PROGRAM GUIDE APRIL-MAY 2011
The Celtic Airs Concert Series will close out St Patrick’s week with a bang! Lunasa, “the hottest Irish
acoustic group on the planet” (The Irish Voice) will appear Saturday March 19th
in the University of Hartford’s Millard Auditorium.
Rhythm
is the word that personifies Lunasa. Their clear mastery of rhythm and it’s ingenious application to the traditional
instrumental music of Ireland make them entirely unique in Celtic music circles. Lunasa welds the ancient soul of traditional
Irish music to a new rhythmic framework, preserving the dignity of their ancient sources while thrusting them into a modern
age. Legendary fiddler Kevin Burke (Bothy Band, Patrick Street) explains; “maintaining the unique intimate qualities
of a musical tradition while at the same time meeting and fulfilling the demands of a contemporary audience is a difficult
juxtaposition to achieve, yet Lunasa have accomplished just that.”
NPR radio
recognizes the same unique qualities of Lunasa’s music. In a review of the 2006 album “Se”, they
noted “the flute and mournful uillean pipes interweave with the gorgeous subtlety of the fiddle and the infectious rhythmic
underpinning of guitar and upright bass to create a complex tapestry of sound.”
From day one, the upright bass of Trevor Hutchinson has been the fulcrum on which Lunasa balances and leverages their
musical style. He has produced a place for the double bass in Irish traditional music where once there was none. It was 1996
when Sean Smyth (All Ireland fiddle and whistle champion) invited the rhythm section of the Sharon Shannon Band (Hutchinson
and guitarist Donnagh Hennessey) to join him on a brief tour of Scandinavia. Surprised by the raucous reception the trio received,
they returned to Ireland resolved to expand the line up and improve it’s impact. Young phenoms Michael
McGoldrick (flute, whistles, uillean pipes) and John McSherry (uillean pipes, whistles) were signed on and the new band toured
Ireland as “Sean Smyth and Friends.” Live recordings from this tour eventually formed the basis for the first
Lunasa album. The band made it’s debut under the name Lunasa (named for the Celtic harvest festival that honors Lugh,
the god and patron of the arts) during a tour of Australia in February 1997. A crucial line up change had occurred just prior
to the tour; flutist Kevin Crawford was asked to fill in for McGoldrick and McSherry who were unavailable
due to commitments to other bands. Crawford became an integral part of the band from that point onward.
In 1999, the quartet-quintet-sextet (depending upon the availability of McGoldrick and McSherry)
recorded their first studio album “Otherworld”, a smash success that led to many accolades. “This is the
Irish music dream team!” (Folk Roots)
“Meet the new Celtic royalty.” (Boston Globe)
It was obviously time now for the band members to commit themselves to the future of Lunasa. McGoldrick and McSherry , heavily
involved in other projects, were unable to do so and in April 1999, Cillian Vallely (uillean pipes, whistles) , from the famous
musical family based in Armagh, became the band’s newest member. He made his recording debut on the band’s next
album “The Merry Sisters of Fate” in 2001.
Turmoil
surrounding the content of the next album “Redwood” in 2002 led to the band’s acrimonious split from the
Green Linnet record label. In 2003, they self produced “The Kinnity Sessions”, recorded live in front
of an audience of colleagues and invited guests at the Kinnity Castle in Ireland. The album was widely praised and the maverick
Compass Records (Nashville, TN, owned by bluegrass banjo sensation Alison Brown) picked it up for U.S. distribution.
Near the end of 2004, Donnagh Hennessy announced his intention to leave Lunasa to pursue other musical opportunities.
A versatile, gifted replacement soon appeared in the person of Paul Meehan (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin) who was playing with
Cork based band North Cregg AND with Cillian’s brother Niall in the Karan Casey Band. Paul was already well ensconced
in the band by the time they recorded their next album “Se” in 2006.
Because they toured extensively each year, both as headliners as well as back up to artists as diverse as Mary Chapin
Carpenter, Billy Bragg, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Rosanne Cash and Natalie Merchant, it wasn’t until 2010 that they returned
to the studio to record their latest album “La Nua” (Irish for ‘new day’) on their own label,
Lunasa Records.
Regardless of how well produced and innovative Lunasa’s studio recordings have been, it’s their live performances
for which they’re most well known. Their energy is palpable, the rhythm infectious. With an emphasis on precision and
professionalism in the performance of their complex sets, they take the audience on a journey full of hair pin bends and vertiginous
peaks!
If YOU’VE never seen Lunasa in person, don’t miss your opportunity when they appear in the Millard
Auditorium Saturday March 19th. If witnessing a previous live performance has made you a Lunasa
convert, I KNOW you’ll be among the first to purchase tickets for this return engagement!
As you know, I’m always on the look out for talented new band’s to present in our concert series. Many
long established and well respected band’s were unknown newcomers when they first appeared here. Just a few examples
would include Dervish, Solas, Danu, Lunasa, Craobh Rua and Old Blind Dogs. On April 22nd, we’ll continue
that tradition of presenting new musicians we think will impress you. Our guests that evening will be The Press Gang. They’ll
take the stage at the Wilde Auditorium at 7:30pm.
The Press
Gang is a trio based in Maine, already very popular among Boston area Irish music fans. The Boston Irish Reporter
said “There are three reasons Irish music fans like The Press Gang: They’re young, they clearly have a strong
dose of Irish tradition in their blood and above all, they’re VERY GOOD musicians!”
The trio includes Christian “Junior” Stevens on button accordion and concertina, a fixture on the Irish
traditional music scene in America. He has performed with many of the genre’s most talented artists. Fiddler Alden Robinson
has traveled throughout the U.S. and Ireland to hear and study with some of the finest traditional musicians alive today.
His style is innovative, blending a fluent command of Irish ornamentation with the rhythms and harmonies of Appalachian music.
Owen Marshall is a multi-instrumentalist who primarily plays guitar with The Press Gang. He is a highly sought after accompanist
in diverse genres and has performed with a variety of traditional musicians including the late Jerry Holland and Aoife Clancy.
The Press Gang’s members blend their skills and fluency in Irish traditional music
with their curiosity and aptitude for other traditional
styles to produce a unique sound that is a at once energetic and sensitive, innovative and reverent. Their joy in playing
for an audience shines brightly when they’re on stage. Irish Music Magazine said “The
Press Gang plays a fast moving blend of buttons and strings with each instrument clearly aware of it’s role in the set.”
To quote The Portland Phoenix, “These guys play with real heart and passion.”
Please come let me introduce you to yet another very talented, up and coming ensemble when The Press Gang makes their
Celtic Airs concert debut Friday April 22nd at 7:30 in the University of Hartford’s Wilde Auditorium. I predict
you’ll go home with a smile on your face and a catchy tune in your head that will keep your toes tapping all the way
home.
As you know, you can only buy tickets for the Celtic Airs Concert Series through the University of Hartford Box Office,
open 10:00 AM til 6:00 PM Monday through Friday. Call 1-800-274-8587 or 1-860-768-4228. On line purchases can be made at www.hartford.edu/hartt.
If you’re not already a dedicated
Celtic Airs listener, I urge you to tune into 91.3 FM any Tuesday between 6:00 an 9:00 AM. I think you’ll like what
you hear; a blend of old favorites, new releases and a good introduction to the music of our upcoming concert performers.
Steve Dieterich
Producer/Host of Celtic Airs
