Entertainment

The Elders

Call it home field advantage. These hometown boys generate enough energy on Irish Fest’s stages to lower our light bill. Know for their “‘Arse Kickin’ music from the heartland,” the Elders have established themselves throughout the U.S. and Ireland for their electrifying live performance and their crowd participation. Their music is great Celtic rock ‘n’ roll with touches of bluegrass and country. The lyrics tell us stories of Irish history, tales of exile of oppression and lessons in friendship.

Gaelic Storm

After a few year hiatus from KCIF, Gaelic Storm is back in full-force with their newest album, ‘Cabbage.’ The record held the #1 position on the Billboard World Music Album Chart for 3 consecutive weeks in 2010.  As many hundreds of thousands of record buyers and live music lovers know, Gaelic Storm is “a whirlwind ruckus” (Village Voice) that tours over two hundred days per year and play high-energy, foot-stomping, feel-good music. ‘Cabbage’ is further testament to the bands contagious energy, combining influences from rock, bluegrass, Jamaican, African and Middle Eastern music that may surprise those expecting purely traditional Celtic music. The quintet’s new release once again showcases Gaelic Storm’s signature acoustic sound with a brand new batch of crafted story-songs and driving instrumentals.

Scythian

They call it “Celtic with a Kick”, however their music has been described as an “adventure of some hard kicking, infectiously hypnotic fiddling music”. Scythian (sith-ee-yin) plays kicked-up Celtic and world music with hints of Gypsy and Klezmer, all infused with a touch of punk-rock sensibility. Take a pair of classically trained dueling fiddlers, toss in a rhythm guitar and the occasional funky accordion, then power it with the driving rhythm of a jazz percussionist, and you’ve got the ingredients for a show you won’t soon forget. Their repertoire ranges from traditional and contemporary Celtic and folk music to the alluring and dramatic strains of Gypsy and Eastern European tunes, and then crosses back over the border to pick up some good old-fashioned bluegrass licks

McPeake

Ask Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, or Bono about the roots of Irish Music, and they will point you to the McPeake Family!
The four generations of the McPeake Family are one of those rare Irish gems that have been whispered as ‘folk-royalty.’ Francis McPeake I penned the famous ballad “Wild Mountain Thyme;” Francis McPeake II influenced Van Morrison, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan; Francis McPeake III taught John Lennon the Uilleann Pipes; and now Francis McPeake IV - who has worked with iconic Hollywood film companies, such as Walden Media, and Academy Award-winning actors - has formed the vibrant new band McPEAKE.
McPEAKE’s unique blend of pop, folk, and Irish music attracts widely diverse audiences that might not otherwise commingle. Fans consistently use superlatives such as fresh, authentic, original, and dazzling to describe the experience that is – McPEAKE!
McPEAKE gratefully acknowledge the support from Culture Ireland for their Summer 2011 Tour.

The Prodigals

Calling their genre of music “jig punk”, the Prodigals fall within a tradition epitomized by the Pogues and Black 47, merging traditional Irish melodic roots with rock rhythms. They are “what the Ramones might have sounded like if they’d taken traditional Irish music as their starting point,” according to Pulse Magazine. They’ll have you crying in your beer one minute and dancing in the aisles he next and be, as The New York Times put it, “indelibly Irish” all the while.

Goitse

Goitse, pronounced gwi-cha, is Donegal Irish for “Come here.” As one of the best young trad bands to come out of Ireland in years, these students of traditional music and dance at the University of Limerick mix modern rhythms and traditional melodies to create their original sound. This group is brimming with All Ireland titles in their respective instruments, and at their age, they have no where to go but up.

The KIlldares

Originally formed in 1996, The Killdares are world-class musicians from all over the U.S., and have come together in Texas to create and perform a brand new version of hard-driving, alternative Celtic rock music. Blending traditional Celtic playing skills, power-pop accessibility, and straight up rock n’ roll hooks, The Killdares have created a fresh new sound that’s blended with enough commercial edge to be instantly recognizable, always engaging, and appealing to fans of all ages. Their live shows are filled with an infectious energy so powerful that it has been known to move people to tears. Even die-hard fans of purely traditional Celtic music have embraced the band’s powerful genre-bending sound.

Colin Grant Band

Lingering somewhere amidst the rich, soulful roots of traditional Cape Breton music and the grooves of a thousand branches of rock and funk, Colin Grant embarks on his latest project: a dynamic and thoughtful mingling of beats and melodies from an extensive host of musical influences. The Colin Grant Band has created a kind of Celtic fusion that is as much Steely Dan and Yes as it is Ashley MacIsaac. While the lively sound never strays too distantly from its Celtic roots, the Colin Grant Band has found an open ear in everyone from indie scenesters to blue-haired bingo stampers.

The Mickey Finns

The Mickey Finns sing songs of whiskey, women, fighting, beer, and whiskey delivered with an energy and gusto that few can match. This isn’t wipe-your-tears music, this is raise-your-glass and get out and dance traditional Celtic rock. The Mickey Finns are Ray Kelly, Brian Tracey, and Matt Mancuso and they are the Saturday night house band at the legendary Paddy Reilly’s in New York.

Kila

Commonly described as an Irish band playing a fusion of Irish and World Music, however this band is much more. They are one of the most inventive, innovative and original bands to ever come out of Ireland. They are a band Bono calls “extraordinary” and Sinead O’Connor describes as “brilliant.”  The seven members, all from Dublin, come from different musical backgrounds and share a passion to create great music with an ability to absorb influences from across the globe. With its roots in traditional Irish, it features a strong percussive like singing and gorgeous melodies driven by a serious rhythmical undercurrent. Kíla have created their own distinctive style of world music, which has won over audiences around the world through their nine recordings to date and their spectacular live performances.

Eddie Delahunt & Friends

Not long after wandering musician Eddie Delahunt mustered out of the Irish Merchant Marine, he caught the big immigration wave to America. Delahunt, celebrating his 22nd year in America this year, knew nary a soul when he arrived with rucksack in hand and guitar over his shoulder. But the natives were starving for new and younger sounds from the country of their grandparents. Delahunt’s workingman concoction of traditional Irish ballads, energized guitar riffs, and original lyrics and tunes has made him an adopted native son in Kansas City and local Irish music legend.

The $3 Band

The $3 Band philosophy is simple: Create new music inspired by traditional roots music. From there anything else goes…

Each member brings unique musical experiences to the overall musical palate. Together they create a blend of styles and traditions that is hard to define yet easily resonates with listeners on the most basic of levels: melody, rhythm, and harmony, with contagious passion and energy.

Qristina & Quinn Bachand

This young brother and sister duo from Canada, are quickly carving out a name for themselves. Nineteen year old Qristina Bachand is an expressive fiddler, with a unique personal style that is both edgy and smooth. Fourteen-year old, Quinn Bachand, is a gifted guitar player and sought after guitar accompanist who has been described as “one of the best Celtic guitar accompanists in the world”. Winners of the 2010 Irish Music Association award for Top Traditional Group in Festival, Pub and Concert, Qristina & Quinn Bachand create music that is challenging yet energetic, refreshing and fun.

Brendan Nolan

Dublin born and raised, relocated to Canada and now Florida based, Brendan is a wandering troubadour in the truest sense. The Canadian Folk Music Bulletin says, “Nolan has been blessed with a rich Irish voice and an Irish way with words. In his singing and his musical arrangements he helps his listeners to feel the pain, the joy, the humor, the triumph, the sadness, the longing, as deeply as did the old songs of the tradition.”

Jim Malcolm

As both singer and songwriter, Jim Malcolm is one of the most distinctive voices in Scottish music, “one of the finest singing voices in Scotland in any style”. He was lead singer of the phenomenal Scottish band Old Blind Dogs for seven years, touring extensively throughout Europe and North America and playing at many of the biggest folk festivals. In 2004, Jim was songwriter of the year in the Scots Trad Music Awards, and he has been nominated three times for Scots Singer of the Year. He has a huge repertoire of songs from the Scottish tradition and is a noted interpreter of Burns. These old songs are complemented by his own original and award-winning songs, which are at once completely modern and accessible, yet an authentic addition to the cannon of Scottish music.

Girsa

A returning favorite from last year, Girsa, is eight young women (“young women” is what Girsa means in Gaelic) from the Irish heart of Rockland County, New York that look like angels, play traditional Irish music like demons, and sing like larks. Most of them came from musical families, having parents such as Irish traditional music artists Martin Mulvihill, Maureen Glynn Connelly, and Pete Kelly.

Kelly

Based in Kansas City, Kelly members are loaded with years of experience and talent.  Their ability to combine their past experiences and deep understanding of where Irish music has been, bring it full circle with new ideas mixed with time-honored traditions. It truly makes for a very exciting performance experience.

Bob Reeder

Kansas City based Irish folk singer, Bob Reeder, entertains audiences with humor, toasts, limericks, audience sing-alongs and discussions of current affairs. Armed with a banjo, a 12-string guitar and whatever else he decides to bring along, the Irish-American regularly gives listeners a reason to bust a jig.

Tullamore

Fourteen robust seasons and two international tours have made Tullamore one of the Heartland’s premiere Celtic bands. Diverse musical influences and experiences lend them an unmistakable sound - an American-folk body with a traditional Celtic soul. Their take on Celtic music is rich and clear vocals, tight harmonies and instrumentals, and cool and clever arrangements. Across the country and across the ocean, from arts-centers and theatres to Irish Festivals and Scottish Highland Games, Tullamore are favorites wherever they go.

Ashley Davis

Raised on the plains of Kansas, Ashley Davis is a musician whose songs are as much a product of the natural beauty found in her childhood environment, as they are the bluegrass, folk and classic country sounds that surrounded her in her youth. Through her many travels and experiences, Ashley has grown into a true artist, whose influences live in ancient Celtic lore, American folk music, and the love and magic that has painted her life.

KC Irish Dance

Bridgid Driscoll has performed at every Kansas City Irish Fest since its inception and is pleased to present KC Irish Dance, featuring the Driscoll School of Irish Dance and Rincé Revolution Irish Dance Company.  The Driscoll School offers Irish dance classes for all ages and levels in a fun, encouraging atmosphere. Rincé Revolution is an Irish Dance company with a modern twist.  The young women in the group perform contemporary Irish dance pieces infused with elements of ballet, modern, jazz and even flamenco.

The O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy of Irish Dance

The O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy offers a wide range of competitive and recreational classes for children and adults of all levels in both Kansas City, Missouri and our new location in Lawrence Kansas. In addition to participating at local, regional, and international competitions with great success, O’Riada-McCarty-Manning dancers enjoy having many opportunities to perform throughout the city.

Na Fianna

These lads are great entertaining balladeers. Over the past four years they have traveled and played in many noted venues all over Ireland as they embrace the songs and stories of the past whilst succeeding in making each one their own.These young men are transcending generational barriers with their unique interpretation of Ireland’s rich heritage through storytelling and song.

Jonathan Ramsey

Jonathan Ramsey performs melodic and percussive, brash and sweet, sometimes beautiful, often humorous, Irish-tinged songs. Energetic, upbeat, and animated, Jonathan Ramsey is always in motion on-stage, delivering his brand of Irish traditional and original songs and tunes.

Ellis Island

What happens when a former two time World Kickboxing Champion from Dublin, Ireland meets a Mental Health Professional from Denton, Nebraska to play and perform Irish music?
You get a tough, yet sensitive, frenzied yet polished, sometimes boisterous yet often gentle delivery of modern and traditional Irish music from the pub to the concert stage.
With well over a dozen instruments played on stage this very talented duo have the gift of bringing the Irish Pub experience to everyone.

Comedy Stage: Eleanor Tiernan

Hailing from Athlone, Eleanor has comedy in her blood, being the cousin of renowned comic Tommy Tiernan. Since starting comedy she has performed at numerous festivals, and within just a year of starting stand-up, Eleanor was asked to perform in Dublin’s Vicar St for the RTE production “The Liffey Laughs”, and BBC’s “One Night Stand”. She also was a semi-finalist in Paramount Comedy’s “So You Think You’re Funny?” competition. Eleanor recently completed 120 shows as the support act for Tommy Tiernan’s Bovinity Tour, playing to over 120,000 people.

Comedy Stage: Aidan Bishop

Native New Yorker Aidan Bishop has become one of Ireland’s exciting new acts. He began his comedy career in New York, regularly appearing at New York Comedy Club and Stand Up New York. However, since relocating to Dublin in January 2003 he has become one of the hardest working men on the Irish comedy circuit. As organizer and resident emcee of the now famous International Comedy Club, he has honed his craft in the same room as some of Ireland’s most famous comedians. However his ambitions have not been confined to the small borders of the International. In the past two years Aidan has appeared in all major Irish festivals, including the Kilkenny Cat Laughs and the Carlsberg Comedy Carnival. In 2008 Aidan made his Edinburgh Fringe Festival Debut with his solo show, ‘Bachelor Pad’ to critical acclaim. His television debut came with RTE 2’s Savage Eye as part of ‘Project Ha Ha’. He comes to KC this year immediately after completing a run at the Edinburgh Festival with ‘Mispelled’, a show that was born out of his experiences of dyslexia.