Irish music sessions -- informal gatherings of musicians -- have been a regular occurrence in the Boulder, Colorado area since 1986. From 1999 to the present, Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub in downtown Boulder has hosted a Sunday night session, around which has developed a community of players and pub-goers who appreciate the heartfelt and enthusiastic sharing of traditional music.
We made this recording to bring some of the musical excitement and joy of the session into your car or living room, without the noise and rough edges of the pub environment. Though we used a studio, we mainly recorded session-style, playing together in real time rather than layering tracks over one another.
Our repertoire is traditional Irish at its core. On any given night at our session you might also hear traditional tunes and songs from England, Scotland, and Cape Breton, as well as recent compositions in a traditional vein.
With the support of the pub, we maintain a scholarship fund that enables session musicians to attend concerts, workshops, and music camps that help us grow musically and celebrate our connection with traditional musical culture. Your purchase of this CD helps replenish this fund.
Twenty-one musicians, performing in different combinations, are represented on this CD. They are:
Spirit A'Cladach: bodhrán
Adam Agee: fiddle
Nicolas Brown: uilleann pipes
Jessie Burns: fiddle
Emily Donoho: uilleann pipes
Jefferson Hamer: banjo, guitar, vocals
Stuart Hayner: bodhrán, bones
Mike Hendricks: mandolin
Bruce Joss: bodhrán
Kevin Larkin: mandolin
Kelly Manley: whistle, bones, vocals
Rachel Motsinger: fiddle
John Mullen: bodhrán
Michael Reid: anglo and English concertinas, button accordion
Christel Rice: flute
Eve Reshetnik: English concertina, vocals
Michael Reshetnik: guitar
Annie Sirotniak: fiddle, guitar
Jon Sousa: banjo, guitar
Ellora Weston: fiddle
Steve Wharton: bodhrán
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