The Irish rock band The Thrills have been taking the U.S. by storm this summer, and recently played a sold-out show in New York City. Following the success of their debut album So Much For the City, the Dublin band’s new album, which is not yet titled, is due to be released on September 13. Meanwhile, they are touring North America and Europe, playing summer festivals. ♦ … [Read more...] about The Thrills Conquer the U.S.
Music
Solo Tenor
Following on the coattails of the great John McCormack, Ronan Tynan seems destined to be the most popular Irish tenor ever. ℘℘℘ "Let's listen to Ronan Tynan." The CNN commentators on President Ronald Reagan's funeral broadcast are silent as the Irish tenor's voice rises effortlessly in Schubert's "Ave Maria" filling the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Tynan's face is the … [Read more...] about Solo Tenor
Moya Brennan: The First Lady of Celtic Music
If you don't immediately recognize the name Moya Brennan, it's only because she recently changed the spelling of her name. As the lead singer of Clannad, and now a successful solo artist in her own right, Brennan had been known as Maire Brennan for years. She explains, "I was not winning in trying to get people to say my name right, and it was harder for people to find me in … [Read more...] about Moya Brennan: The First Lady of Celtic Music
You Raise Me Up’s Irish Connection
With U.S. sales in excess of 2 million units, popular music phenomenon Josh Groban (22) has stormed to the No. 1 position on the prestigious Billboard Top 100 album charts, and Irish composer and novelist Brendan Graham is partly responsible for getting him there. Closer, Groban's second album, produced by David Foster, features the hit single "You Raise Me Up," with lyrics by … [Read more...] about You Raise Me Up’s Irish Connection
Songs of the Civil War
David Kincaid talks to Jamie Dawson about his albums of Irish songs from the Civil War. ℘℘℘ Irish-American musician and Civil War historian David Kincaid moved from Seattle to New York in 1985, leaving behind him not only the West Coast he'd been rooted in since birth -- he was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of an oft-transferred Navy father -- but also the Seattle … [Read more...] about Songs of the Civil War