ARTIST BIOS
THE ELDERS
Take a group of fine Kansas City musicians with a passion for Celtic
music, an Irishman with a love of all things American, and you get a
cross-pollination that is high octane and progressive yet rooted in
tradition.
What The Elders have created is something unaffected by fads, trends and
the giant maw of mind-numbing commercialism - Celtic rhythms and
melodies augmented with amped-up roots rock, blazing instrumentals and
powerful vocals.
But what sets this band apart is their top-notch songwriting. Their
original songs are authentic, catchy and durable, while transcending the
stereotypical notion of Celtic music.
Brian Baker of PASTE Magazine says it best, "The key to the band’s
success is in its flawless blending of the Celtic storytelling tradition
with contemporary instrumentation and, perhaps more importantly, their
ability to write original songs that sound as timeless and authentic as
the ancient jigs and reels that have inspired them."
In the tradition of folklore that is passed down through the
generations, The Elders’ songs tell us stories of people, places and
events - some recent, some distant, some real and some imagined. 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.
Since forming in 1998, The Elders have brought their musical mix to
pubs, theaters & festivals across the globe. Their fan base is
ever-expanding, consisting of people from all walks of life and of all
ages. Many of their fans follow the band from gig to gig, sometimes
driving for hundreds of miles to see their energetic performances.
The band is familiar to many television viewers, thanks to the more than
130 PBS stations across the country that have aired their "Live at the
Gem Theater" Concert Special. We are proud to present their rousing
‘Christmas Day’ as lead song on this album.
www.eldersmusic.com
ASHLEY DAVIS
Ashley Davis is an American singer
songwriter from Lawrence, Kansas. Her songs are influenced by the
bluegrass, folk and classic country sounds that surrounded her youth.
But Ashley’s real influences live in ancient Celtic lore. Having done a
collaboration with Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains and a tour with
Clannad’s Moya Brennnan, this prairie girl has found solid footing
within her Irish roots. While her music evokes vivid imagery of the
natural world and our ever-shifting place, Ashley possesses an other
-worldly musical aesthetic, a sense of one rooted deeply in the spirits
of the Celtic myth and folklore. Ashley has written and performed
original music for numerous critically acclaimed independent films and
in 2010 she was named as one the top most influential Irish Americans
under the age of 40 by The Irish Voice. Ashley contributes the stunning
self written tune, ‘Nollaig Moon’, to our album from her latest cd,
‘Songs of the Celtic Winter,’ Nollaig being Gaelic or Irish language for
Christmas.
www.daisyrings.com
JOHN MUNNELLY
Born to an all things musical family in Cavan, Ireland, John realized at
an early age that music would become his catalyst for life. Coming to
America, John arrived with a bunch of songs and a biography of Woody
Guthrie. Inspired by his day to day, John celebrates his musical talent
as a full time award winning songwriter & musician, living in Brooklyn,
NY. He specializes in up-tempo, honest, often raw, uncensored image
songs. His writing offers a unique perspective on the human condition,
never shying away from unpleasant or awkward themes, while having a
great natural melodic and rhythmic feel. The lyrical content often
encompasses the depth and complexity of life and issues such as
spirituality, relationships and mortality. John’s 'Happy Christmas'
deftly and tastefully summarizes all the key elements of the everlasting
Christmas story into one slice of hooky-pop music. The shepherds and
angels, Mary and Joseph, Herod and the wise men are all included with a
joyful splash of Happy Christmas joy.
www.laughjohnlaugh.com
CHERISH THE LADIES
Cherish the Ladies are an Irish American Traditional music group based
in New York. The group is composed of band leader Joanie Madden (flute,
whistle & vocals), Mary Coogan (guitar, mandolin, and banjo), Mirella
Murray (piano, accordion), Grainne Murphy (Fiddle), and Kathleen Boyle
(piano). Taking their name from a traditional Irish jig, the group
initially began in 1985 with a series of concerts celebrating the rise
of female musicians in once a male dominated scene. The troupe initially
won recognition as the first all-women traditional music and dance
ensemble, but they soon established themselves as musicians and
performers without peer and have since won many thousands of fans for
their music putting out multiple albums and touring around the world.
Their music has been featured on television and in the movies. The
ladies lend us their “Deck The Halls’ Medley from their latest Christmas
cd, ‘Star in the East.”
www.cherishtheladies.com
KYF BREWER
Kyf Brewer is a singer/songwriter and lead singer of the Celtic Rock
band, Barleyjuice based out of Philadelphia. Barleyjuice was born out of
Rock and Roll, reared on British Invasion, Country Western and
Progressive Rock, and landed somewhere in the North Channel with a
penchant for all things Celtic. Kyf writes and sings for Barleyjuice, as
he did previously for Company of Wolves, and before that The Ravyns. His
whiskey-soaked vocal nodules have been exploited for everything from
VH1's Before They Were Rock Stars to Dodge commercials, and he can be
spotted with the un-kilted eye in such cult films as Serial Mom and
Fahrenheit 911 as well as playing a cop in NBC's Homicide and a sleazy
photographer in CBS' Hack. Never really any good at holding down a
steady job, Brewer occasionally pipes with the Loch Rannoch Pipes &
Drums, and joined them in the Millenium Pipes March on Edinburgh,
Scotland for Prince Charlie's Marie Curie Foundation. He lends us his
terrific original song, ‘Whiskey for Chirstmas’ for this cd, which we
find is the catchiest and, sexiest, tune on the album. Kyf wants fans to
know that his favorite color is plaid and to please refrain from tossing
haggis at him onstage, as it can be quite slippery.
www.barleyjuice.com
www.kyf.com
EMMA KATE TOBIA
Born in Scotland, Emma Kate Tobia is a classically trained soprano who
melds her pure lyrical voice with the timeless melodies of her Irish
heritage. She has a “grá” or love for Irish Song which is reflected in
her Debut CD, ‘Aisling na nGael’ (An Irish Dream). The CD is a
combination of Classical and Traditional tunes sung “as Gaeilge” or in
Gaelic. Irish America Magazine has said of it, “This album is a
haunting fusion of sean-nós singing with choral and orchestral backing,
(it is) truly beautiful.” In Ireland, she has worked with many of
Ireland’s best loved musicians, she has toured the US and performed in
New York at the 250th Anniversary of the New York St Patrick’s Day
Parade.
In 2011 Emma Kate recorded the single on this album, “Fairytale
of New York” with singer song-writer George Murphy. Celtic Beat wrote a
review, “Emma Kate Tobia's beautiful classically trained voice sets a
total contrast to the grittiness of George Murphy. There is a touch of
Margaret Dumont and Groucho Marx here.” Also on this cd is her
beautiful solo rendition of ‘Walking in the Air’ from the animated
Christmas movie, ‘The Snowman’, it is simply gorgeous. Emma Kate is
moving on to conquer Australia for the next few years, watch out down
under!
www.EmmaKateTobia.com
THE CELTIC TENORS
The Celtic Tenors came together in Ireland in 1995 and since then have
established themselves as the most successful classical crossover
artists ever to emerge from Ireland. The group is composed of Matthew
Gilsenan, James Nelson and Daryl Simpson. In 2000, they were signed to
EMI worldwide and they have recorded several albums since then.
The Celtic Tenors continue to "..re-invent the Irish Tenor idiom" said
composer Phil Coulter, who wrote the song ‘Remember Me’ specifically for
the guys. They pioneer a new style of cool never before seen on the
classical stage and break the traditional stuffy tenor mould.
While each of The Celtic Tenors have been influenced by the musical
traditions from their own individual parts of Ireland, Daryl, James and
Matthew show great flexibility in melding their voices to suit the
appropriate classical, folk, Irish and pop genres. They were presented
with the "Echo Award" in Germany for "Classical without Boundaries" in
recognition of this fact.
With a total album sales worldwide of over one million, and a full
international touring schedule, The Celtic Tenors have topped the charts
in the USA, Canada, Germany, the UK and Ireland. We are welcome their
rendition of the most popular Christmas song of all time on our album,
‘Silent Night’.
www.celtictenors.com
GARRET WALL AND TRACK DOGS
Made up of two Irishmen; Garrett Wall (Vocals / Guitar / Ukelele /
Piano) & Dave Mooney (Bass / Vocals), Englishman Howard Brown (Trumpet /
Vocals / Percussion) and Cleveland, Ohio native Robbie K Jones (Cajón /
Banjo / Vocals) the band have already released two albums under their
previous incarnation, Garrett Wall Band.
Award winning songwriter Garrett Wall continues to sing and write for TV
and cinema and was featured vocalist on the soundtrack to "Buried"
starring Ryan Reynolds. He was also main vocalist on all 52 episodes of
acclaimed Spanish animated series "Let's Go Pocoyo" soon to air in the
US. Before relocating to Spain in 1999 he was a piano player and session
vocalist in his hometown of Dublin. He sang as a backing vocalist with
two Eurovision winners, Linda Martin & Niamh Kavanagh respectively, the
only person ever to do so two years consecutively.
He has worked as a lyricist and vocalist on over 100 advertising
campaigns and has collaborated as a writer with Paul Williams, Gary
Nicholson, Claudia Brant, Jill Sobule & Charlotte Caffey (The Go Go’s)
among others.
The band is inspired by the new lease of life given to them as a result
of the name change and their the new material shows the energy,
freshness, confidence and diversity you would expect from a band with as
many miles under their belt as Track Dogs.
www.trackdogsmusic.com
LARRY KIRWAN
Larry Kirwan is an Irish born musician, songwriter, author, poet,
playwright and lead singer of the New York based Celtic Rock band Black
47. The band has released 13 cds including Fire of Freedom, Iraq,
Bankers and Gangsters, and Funky Ceili in 2011. Black 47 have performed
well over 2500 shows. Since April 2005, Larry has hosted 'Celtic Crush',
a radio program on Sirius Satellite Radio that features artists from the
8 Celtic nations who play a wide variety of genres. He also writes a
weekly column for the Irish Echo. Larry has written and produced over
eleven plays and musicals, many of which have been performed in the
United States and Europe. The plays deal with many topics including
Irish history and politics. Just this past September his play, ‘Hard
Times’ ran in NYC and received rave reviews in the media including The
New York Times and The NY Post.
Larry has had three books published, Liverpool Fantasy; Green Suede
Shoes - An Irish-American Odyssey and Rockin' The Bronx. Larry gives us
his take on the John Lennon/Yoko Ono ‘Happy Christmas (War is Over)’
with backing vocals by Ashley Davis.
www.black47.com
THE WILD COLONIAL BHOYS
Minneapolis-based Celtic Rock powerhouse Wild Colonial Bhoys includes
Adam Coolong, Geno Carlson, Cody McKinney and Tony Comeau. The Bhoys
have released 5 albums and their latest, ‘Heads or Tails’, is the first
release for the band’s independent label, Steel Creek Records. This
double-album represents their first release of new material since 2007’s
acclaimed ‘Irish in America.’ Effortlessly weaving their signature blend
of edgy rock with traditional Irish music-inspired hooks, the Bhoys’
songs are upbeat and catchy and show the band’s range and talent.
From their duo roots in 2003, Carlson and Coolong have continuously set
the bar for the band higher and higher. They average 250 shows a year,
have played major Irish festivals, smaller Irish festivals, in-between
Irish festivals, bars, clubs, pubs, street shows, private parties, and
were once the only attendees of, performers at, and witnesses to the
wedding of two ardent “fhans”. Their tour of Ireland in November of 2010
saw two full busloads of their loyal supporters travel with the band
around the country for a week, seeing the sights and enjoying music and
the craic. We love their rockin’ Christmas song ‘Santa, See You Tonight’
on our album and you will too.
www.wildcolonialbhoys.com
DAMIEN DEMPSEY
Damien Dempsey was born in Donaghmede on Dublin’s Northside, and has
come to be regarded as the pre-eminent Irish singer songwriter. Mixing
traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics, in both English and, to
a lesser extent, Irish, to deliver social comment on the positive and
negative aspects arising from Ireland's ‘Celtic Tiger’ society.
The Irish Examiner wrote that “…he now stands as one of the most
important and evocative Irish singers of all time.” In March 2000, ‘They
Don’t Teach This Shit In School’, established Dempsey as an exciting new
talent and attracted the attention of Sinéad O'Connor who took Dempsey
out on tour and championed him as an important new talent. His second
album, ‘Seize The Day’, released in May 2003, featured contributions
from Brian Eno and Sinéad O'Connor and began a successful relationship
with renowned producer, John Reynolds. ‘Seize The Day’ marked an
artistic leap for Dempsey. He had matured as a writer and was garnering
praise from some of the most prestigious publications in the world. But
it was with ‘Shots’ in 2005 that Dempsey delivered his masterpiece and
his defining album. Backed by Eno, John Reynolds and Justin Adams, the
music achieved a new finesse and songs like “Sing All Our Cares Away”
and “Not on Your Own Tonight” were bracing views of Irish society that
were both shocking and compassionate. Damien graces us with his
accapella version of the classic Christmas hymn, ‘Oh Holy Night.’
www.damiendempsey.com
THE HIGH KINGS
The High Kings is an Irish ballad group that was formed in Dublin. The
group includes Martin Furey, Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy and Darren
Holden all renowned vocalists and musicians. 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 firsthand
the power of well-crafted Irish music on an audience.
The High Kings came together in 2008 and
their self-titled release hit number 2 on Billboard Magazine's World
music chart. They have sold out hundreds of shows in Ireland and in the
US have headlined the biggest Irish Festivals, made numerous TV
appearances and achieved platinum status with both of their albums. The
High Kings showcase their incredible versatility and skills as
multi-instrumentalists, playing 13 instruments between them. We are
happy to showcase their never before released in the US ‘Driving Home
for Christmas’ on our cd.
www.thehighkings.com
DAVE BROWNE
In 2011 Dave Browne broke the Guinness World Records for Longest
Continuous Guitar Playing 114 Hours! Dave learned to play the guitar
when he was confined to bed when he was 12 years old.
No one could have guessed that it would become such a life changing
moment.
Dave’s career spans many years and he toured with many bands from New
York to Stockholm, Paris and everywhere in between, playng at major
international venues and festivals while still keeping the home fires
burning at Vicar Street, The Mean Fiddler and Whelans. The band Little
Sister Sage, bagged many prestigious awards including Bacardi/ HotPress
Unplugged band of the year and the Celtic Festival Best Band award at
Eurodisney.
Dave played guitar for Pogues member Terry Woods in the The Woods Band.
Their cd ‘Music from The Four Corners of Hell’ was highly acclaimed by
BBC Radio 2. Dave then formed the Irish folk/ rock band the Black
Donnellys. While The Black Donnellys toured in their own right, they
became well known as the backing band for triple platinum selling
artist, George Murphy (Check out "Fairytales of New York" on the
Together For Christmas Album)
Dave is a resident performer in The Temple Bar Pub, and along with a
number of talented musicians that play regularly in the infamous Temple
Bar region of Dublin, they have formed the Temple Bar Band who have
given us their version of The Pretenders Christmas song, ‘2000 Miles’
for this cd.
www.davebrownetbar.com
CLARE PEELO
Clare Peelo loves singing!! Clare started her singing career in musical
theatre in Dublin. She performed for 2 seasons in the famous Jury’s
Irish Cabaret and was chosen to be part of their North American Tour,
performing in 32 States in 3 months.
From there, she joined 'Girl-talk' a versatile all-girl band featuring
The Andrew Sisters’ style of close harmonies and pop and jazz standards.
As part of Girl-Talk, she performed in every major venue in Ireland,
performed on Irish television and radio and sang the winning song in the
21st Cavan International Song Contest. Clare also had the privilege of
performing with the RTE Concert Orchestra, the BBC Concert orchestra and
the Denmark Symphony Orchestra, in Ireland, England, Sweden and Denmark
as part of the show 'Supertroupers.’
Clare has carved out a name for herself in the Irish music scene,
receiving rave reviews every weekend in the heart of Dublin’s Temple Bar
as an intricate part of The Temple Bar Band. She has also recorded her
own Irish music covers album soon to be released and has sung backing
vocals for a number of up and coming Irish artists. On our cd, Clare
sings lead for the The Temple Bar Band on their cover version of The
Pretenders, ‘2000’ Miles.
www.clarepeelo.com
GEORGE MURPHY
George Murphy is an Irish musician who hails from the north Dublin
suburb of Beaumont. He had never performed as a singer before his
audition and subsequent rise to fame on the Irish TV show ‘You’re a
Star’, chosen as a stand out by Irish composer, Phil Coulter. His voice
has been described as a cross between Luke Kelly and Bruce Springsteen
and has a maturity that attracts fans of all ages. The Irish music
magazine Hot Press summed it up: “For a 17 year-old to possess such a
wildly evocative Dublin howl is extraordinary to the point of being
unbelievable.” He went on to release two cds in Ireland. In 2010, George
released his first CD in the US called ‘The Ballads of Archie Thompson’
which includes covers of not only some traditional tunes such as ‘The
Auld Triangle’ but also Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger covers along with
George’s original tunes . George has been touring in the US and Ireland
the past three years and will be recording a new album in 2013. On our
album he is the male lead with Emma Kate Tobia on the Pogues Irish
Christmas favorite, ‘Fairytale of New York.’
www.georgemurphydublin.net
TARA O' GRADY
Tara O’ Grady is a first generation Irish American singer and author
from New York City. Her voice, at times rich and deep, at others lilting
and wispy, has been compared to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie
Holiday and even Patsy Cline. Her look is reminiscent of the ‘Golden Age
of Hollywood.’ Raised on Irish traditional music, as well as the sounds
of Hank Williams, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong,
Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Elvis
Presley, her unique style and repertory combine Celtic, folk, blues,
and, especially jazz. Her debut album, ‘Black Irish’, released in August
of 2010, is a collection of Irish songs she grew up listening to as a
child. But don’t expect any jigs on the CD. Black Irish caught the
attention of Nashville’s elite, and within a few months of its release,
Tara was writing original songs and recording in Music City, Tennessee,
with the finest musicians in the industry. Her second album, ‘Good
Things Come to Those Who Wait’, was released in April of 2011. Tara was
awarded as one of Irish Voice’s Most Influential Women of 2010 presented
by Ireland’s Prime Minister. On our album she sings the standard ‘Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ in her most sultry way.
www.taraogradymusic.com
