2016 Entertainment

Check out the 2016 Schedule

 

Gaelic Storm

Over the course of 10 albums and nearly 3,000 live shows, Gaelic Storm — the chart-topping, multi-national Celtic band — is dishing up a hearty serving of Full Irish – The Best of Gaelic Storm. The greatest-hits album spans the bulk of the band’s career, mixing crowd favorites and concert staples with three previously unreleased recordings, including “Whiskey in the Jar” and “Irish Party in Third Class” from Titanic.  The album features sea shanties and drinking songs, traditional tunes and Gaelic Storm originals, instrumental workouts and vocal showcases. Regularly playing more than 120 shows a year, Gaelic Storm has built a loyal following as diverse as the band’s own music. Fans of traditional Irish music have championed the group for years, as have fans of harder-edged Celtic rock. On tour, Gaelic Storm is just as likely to play a large rock club as a plush theater. The band makes regular appearances on cruises, too, joining artists like the Barenaked Ladies and Michael Franti. Gaelic Storm has straddled the line between tradition and innovation for nearly two decades, infusing traditional Celtic music with modern influences, and updating the genre for a new generation of fans raised on rock, country and folk. Along the way, the group has topped the Billboard World Chart four times and earned a reputation as a hard-touring, genre-bending band.

 

The Killdares

Still setting trends as a progressive indie/DIY unit, the cutting edge Celtic rock fusion innovators, The Killdares urge us on their eclectic seventh release to “Wake up and steal the sky/Become the treasure we deny.” Steal The Sky strikes an artful balance between simply told, poignant tales of love and loss with deep and inspiring philosophical tunes about everything from the nature of being to personal ambition.

Launched in 1996 by drummer and lead singer Tim Smith, The Killdares have evolved in exciting and sometimes unexpected ways while keeping front and center their core mix of passionate vocals, wailing electric guitar, fiery fiddle and hypnotic bagpipes. Throughout the dramatic changes in the industry and the band itself since the mid-90s, The Killdares have maintained an extraordinary commitment to the visceral, organic feel of the music and their belief that the greatest creativity and musical magic always lies ahead.

 

The Elders

“Thrilling, propulsive, fantastic Celtic-pop. The Elders are a band to shout from the rooftops about.”   Robert Oermann – MUSIC ROW Magazine The Elders were founded in 1998 by six gentlemen with a passion for music rooted in Americana and Celtic folk rock. From the beginning The Elders seemed to be channeling something ancient and enduring – something unaffected by fads, trends and the giant maw of mind-numbing commercialism. Their ability to bring together the art of story telling with elements both musically progressive and rooted in tradition, has won them a broad international fan base, as well as critical acclaim in numerous publications such as PASTE Magazine, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, Music Row Magazine, Goldmine Magazine, TRAD Magazine (France), Chicago Sun-Times, Kansas City Star and many more.

 

The Screaming Orphans

The Screaming Orphans are four sisters with the good fortune to have been raised in the magic of Bundoran in County Donegal, Ireland.

There is a great tradition of music to be found in Irish homes especially in the Gaeltacht or Irish-speaking areas which have produced the likes of Clannad, Enya and Mairead, Micheal and Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. Our home was no exception. From we were young, we’ve been singing and playing traditional Irish music but when we hit our teenage years we knew it was time to start our own pop rock band.

 

Dublin City Ramblers

The Dublin City Ramblers have thrilled audiences worldwide with their unique blend of Ballads, Folk ,Humor, Wit and foot-tapping music. Their impressive career has spanned more than 35 years, with over 30 albums, top ten hits, several awards for best Ballad/Folk Group and, to top it all off, 8 Gold Albums. It is certainly no wonder that they are classed as Ireland’s Number One Group! They have performed at most Major Festivals worldwide, including headlining The Milwaukee Irish Festival, The Cleveland Irish Festival, Hollywood Irish Fest, Florida, Miami Irish Fest, Ft Lauderdale and most USA, Canadian & other festivals throughout the Globe! Their music has also taken them all over Europe to rapturous receptions. They have performed at every major venue in Ireland and abroad, including Dublin’s National Stadium, National Concert Hall, Cork’s Opera House, England’s Royal Albert Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and any other venue you care to mention. They have been honored on severaloccasions by being given the Keys to the cities of Ft Lauderdale and Hollywood (Florida) and Moorehead ,Kentucky. They are in the Hall Of Fame in The Helen Stairs Theatre in Florida, and have also received The Arkansas Traveller Award, all normally reserved for visiting dignitaries. Among their many ardent fans are the beautiful actress Maureen O’Hara, star of that magical movie, “The Quiet Man”, ex-Republic of Ireland managers, Eoin Hand, Johnny Giles & Jack Charlton, and a host of well known celebrities. Sean has kept The Ramblers (As they are affectionately known), going throughout the years, and they are now stronger than ever. With major tours of Ireland ,England, Europe, USA, Canada & Australia lined up, they are sure to be coming your way soon.

 

Trinity Irish Dancers

Founded in 1990 by Choreographer/Artistic Director Mark Howard, Trinity Irish Dance Company was the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, which opened new avenues of artistic expression leading directly to commercial productions such as Riverdance. Now Howard and his Company of dancers are back with a revitalized production of new and classic works making its world premiere in 2015.

Trinity dazzles audiences with hard-driving percussive power, lightning- fast agility, aerial grace, and the awe-inspiring precision of its dancers. It also offers something profoundly more significant – the transcendence of craft to art and a dance legacy that is rooted in tradition yet forward looking and ever evolving. The result is a thoroughly fresh, engaging, and integrity filled vision that goes beyond the source without losing touch with its essence.

Howard’s Emmy Award winning work has been met with great critical acclaim around the globe, with sold-out tours in Europe and Asia and appearances in such distinguished US venues as the Kennedy Center, New York’s Joyce Theater and UCLA’s Royce Hall, among many others. Trinity has appeared in feature films by Disney, DreamWorks, Touchstone and Universal and on numerous national television programs including six appearances on the Tonight Show. It has also been the subject of several celebrated PBS documentaries and specials.

 

Scythian

Named after Ukrainian nomads, Scythian (sith-ee-yin) plays immigrant rock with thunderous energy, technical prowess, and storytelling songwriting, beckoning crowds into a barn-dance rock concert experience. Celebrating 10 years of getting people dancing all night, Scythian released their new album, Jump at the Sun, this summer, with new songs debuting at album release shows across the country. Ed Helms’s The Bluegrass Situation has chimed in with praise, calling “Paint This Town” a ‘shine-fueled, fiddle-flying hoedown’ and “Built These Walls” a ‘blue-collar ballad we can all get behind.’ Nashville’s Music City Roots says Scythian is ‘what happens when rock star charisma meets Celtic dervish fiddling.’ Scythian’s “Immigrant Road Show” consists of Alexander Fedoryka, Josef Crosby, Danylo Fedoryka, Ben-David Warner, and Tim Hepburn and Larissa Fedoryka.

 

Red Hot Chilli Pipers

From a cameo appearance at T in the Park in 2004 with The Darkness to opening the main stage in their own right in 2014, the past ten years has seen The Red Hot Chilli Pipers become the most famous bagpipe band on the planet – ever! Bagpipes with attitude, drums with a Scottish accent and a show so hot it carries its own health warning. The band’s achievements have reached incredible heights with their groundbreaking fusion of traditional Scottish music and Rock/Pop Anthems which they proudly call ‘Bagrock’

 

The High Kings

Ireland’s Folk Band of the year, The High Kings, are Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey and Darren Holden. Coming from accomplished Musical pedigrees, The High Kings grew up in households soaked in the Irish Musical tradition and each member of the band witnessed first hand the power of well crafted Irish music on an audience. Since The High Kings started in 2008, they have sold out hundreds of shows, in Ireland and the US, made numerous TV appearances, recorded 3 studio albums and 1 live album and achieved platinum status withtheir 1st two albums.2013 is the start of an exciting time for The High Kings having signed to Sony International and releasing their 4th album “Friends for Life” which is out in Europe in September 2013. This impressive album features tracks written by the lads and some old favourites. The High Kings showcase their incredible versatility and skills as multi-instrumentalists, playing 13 instruments between them bringing a rousing acoustic flavour to brandnew songs as well as some old favourites. The High Kings are continuing to live up to their reputation as a phenomenal live band, serving up laughter, good times and even the odd sing along.

 

Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones

­­­A special group of Irish men and women have been responsible for preservation of the tradition of Irish ballad singing over the past 50 years. Derek Warfield is a distinguished name among them. Derek Warfield and They Young Wolfe Tones are bringing that musical tradition forward with a reverence for Ireland’s past and the energy and optimism of a new generation of Irish musicians.“We’re presenting an old tradition in a new package – and I’ve the same passion for it now as I had when it all started 50 years ago!”

After spending nearly 40 years as founder, leader and front man of the legendary Wolfe Tones (named after the 18th century Irish Revolutionary Theobald Wolfe Tone), Derek Warfield is revered as a singer, songwriter, historian and entertainer in all parts of the world where Irish roots have been put down. The Wolfe Tones enjoyed phenomenal success with 13 best-selling albums, 3 number one hits, many television appearances and shows in esteemed venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and The Royal Albert Hall in London.

Derek has been proudly presented with the keys to San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles for his contributions to Irish Song & Music over the years and was honoured as “Dublin Gael of The Year 2013” by the New York Dublin Society.

Since breaking away from the Wolfe Tones in 2001, Derek’s solo career has yielded 11 albums to date, the most successful of them being “A Nation once again” “On the One Road”, “Sons of Erin” ‘The Bonnie Blue Flag” “Washington’s Irish” and “Let Ye All be Irish Tonight”. With the formation and ongoing success of The Young Wolfe Tones, the legend of Derek Warfield continues.

 

 

 

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New York natives, Emish, have forged their own Americana folk rock sound by colliding a background of Irish, rock, and folk influences. This independent, power-folk band initially found success in a grassroots manner. Supported by their dedicated fan base, Emish has repeatedly been voted the “Best Band of the Hudson Valley” and are the current title holder for 2012. Bobby Curreri has also been named as the”Best Singer/Songwriter” for the past two consecutive years. Since it’s inception in 2005, the group has grown to include support from the national stage as well. Their high energy, live performances and distinct sound have catapulted Emish to be a sought-out headlining act at major festivals and concerts across the US, including the likes of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Folk & Irish festivals, as well as, the more intimate setting of theaters or small concert settings.

 

 

The Gothard Sisters

The Gothard Sisters are the tremendously entertaining and dynamic result of infectious youth combined with years of performance experience and quality musical training. Real siblings Greta – on fiddle, guitar, Irish dance and vocals, Willow – on fiddle, mandolin, bodhran, Irish dance and vocals and Solana – on lead vocals, Irish dance, bodhran, fiddle, djembe and just about anything you could pull out of a Mary Poppins bag make up this totally unique band. With their feel-good melodies, gorgeous sibling vocal harmonies, energetic and imaginative programming, hilarious banter, award-winning original tunes and songs, fresh and inspiring new takes on traditional favorites and a background seeped in musical tradition and quality, this new all-female band (The Gothard Sisters were the winner of Best New Irish Artist in the Irish Music Awards 2013 and were honored with Album of the Year and Jig /Reel of the Year from Celtic Radio in 2011) is making huge waves in the worlds of Celtic and Folkmusic.

Audiences rave about their live performances, as well as their recorded studio

albums. They have packed stages at top Irish festivals, performing arts centers and folk venues around the country and tour extensively throughout the year, one minute bringing their crowds to yell and shout and cheer, the next causing them to tear up with a beautiful ballad from Ireland before heading straight into a comedic rendition of the Devil Went down to Georgia or dueling it out – bodhran versus bodhran. There is never a dull moment in a Gothard Sisters show, and their concerts and sets at festivals have people of every age and background completely enthralled.

 

The Angry Brians

With their own style of Celtic Fusion, these vagabond scholars of malcontent command a level of energy unparalleled to those within the genre.  Combining the raw drive of Dropkick Murphy’s and the energetic complexity of Flogging Molly, The Angry Brians unapologetically thrust the genre from out of the light, into the darkness of mainstream.

Their original songs and reinvented classics will burrow deep into your subconscious, leaving you grinding your teeth at night trying to rid your mind of the hook and relentless beat.

Hailing from the country of Kern(e), The angry Brians travel all over the west coast seeking only a moment of your time to reconsider how you interpret the world of music. So If you’re willing to be a bit open minded, hold on tight because before the day is through, you will be Angry Brians too.

 

The Sweet Colleens

The Sweet Colleens are David Bade, Rich Larson, Jeremy Greenhouse, Wolf Loescher and Pete Sandvik – accomplished multi–instrumentalists who together fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into a high energy, infectious, and crowd–pleasing mix of “Celtic folk–rock and alt. country/Americana, with Cajun and Caribbean seasonings.” With infectious original songs, warm vocal harmonies, and fiery instrumental arrangements, The Sweet Colleens are winning a loyal local following and fans across the Midwest and beyond.

The Sweet Colleens bring diverse musical backgrounds to bear on their truly unique folk–rock sound. Jeremy Greenhouse (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica), has recorded and performed extensively with Celtic, rock, Cajun and country acts in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Pete Sandvik (accordion, piano, guitar, vocals), brings Cajun and rock influences, classically–trained dexterity, and a not–so–secret love for the Grateful Dead to his accordion playing with the Sweet Colleens. David Bade (bass, vocals) offers rock solid bass during the Sweet Colleens live shows, and everything from bluegrass picking guitar solos to cello on their recordings. Rich Larson (acoustic and electric guitar) has a voracious musical appetite, and has performed in a variety of settings around the Twin Cities from stadiums to weddings. Finally, drummer Wolf Loescher’s style draws not only on the country–swing of his native Texas, but on the rich bagpipe–laced Celtic music of Scotland, where he lived forseveral years before founding the acclaimed Celtic–rock band Jiggernaut. Together, The Sweet Colleens offer a unique high–energy roots sound.

 

The Fitzgerald’s

A family group consisting of fiddling and step dancing sensations – Tom, Kerry & Julie Fitzgerald. These siblings, from Canada’s renowned Ottawa Valley, have come a long way from their small town roots. Featuring 3-time Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Champions and Ontario Open Step Dance Champions, this unique act features high-energy fiddling and mind-blowing step dancing. Joining the siblings on guitar, lead vocals, and onstage antics is Nate Douglas (guitarist for Cape Breton’s Natalie MacMaster in 2013). It is the rare combination of exceptional musicianship, incomparable step dancing, audience interaction, evident love of performing, and genuine sibling connection that resonates with audiences of all ages and sets this group apart.

 

Tallymoore

“Milwaukee folk group Tallymoore is aligned with groups such as The Avett Brothers and The Lumineers in updating folk music with more modern instrumentation and arrangements, though unlike those groups they’re focused particularly on the Celtic tradition. They use traditional folk instruments such a mandolins and fiddles to reinterpret traditional Irish songs. Thick with rich harmonies and rollicking instrumentation, Tallymoore’s authentic sound lends itself to sing-alongs and dancing in the spirit of the centuries of Celtic music it draws from.”

~Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express