Album Notes

FGM Records is proud to announce the release of the second album by Nine-8ths Irish, Out on the Ocean. An acclaimed and exciting traditional Irish music quintet from Sacramento, California, Nine-8ths Irish recorded Out on the Ocean in Sacramento at Paradise Studios with award-winning engineer Craig Long. The band’s first album since adding a vocalist and performing at the huge Cityfolk Festival in Ohio, Out on the Ocean is a stunning statement of the band’s vision of “Irish music…and a wee bit more.”
Nine-8ths Irish began its journey to bring Irish music closer to its California home in 2007, with the release of West of Ireland, the band’s debut album. West of Ireland, which has received radio airplay from coast to coast, was also the Celtic music debut for FGM Records, the band’s label.
Out on the OceanA labor of love for the band, Out on the Ocean is an inspired blend of songs and tunes that includes standard Irish session tunes, subtly modernized arrangements of traditional songs, sterling new tunes written by Linda Relph and even an a cappella vocal quartet number. The wide range of material on the album helps showcase the diverse talents of each member of Nine-8ths Irish: the instrumental and composing prowess of former California State Champion fiddler Linda Relph, the improvisational and melodic talents of former Air Force trumpet ace Bo Bowen, the bluegrass-flavored picking of multi-instrumentalist Kathy Barwick, the interpretive skills of traditional jazz singer Brady McKay, all supported by the heartbeat of the band, Chris Dunlap.
The three vocal selections on Out on the Ocean represent the biggest change from the band’s all-instrumental debut. Brady McKay takes the lead on “Men of Worth,” Archie Fisher’s prescient lament on the effects of industrialization upon the traditional values and lifestyles of the British Isles, and “Star of the County Down,” one of the best-loved songs in traditional Irish music. Chris Dunlap makes his recording debut as a vocalist with a strong and confident take on “Greenland Whale Fisheries,” done here as an a cappella vocal quartet.
The instrumental cuts on Out on the Ocean show Nine-8ths Irish to be a red-hot band with a keen understanding of dynamics and mood. The core of the album is several sparkling new tunes composed by Linda Relph—“Escher’s Staircase,” “Michael’s Waltz,” “The Hero Jig,” “Incandescent Reel” and “Aiden’s Reel.” Other tunes come from distinguished musicians and tunesmiths Liz Carroll, Joanie Madden, Ed Reavy and John McCusker, while the origins of others—“The Cliffs of Moher,” “Sally Gardens,” and the title tune “Out on the Ocean”—are lost in the mists of time.
With the release of the eclectic and accomplished Out on the Ocean, Nine-8ths Irish takes its place among the most compelling, crowd-pleasing and original bands playing traditional Irish music within the U.S. The band will be performing at national festivals and doing regional touring in support of Out on the Ocean, enchanting audiences with its rousing and unique brand of “Irish music…and a wee bit more.”