken word and Early Music retelling of the greatest of medieval legends, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult.
Patrick Ball is
“a rare artist.” For in playing the ancient, legendary brass-strung
harp of Ireland with its crystalline, bell-like voice and performing
marvelous tales of wit and enchantment, he not only brings new life
to two cherished traditions, but blends them in concert to create “a
richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful performance.”
The
Elders
http://www.eldersmusic.com
Take a group of Kansas City musicians with a passion
for Celtic music, an Irishman with a love of all things American, and
you get a cross-pollination of elements that is high octane and progressive,
yet rooted in tradition. What they have come to discover is something
unaffected by fads, trends and the giant maw of mind-numbing commercialism.
Some call it arsekickin music from the heartland. Robert Oermann of
" MUSIC ROW Magazine calls The Elders “a band to shout from
the rooftops about."
Since forming in 1998, The Elders have brought their musical mix of amped-up roots rock, powerful vocals, blazing instrumentals and top-notch songwriting to festivals, pubs and theaters across the United States and Ireland. Through it all their four studio albums, two live albums and DVD have become sales staples at festivals and gift shops across the US. The band is now poised to break wide open with their latest release, Racing the Tide, featuring the first Triple-A Radio single "Send a Prayer." The band is already familiar to many television viewers, thanks to the more than 100 PBS stations that have aired their "Live at the Gem" Concert Special.
The Elders are fronted by charismatic Irishman, Ian Byrne from County Wicklow, and backed by a group of wicked-fine Kansas City musicians. Band members include guitarist Steve Phillips (The Rainmakers), bassist Norm Dahlor (Tommy Shaw Band), violinist Brent Hoad, drummer Tommy Sutherland, and keyboardist Joe Miquelon (Asleep at the Wheel). All are well-known veteran musicians having played in numerous recording and touring bands before forming The Elders.
These six gentlemen 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. They tell us stories of people, places and events - some distant, some recent, some real and some imagined.
The band tours as
headline performers at festivals in major cities such as Philadelphia,
New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Denver as well as secondary
markets in the north-east, south-east and mid-west regions. They will
wind up their fourth tour of Ireland in March, 2007 just in time for
the 5th annual “Elders Saint Patrick’s Day Hoolie"
at the Uptown Theatre in Kansas City.
The Elders have had airplay at over 120 radio stations across the country
and have been featured live on Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. The single
"Send A Prayer" is currently being serviced to Triple-A Radio
by Upstart Entertainment out of Los Angeles, CA, with an emphasis on
major market public radio, NPR and syndicated shows like World Cafe,
Acoustic Cafe and Thistle and Shamrock.
Enter The Haggis
http://www.enterthehaggis.com
Over the past three albums and five years, Toronto's Celtic rock band Enter The Haggis has found itself at the center of a grassroots success story ever teetering on the brink of mainstream success. From playing Celtic festivals to headlining them, and from the festival circuit to selling out multiple nights in rock venues, ETH has blazed a path with heavy and almost constant touring up and down the East Coast, to Canada, the West Coast and back again, winning over success one fan, one town, one region at a time.
The band has made waves in the musicality of the genre, landing Billboard and iTunes World Music charting as well as major television appearances on shows like Live With Regis And Kelly, A&E Breakfast With the Arts and PBS' popular program Out of Ireland, with its multi-influence style of Celtic rock. It's the kind of overall sound and devotion package that has created not only die-hard fans, but "Haggis Heads" that follow the band from gig to gig.
The band has been together in its current incarnation since members met in the early 2000s in Toronto, where more than half the band was studying its craft in the city's colleges and universities. With that kind of classically trained background Enter The Haggis is constantly honing and evolving its sound - blending elements of rock and pop with traditional Celtic fare, an art school eclecticism and a keen sense of arrangement. Past records have seen the band dabble in roots, funk, even adding prog rock elements to the mix, but ETH always manages to bring it home. Alternating between upbeat rock numbers with sing-along choruses and slower, more introspective alt pop songs, the band plays progressive and lyrically driven music that's strongly rooted in Celtic tradition - from the storytelling to the bagpipes.
"We like to
experiment musically, pushing the boundaries of what people think of
as Celtic music," said vocalist and guitarist Trevor Lewington.
"Some of our grooves, melodies and lyrics are quite different from
other bands that we play with."
This year the band plans to focus more than ever on its homeland, and
is looking forward to spending a great deal of time in Canadian territory.
Gutter Anthems will be released on United for Opportunity on March 24,
2009 amid a March East Coast tour, including a blowout celebration on
St. Patrick's Day at The Mod Club in the band's native Toronto. "We've
started feeling nostalgia for our homeland," said fiddler, keyboardist
and vocalist Brian Buchanan. "And this album feels more distinctly
and unapologetically Canadian than our previous albums." This year
Canada. Next year the world.
The Fuchsia Band
http://www.thefuchsiaband.com
The Fuchsia Band are a group of 4 lads from Cork, Ireland who play, dance, sing, and generally have a good time like it (used to be) is in Ireland. We're Traditional Irish musicians with emphasis on fun and general entertainment!
Girsa
http://www.girsamusic.com
Girsa is an exciting all star ensemble of young ladies who create powerful and spirited Irish traditional music, song, and dance.
Comprised of young women from the Pearl River, NY area, Girsa means “young girls” in Gaelic. Steeped in the Irish music and cultural tradition, they have studied their instruments and dance with gifted teachers who pass on the time-honored tunes and songs. Many are the daughters of musicians and Irish immigrants.
All have had the distinction of representing the United States at the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann and several girls hold titles in various instruments.
Goitse
http://www.goitse.ie
Traditional Melodies, Modern Rhythms and new compositions are synthesized by this five piece band all of whom are students of Traditional Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.
The band,
which is now entering its third year, was formed after Eoin Coughlan
asked musicians to play for Telethon at Dolan’s, Limerick. The
session produced exciting playing and an instant chemistry between the
musicians and on that night Goitse was formed.
All five students
are rooted firmly within the tradition and are well known and
respected within Irish music circles. Their recently released CD includes
many
of their own compositions and owes its distinctive sound to the collaborative
arrangements by all members.
Ian Gould
http://www.iangouldmusic.com
Through his music and travels Ian has had the privilege of living and studying in Perth, Scotland and living in some other fine European cities such as London, Brussels and Amsterdam. Although he is still a continuous traveler, Ian is now a “permanent resident” of the United States. A veteran bassist who has toured with bands throughout Europe and the U.S.A, Ian currently lives with his wife and two children near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a solo artist popular throughout the Midwest, from Minneapolis, (MN) to Chicago (IL), Dubuque (IA), to Holland (MI). “I’m fortunate to live where I live, because the Irish scene is vibrant. I meet so many wonderful people as I travel around. The pubs are warmer and the beer is colder than in Ireland, but other than that it feels like home.”
The High Kings
http://www.thehighkings.com
Ireland’s PLATINUM ‘Folk Band of the Year’, THE HIGH KINGS is comprised of Darren Holden (star of the Broadway hit show by Billy Joel 'Movin' Out'), Finbarr Clancy (of the well-known Clancy family), Martin Furey (son of the 'prince of pipers' Finbar Furey) and Brian Dunphy (son of show band legend Sean Dunphy). A quartet of accomplished musical pedigrees, the band first exploded onto the Irish folk music scene in 2008 with their self-titled debut CD and DVD and was introduced to American audiences on Public Television. They have sold out hundreds of shows, in Ireland and the US, made numerous TV appearances and achieved platinum status in Ireland with both albums. On their new album Memory Lane, The High Kings showcase their incredible versatility and skills as
multi-instrumentalists, playing 13 instruments between the four of them, bringing arousing acoustic flavor to brand new songs as well as some old favorites. Memory Lane captures the ensembles energetic sound of 'folk n roll', serving up laughter, good times and even the occasional sing-a-long.
Seamus Kennedy
http://mcnote.com/seamus
Seamus Kennedy, originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been entertaining audiences all over the United States for the past 32 years. With a ready wit and a vast store of songs, he travels from Alaska to Florida, Maryland to California, performing for audiences which range from Popes and presidents to bartenders and bricklayers, from college students to kindergartners.
In concert or festival, in pub or club, in colleges or high schools, Seamus Kennedy has the repertoire and the ability to make folks forget their cares for a while, to relax and enjoy themselves. He encourages the crowd to sing along to silly lyrics and daft ditties or act out the choruses of children's songs. When he plays a lively Irish jig or a reel, Seamus will often coax someone to jump up and dance to the music of his guitar or bodhrán - to the delight - and often amazement - of their friends. His audience participation songs and tongue-twisters have amused the ablest of participants and the nimblest of tongues.
Seamus has an endless
supply of rib-tickling jokes, stories and one liners which can leave
an audience breathless from laughing so hard. Many a crowd has gone
home from one of his shows giggling to one another, "Do you remember
the one about...?" (Ask him to do the routine about Moms And Kids,
the Nuns, or Murphy and the Snails.)
Scythian
http://www.scythianmusic.com
Fresh off performing at a St. Patrick's Day Presidential luncheon for President Bush and Ireland's Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Scythian (sith-ee-yin) played kicked-up Celtic and world music with hints of gypsy and klezmer, all infused with a touch of punk-rock sensibility. Voted 2006 DC Fan Favorite by the Washington Area Music Association and two more nominations in 2007 for Best Contemporary Folk Group and Best Contemporary Folk Recording, 2007 proved to be a pivotal year in the band's career. Highlights include sharing the stage with Guster and opening for Flogging Molly at ShamrockFest (DC). With the July 2007 release of their third album, Immigrant Road Show, Scythian has accumulated several nominations for their efforts, including a best song nod for Immigrant Stomp from CelticRadio.net, a spot in PaddyRock.com's Top 20 Albums of 2007 list, as well as the aforementioned nominations by the Washington Area Music Association.
Scythian first broke
onto the festival scene in 2006, performing in a handful of Celtic Festivals
in the Northeast. It did not take long for the word to get out about
their incredible live performances, and thanks largely to grassroots
promotion and word-of-mouth, their popularity has exploded. In 2007
- just their second festival season - Scythian tripled their festival
appearances over the previous year. They booked 25 festivals in 2007,
and are on pace to top that number in 2008 along with a formidable schedule
of venues, concert series, and in-studio performances. In 2008, Scythian
will share the stage with internationally touring acts such as Joan
Jett, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Gaelic Storm, and Flogging Molly. This year
marks the band's first international appearance as they travel to Sydney,
Australia to perform three shows at World Youth Day 2008 for an estimated
audience of 225,000 youth from around the world.
With catchy, quirky original songs such as "Technoccordion"
and "Highway 81," and new twists on traditional favorites,
Scythian has created their own unique sound, which defies genre classification
(although "speed folk" has been used on more than one occasion).
Virtuosic talents and unfailing energy are the tools these lads use
to create an electrifying connection to their audience that keeps fans
on their feet and screaming for more.
Andreas Transø
http://www.andreastransomusic.com
Andreas Transø, is a storyteller, writer, and musician based out of the Ocooch Mountains of the Driftless Region in Southwest Wisconsin. Performing mostly traditional and contemporary Irish, English, Scottish and American folk music, he travels around learning and sharing stories, songs, and dance. When not on the road, Andreas volunteers with the Gays Mills Natural Foods Co-operative and the InHealth Community Wellness Clinic (Boscobel Free Clinic), which his family founded in 2007. He previously lived and worked at the Frog and Toad Land Trust, an off-the-grid organic farming and living co-operative in Crawford County, Wisconsin. His travels as a student took him to study Irish music, history, and culture at the University of Limerick's Irish World Music Centre in Limerick, Ireland, the Oideas Gael Gaelic Language School in County Donegal, Ireland and at St. Mary's College in London, England. He also studied world cultures, theatre, music, and history at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and the UW-Milwaukee Celtic Studies Department.
He is a bodhrán player with the International Peace Ambassador group The Call For Peace Drum and Dance Company and works with The Great Midwestern Educational Theater Company (hosts of acclaimed Frogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry). When in Northern Ireland he worked for BINGBANGBONG, the ingenius instrument design and building workshop founded/run by Paul Marshall. His work there included building instruments for the internationally-acclaimed theatrical percussion ensemble STOMP!, schools, sound playgrounds, and civic art installations around the UK and Ireland.