Album Notes

The Culchies play traditional Irish music. Min Gates has been playing the bodhrán (the Irish frame drum), and the bones for about ten years. T.J. Hull has played fiddle since his childhood and loves to teach folk tunes to kids. steve V. johnson plays the Irish bouzouki, and has played guitar in the American ways for a long time before waking up to Irish trad music. After several years of playing pub sessions, house parties, gigs and festivals together, this is our first recording.

On Bruscar Bán's 14 tracks there is a full range of tunes, with reels, jigs, airs, a waltz, polkas and slides. The Culchies trio is a bit unusual in Irish music, in which ensembles are often a combination of melody instruments, but we have great fun with our a sort of 'fiddler and a rhythm section'.

We met while playing in Irish pub sessions, those occaisions when folks meet to share news, tales, good times and refreshments, and players gather to 'have a tune'. Our sound has come from these informal and energetic gatherings, & we've travelled to play in sessions with good friends all over the midwest, the coasts and in Ireland. We've continue to learn from the fine people and great session players of the Irish trad' music folks in Bloomington (IN), Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati and St. Louis, and further,too.

From our very first gigs together, folks have asked us for our CD, so for all of you who have heard us in the pubs and folk and Irish festivals, here 'tis! As the Irish tradition goes, we're very new at this, but we've had as much fun making Bruscar Bán as we have playing together in concerts, pubs and sessions, and we hope you have some "mighty craic" with it too!

New 12.2007: See The Culchies play The Foxhunters/Nine Points of Roguery set in their video "Four Minutes On TV" at YouTube, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4PxHk58QB0