Lúnasa
Country of origin:
Ireland
Type of music generally:
Lively traditional Irish music
Status:
Most recent release, Lúnasa With the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (2013)
See also:
Lúnasa's site
Comparisons:
The Bothy Band
Covers/own material:
Traditional
General comments:
the hottest traditional Irish band going. They've been touted as practically the Second Coming, and after seeing them perform I know why. They are a bunch of incredibly talented musicians, and they were *hot*. A great time was had by all, not least by the band members themselves. (meth@smoe.org)For the record, I'm not a "trad purist." If I was I wouldn't love bands like Lúnasa, Solas and others of their ilk as much as I do. (mcurry@io.com)
Comments about live performance:
Last night's Lúnasa show at Fez was terrific! The music was all manner of reels and jigs in sets of twos and threes, with the occasional fling, air, or gavotte; one of the encore pieces was a klezmer piece. It was all very catchy. The band was (excuse my spelling): Kevin Crawford on wooden flute, whistles and bodhran, Sean Smyth on fiddle (with occasional whistle-playing), Donogh Hennessey on guitar, Ivan Goff on pipes and wooden flute, and Trevor Hutchinson on bass (do you call it a "double bass" when it's one of those slimmed-down numbers with volume and tone knobs on it?) Kevin Crawford kept everyone entertained between pieces with funny stories and witty banter. The audience was very enthusiastic.
I don't generally listen to this kind of music on recordings, but live it's a lot of fun. (1/99)
Lúnasa took the stage quite late in the evening and were forced to do an abbreviated set, but it was worth staying for. I've seen them four times now, and finally broke down and bought a CD, even though the first three times I told myself, "These guys are great live, but it's not the kind of stuff I would listen to on CD." But it's foot-tapping Irish jigs, reels, flings and polkas, just the thing to get you tapping your feet and even dancing on tables if you've had too much Scotch. They were the deciding factor in whether or not I was going to go this evening, and I'm not unhappy I did. (1/00)
Went to see Lúnasa at Joe's Pub Thursday night; first time for me since 2001. They are as delightful as ever, and Kevin Crawford's still a crack-up. (4/07)
Lúnasa went on for a very enjoyable set. Kevin Crawford as usual had the house in stitches. A notable moment was Trevor Hutchinson's effects-filled introduction to one of the songs on his double bass. At the encore all the Niall and CaoimhC-n Vallely joined their brother Cillian and the rest of Lúnasa on stage for a very energetic and special finale. (3/08, psfblair@ix.netcom.com)
Recordings:
- Lúnasa (c. 1998; reissued 2003)
- Otherworld (1999)
- The Merry Sisters of Fate (2001)
- Redwood (2003)
- The Kinnitty Sessions (live, 2004)
- Sé (2006)
- The Story So Far... (compilation, 2008)
- Lá Nua (2010)
- Lúnasa With the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (2013)
Lúnasa
Release info:
1997
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Donogh Hennessy—guitar
Trevor Hutchinson—double bass
Seán Smyth—fiddle, Swayne whistle
Mike McGoldrick—flute, low whistle
John McSherry—Uilleann pipes, low whistle
Produced by:
Lúnasa
Comments:
A lively, largely traditional record. I really enjoy it. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
The Kinnitty Sessions
Release info:
2004
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Cillian Vallely—Uilleann pipes, low whistle, 'F' whistle Donogh Hennessy—guitar
Kevin Crawford—flutes, 'F' and 'C' whistles, low whistle, bodhran
Sean Smyth—fiddle, low whistle, 'F' whistle
Trevor Hutchinson—double bass
Produced by:
Lúnasa
Comments:
I like this album, but for some reason I don't connect to it quite as much as to Lúnasa or Sé. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Sé
Release info:
2006
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Trevor Hutchinson—double bass
Sean Smyth—fiddles, whistles
Kevin Crawford—D, C & B♭ flutes, low whistles, tin whistles, bodhran
Cillian Vallely—D & C Uilleann pipes, low whistle
Guest artists:
Paul Meehan—guitars (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11)
Tim Edey—guitars (2, 3, 5, 6, 8-10)
Conor Brady—acoustic & electric guitars (5, 7, 9-11)
Pat Fitzpatrick—piano (3, 10)
Karl Ronan—trombone (5)
Produced by:
Trevor Hutchinson
Comments:
I really enjoy this album. It has a really bright sound. The music is largely very lively, but also a bit mellower than on Lúnasa. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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