What's old - traditional Irish music - becomes timeless in the hands of Providence, a Dublin-based quintet that brings a passion for authenticity to its first Appleseed Recordings release, "A Fig for a Kiss." With material drawn from more than three centuries and skills honed through years of apprenticeship in other groups, the members of Providence combine fresh energy and a historical approach to a genre too frequently modernized.
"Over the last few years, a lot of bands who are billed as 'Irish traditional bands' are hardly playing a traditional repertoire at all," explains Joan McDermott, lead singer for Providence. "They are composing new tunes, playing songs from many other cultures, and they often play at a horrendous speed. We wanted to get back to the basics and play good, honest-to-God, straight traditional music and, hopefully, that's what we do."
What Providence does is weave fiddle, concertina, flute and acoustic guitar into a bright, seamless tapestry of flings, jigs, reels, hornpipes and songs sung in both Irish and English that has attracted admiration from fans and fellow musicians all over the world. The group has established a following in Europe through their tours and 1999 self-titled debut CD, released only in the UK. They celebrated the international release of "A Fig for a Kiss," their second CD, with an accompanying month-long introductory U.S. tour in 2002 that included venues ranging from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., to Fenian's Irish Pub in Coopersville, MI. Their visit concluded spending a somewhat surreal St. Patrick's Day performing music from their new CD on cable TV's Pennsylvania-based QVC home shopping channel. Later that year, Providence returned to America to play a string of prestigious music festivals, including the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the largest Irish festival in the world, annually attracting more than a million visitors.
ABOUT PROVIDENCE:
"There is a very distinctive kind of movement in the group...There is a rhythm set up that is natural. It's not rip-roaring music, there is nothing lost through speed, and it is not a bundle of notes. Providence has a very unified and distinctive sound and we don't believe in rushing things." - Paul Doyle
In 1999, guitarist Doyle and four other musicians convened to play the music they love best - the traditional music of their native Ireland - and chose to revive to call themselves Providence, a word that not only means "good fortune" but is also the title of a popular reel (which is performed on "A Fig for a Kiss").
The musicians comprising Providence are not yet international household names, but their credits are distinguished and lengthy.
Joan McDermott, the group's singer from County Wexford, has toured extensively with the a cappella group Fallen Angels and has performed with Kiernan Goss, Steve Cooney and Manus Lunny. Her "day job" at the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin is an ideal resource for the group's material, which is all traditional on "A Fig for a Kiss." Folk Roots magazine called her "one of Ireland's finest yet underrated singers."
Joan's brave and lovely voice, used sparingly but effectively on five of the thirteen tracks on "A Fig for a Kiss," is an important component of Providence's music, but it's the telepathic interplay of the instrumentalists that defines the band's sound. Their respect for their repertoire never crosses into dusty reverence, and their virtuosity is applied with love instead of ego.
Paul Doyle (guitar, bouzouki, bodhran) is a former member of Arcady and the Sean Keane Band and has performed with Martin Hayes. He has toured North America and Europe with many of Ireland's most respected musicians. Although he plays few lead parts, Doyle's supportive, rhythmic guitar playing establishes a solid foundation from which the other musicians can launch their airy constructions.
Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh (concertina, accordion) is credited as the spearhead of the group's musical approach by Doyle. Hailing from County Meath and a musician since childhood, Ó Raghallaigh has toured Europe and the U.S. as both on-stage performer and workshop teacher and is a member of the All-Ireland Tain Ceili Band. He also has a solo CD to his credit.
Clodagh Boylan (fiddle) and the group's newest member, Troy Bannon (flute, low whistles), join Ó Raghallaigh in the band's three-pronged instrumental front line. Boylan, from County Derry, has traveled extensively with the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and All Set groups. Bannon, who replaced John Wynne in the group after "A Fig for a Kiss" was recorded, is an award-winning player in Ireland and has toured the world with such notable musicians as Johnny Connolly, Brian Fitzgerald and Ned Kelly. He also teaches master classes in flute playing.
The five members of Providence know what they want: "We deliberately set out to play old-fashioned music, music that is melody based with its own inherent rhythm," Joan told The Living Tradition. But, she added, "We want to put our own stamp on the music and not somebody else's." Traditional music doesn't need to be revved-up or drastically rearranged to remain relevant. Just listen to Providence!
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