classic ballad, Lankum are a four-piece traditional folk group from Dublin, Ireland, who combine distinctive four-part vocal harmonies with arrangements of uilleann pipes, concertina, Russian accordion, fiddle and guitar. Their repertoire spans humorous Dublin music-hall ditties and street-songs, classic ballads from the Traveller tradition, traditional Irish and American dance tunes, and their own original material.
The band was originally formed as an experimental-psychedelic-folk-punk-duo by brothers Ian and Daragh Lynchin the early 2,000’s, and has since progressed through a number of incarnations, culminating in the four piece group playing today (along with Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat who joined in 2012). They have gained somewhat of a reputation after the realease of their album ‘Cold Old Fire’ and an appearance on Later… with Jools Holland,as well as three nominations at the 2016 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Although an acoustic group whose repertoire is fundamentally based on traditional song, influenced by legends such as Frank Harte, Planxty, The Dubliners and the Watersons, subtle traces of the group’s collective influences can be detected, from American old-timey music, krautrock, ambient techno and psychedelic folk, to black metal, drone, punk and rock n’ roll.
Louise Bichan is a USA-based Scottish musician and photographer who uses both mediums to tell stories old and new.
Growing up in the remote but culturally rich Orkney islands, a place where creativity abounds and playing music has been a part of the social fabric for centuries, gave Louise a solid grounding in music. She started playing fiddle at the age of 7 after witnessing the magic of live music: “I remember the butterflies in the tummy feeling when watching concerts at the Orkney Folk Fest as a kid, wanting to be a part of it all.” The sense of community and belonging it gave her was infectious; she pestered her parents to let her learn.
In the years since, she has honed her craft, first amongst the cream of Scottish folk at Glasgow’s renowned session scene and performances with talent like Orkney group Fara and award-winning singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni, before a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she developed her style further.
Masterfully blending traditional and classical arrangements, her music is thoughtful, and complex, curious and playful. She composes in response to her roots and the world around her; weaving through stories of connection, to people, nature, the past and the possibility of the future.
Delivering a powerhouse performance of emotive and virtuosic original songs and compositions, Taarka creates “adventurous Americana” with a enchanting and nuanced sound that is influenced by bluegrass, gypsy-jazz, American and world folk. Taarka delivers energy, emotion, and “gravity-defying” performances beautifully interweaving song and captivating instrumental prowess. With 8 CD releases, a nationally released film soundtrack, 16 years touring the US and the world, Taarka weds soul with mastery for an unforgettable experience.
As traditional Irish music and dance continue to enjoy phenomenal success both in the United States and in Ireland, Áine has worked to explore their themes and to understand their very essence. Her voice, though uniquely her own, also reflects the lyricism and richness to be found in Irish music, mythology, and poetry.
Born and raised in Borrisokane, County Tipperary, Áine comes from a large musical family and an environment in which she was encouraged to pursue expertise in a number of different instruments. This broad knowledge of Irish traditional music has underpinned her success in arranging and composing her own music.
She has a dozen solo recordings on several labels including RCA Victor/BMG and has been nominated for FIMA awards for her work as a record producer. Her TV production work on “A Winter’s Journey” earned her a New England EMMY ® nomination.
Fellswater is a dynamic 8-piece Celtic music ensemble based out of Boston playing a wide range of music from traditional to modern compositions, drawing from the music of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Canada and beyond. Fellswater has delighted audiences at the New Hampshire Highland Games, Blackstone River Theatre, Boston Celtic Music Fest, The Burren Backroom Series, Club Passim and Colonial Williamsburg. Overseas events have included performing at Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.
The band features Dave Cabral on cello, Kyle Forsthoff on percussion, Betsy Ketudat on violin, Hardanger fiddle and Celtic harp, Jim MacConduibh on acoustic bass guitar and high strung guitar, Sarah MacConduibh on Irish flute, whistles and fife, Andrew McIntosh on Scottish smallpipes and border pipes, Chris Myers on vocals, guitar and octave mandolin and Diane Myers on vocals.
The Kelly Girls have quickly gained recognition as one of the most entertaining Celtic Bands in New England. Rousing renditions of songs and tunes rooted in the Celtic traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Canada and America along with captivating harmonies and instrumentation lend to their signature sound.
The Band has played many prestigious venues and festivals, and continues to garner media attention for both their traditional and original music. The Kelly Girls recently released their first album, “May You Always”, which has numerous collaborations with award-winning Canadian songwriter Nancy Beaudette – the group’s guitar, bouzouki and mandolin player. The compliment also includes Dublin native Aisling Keating on tin whistle, flute, bodhran, and ukulele, Bostonians Christine Hatch on banjo, guitar, and harmonica, and Melinda Kerwin on fiddle.
For The Kelly Girls, Celtic music is about storytelling, complete with varying degrees of instrumentation and lyrics. “We respect the historical compositions that we carry forward, we recognize that we are also part of a new generation of storytellers. We feel connected to our common humanity, and the thread of hope and dreams that weave us together, continue to connect us to each other.”
Scottish Fish present a fresh take on traditional and contemporary Scottish and Cape Breton music. Their lively and unique arrangements are woven together from session music handed down from generations of the tradition’s finest players. They have performed at public and private venues and festivals across the United States and Europe including Boston Celtic Music Festival, Bellingham Celtic Festival, and Festival de Ortigueira. Their music and performances have earned them features on WGBH, KALW, and in American Girl and Folkworld Magazines; attracted the attention of programs such as America’s Got Talent; and secured an international audience of over three hundred thousand followers. In 2017, the group released their debut album, “Splash,” and followed it with “Tidings,” a 5-track holiday EP, in 2019. Their newest record, “Upscale,” produced by pianist and composer Neil Pearlman, was released in October, 2022, marking the band’s ten year anniversary.
Scottish Fish have been named as “one of the most energetic and creative acts to take root in the local Celtic music scene this century” by Boston Irish reporter Sean Smith, and Scottish Fiddler Hanneke Cassel has described their sound as “both incredibly musical, and just a little unusual.”
“Individually they are all creative and talented,” writes Cassel, “and together they spark each other, pushing each other even further to make amazing music.”
Though each member of American/Swedish Night Tree originates from a different musical world, the six members have come together to a create a new sound that is unique to their instrumentation and musical voice, both attracting and bewildering enthusiastic crowds while connecting folk music lovers, cafe radio junkies, jazz enthusiasts, free-improvisers, and beyond.
In September of 2016, six wildly diverse musicians came together unexpectedly within the walls of Boston’s New England Conservatory to form New Acoustic band, Night Tree. The group, all students at NEC, were named the Conservatory’s WildCard Honors Ensemble for 2016-2017. Awards for this title included a sponsorship from NEC, a headlining performance at the historic Jordan Hall, and a year of working with Winifred Horan, fiddler and co-founder of Irish super-band, SOLAS. Night Tree released their debut album on September 1st of this year, produced by Séamus Egan, another founding member of SOLAS. Their album was ranked in the top 15 of every category in the compilation by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists based on 12,417 airplays from 127 different DJs.
These six conservatory-trained musicians have absorbed genres from across the globe. Night Tree is unique, not only for its abnormal instrumentation of two fiddles, cello, accordion, saxophone, percussion, and the occasional viola and mandolin, but for their collective representation and incorporation of traditions from Irish, Classical, Swedish, Jazz, Klezmer, and Afro-Cuban music. Each artist’s personality is given a spot to emerge with fiery improvisation, individual compositions, and a pristine ear. The band thrives on playing in darkness as to allow themselves the opportunity to solely listen with the absence of any possible visual distractions. They react to each other at any given time, in a matter of seconds. They have learned to get inside each other’s musical minds, creating one blossoming and unpredictable wave of sound that is Night Tree.
TROY MacGILLIVRAY is from Lanark, a small community on the north-eastern shore of Nova Scotia. Troy’s commitment to music has spanned 30 years and includes both practical and academic accomplishments – most recently an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Limerick in Ireland. From as young as six years old, Troy was impressing audiences with his step dancing and soon after, his fiddle and piano skills. His roots-centered approach comes from a family of proud Scottish heritage where fiddle playing and Gaelic traditions runs in the bloodline. In 2012, Troy was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for contributions to culture in Canada. Troy’s strong career has brought him around the world playing and teaching from the North Pole to the Afghanistan while solo recordings have received numerous nominations and awards from the East Coast Music Awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
