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Gaelic Storm | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Santa Monica, California, United States |
Genres | Celtic, Celtic rock |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Lost Again Records OmTown Music |
Members | Patrick Murphy Ryan Lacey Peter Purvis Natalya Kay Parker Hastings |
Past members | Steve Twigger Katie Grennan Kiana Weber Jessie Burns Shasha Zhang Bob Banerjee Tom Brown Samantha Hunt Kathleen Keane Ellery Klein Shep Lonsdale Steve Wehmeyer Brian Walsh |
Website | gaelicstorm |
Gaelic Storm is an American Celtic band founded in Santa Monica, California, in 1996. Their musical output includes pieces from traditional Irish music, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic folk and Celtic rock genres. The band appeared in the 1997 film Titanic and recorded songs on the movie's soundtrack album, [1] and has released more than a dozen of their own albums.
In 1996, Patrick Murphy and Steve Wehmeyer joined with Steve Twigger, drummer Shep Lonsdale, fiddler Samantha Hunt, and Uillean piper Brian Walsh to perform at O'Brien's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Santa Monica, California, of which Murphy was the manager. This led to a number of pub performances for the next year.
In 1997, Gaelic Storm appeared in the film Titanic as the steerage band, performing "Blarney Pilgrim" (Jig), "John Ryan's Polka", "Kesh Jig" and "Drowsy Maggie" (Reel). [N 1] The first two were published on the second soundtrack album as "An Irish Party in Third Class", while the band's second album, Herding Cats , featured "Blarney Pilgrim" and "Drowsy Maggie" as "Titanic Set (Medley)".
After this film appearance, Gaelic Storm started touring, and have performed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Japan. Brian Walsh left the band before the first album was recorded in 1998. Samantha Hunt left in 2000 after the group's second album.
The group has released 14 albums since its inception, including two compilation albums. The band is known for their energetic renditions of traditional Irish music and Scottish traditional music, and for their albums which consistently top the Billboard world music charts. [2]
From 2002 to 2006, the band's membership underwent a transition period. The second fiddler, Kathleen Keane, left the band after their third album "Tree", and drummer Shep Lonsdale left, leaving only Murphy, Wehmeyer, and Twigger as the original members. Their sound engineer at the time, Tom Brown, was also a bagpiper and whistle player and began playing at periods in their show. Ryan Lacey was recruited on drums. This quintet recorded three new tracks for their fourth album, Special Reserve, also a compilation album of their previous three albums. Deborah Clark Colon was the fiddler on the three new tracks, "Courting in the Kitchen," "Schooner Lake Set", and "Nancy Whiskey." Chinese-born Shasha Zhang toured with them on fiddle for several months in 2002. For a brief time in approximately 2003, the band recruited their, to date, only male fiddler, Bob Banerjee. Teresa Gowan was also the group's fiddler during this transitional period. Finally by 2004, Ellery Klein was hired as full time fiddler.
Gaelic Storm's fifth album, How Are We Getting Home? , was released in August 2004 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard World Music Charts, #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, and re-entered the September 2005 World Albums Chart at #3. [3]
By 2005 Tom Brown had left the band and Peter Purvis was brought in to play bagpipes, uilleann pipes, deger pipes, and whistle.
In January 2006, the band released their first DVD, Gaelic Storm: Live In Chicago, filmed live at the House of Blues in Chicago. In early 2006, founding member Steve Wehmeyer retired full time from the band and became a college professor. As of 2022, he still co-writes the music with Murphy and Twigger, and makes occasional appearances with the band. He is the only member that has not been replaced.
After Wehmeyer's full time departure, the band's membership stabilized and remained largely unchanged with the exception of the position of fiddler, which has since changed hands numerous times.
The band's sixth album, Bring Yer Wellies , was released in July 2006 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Chart, #16 on the Internet Sales Chart, and #31 on the Independent Album Chart. Gaelic Storm's next album, What's the Rumpus? was released in 2008 on the band's own label, Lost Again Records. It reached #1 on the Billboard World Chart.
A Simlish version of the song "Scalliwag", from the album Bring Yer Wellies, was recorded and featured on the World music channel in the expansion pack, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage , for the PC game The Sims 2 .
As of June 2022 [update] , original members Murphy and Twigger are still in the band, joined by Ryan Lacey (since 2003), Pete Purvis (since 2005) of Merrickville, Ontario, and Natalya Kay (since 2022).
Current members:
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Yer Favourites is a two-disc compilation album by the Tragically Hip. The tracks for Yer Favourites were selected by the band's fans on its website and were remastered. The compilation includes a total of seven songs from Fully Completely, six songs from Road Apples, five songs from Phantom Power, four songs from Up to Here, four songs from Day for Night, two songs from Trouble at the Henhouse, two songs from Music @ Work, two songs from In Violet Light, two songs from In Between Evolution and one song from the band's self-titled EP. It also included two new songs, "No Threat" and "The New Maybe". It was released both as a stand-alone two-disc set and as part of the Hipeponymous box set. The compilation debuted at number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart in 2005. In 2016, the compilation re-entered the Canadian Albums Chart, contemporaneous with the release of Man Machine Poem and the announcement of lead singer Gord Downie's cancer diagnosis.
Herding Cats is the second studio album by Gaelic Storm, released in 1999. The band was still riding on their fame from their onscreen performance in the 1997 film Titanic.
Tree is a 2001 album by Gaelic Storm.
Special Reserve is a 2003 compilation album by Gaelic Storm.
Starfish is the fifth album by the Australian rock band The Church, released in February 1988 by Mushroom Records in Australia and by Arista Records internationally. The band's international breakthrough album, Starfish went gold in America and has remained their most commercially successful release. The album sold 600,000 copies in the United States alone. The first single, "Under the Milky Way", charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #24, and at #2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, leading to significant exposure of the then relatively underground Australian act. In Australia "Under the Milky Way" climbed to #22, and Starfish reached #11 on the album charts.
Stockton's Wing are an Irish band formed in 1977 by four All-Ireland champion musicians; Paul Roche on flute/whistle, Maurice Lennon on fiddle, Tommy Hayes on bodhran, and Kieran Hanrahan on banjo/mandolin, along with Tony Callinan on guitar and vocals. They have collaborated with well known artists including Christy Moore, "as well as more than a dozen musicians who have worked to create an impressive collection of work". Their style has been described as including "Irish folk, melancholic ballads, upbeat jigs, and modern pop". Stockton's Wing have supported artists including Michael Jackson and Prince.
Bring Yer Wellies is the sixth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 25, 2006. "Wellies" is a nickname for Wellington boots, which feature prominently in the lyrics of "Kelly's Wellies" and on the album cover.
Bothy Culture is the second studio album by the Scottish Celtic fusion artist Martyn Bennett, released in October 1997 on the Rykodisc label. After winning critical acclaim for his debut album Martyn Bennett (1996), Bothy Culture builds upon that album's mixing of Scottish Celtic music with farther, international folk music styles and contemporary electronic music. The album celebrates and draws upon the music of Bennett's native Gaeldom as well as the music of Islam and Scandinavia, with Bennett finding and emotionally connecting to the similarities between the geographically dispersed styles. It mixes the styles with contemporary electronic music such as breakbeat and drum and bass.
The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O'Brien. As of 2023, the group had released five studio albums, four live albums, two live DVDs, and one greatest hits album. Their first three studio albums appeared at number three or higher on the Billboard world music chart, the first two went platinum in Ireland, and all of their albums charted in Ireland.
What's the Rumpus? is the seventh album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 8, 2008 and reached #177 on the Billboard 200.
The Given Note is the fourth solo album by master uilleann piper and prominent Irish traditional musician Liam O'Flynn. Produced by Shaun Davey and recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, the album was released in 1995. The title was suggested by O'Flynn's good friend Seamus Heaney, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize for Literature. Heaney also wrote a tribute to O'Flynn which is on the sleeve notes of the album.
Cabbage is the eighth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on August 3, 2010, and reached #73 on the Billboard 200 on August 21, 2010.
Believe is the seventh studio album released by the group Celtic Woman.
Chicken Boxer is the ninth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 31, 2012.
The Boathouse is the tenth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on August 20, 2013. The name of the album refers to a boathouse in Annapolis, Maryland, where the tracks were recorded. It spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard World Album chart.
Bodh'aktan is a Canadian traditional music group, based in Quebec, that fuses elements of Irish, Celtic, Québécois, Maritime, and Breton music with hard rock, country, polka, and punk. The name is inspired by a Gaelic term for fishermen's boots, and by the French pronunciation for the famous Acton boots Botte Acton. Many of the members wear kilts during their stage performances.
Matching Sweaters is the twelfth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 24, 2015.
Steve Twigger is an English musician, best known as the guitarist of the Celtic band Gaelic Storm.
Go Climb a Tree is the thirteenth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 28, 2017.
Green Suede Shoes is an album by the American band Black 47, released in 1996. It was a commercial disappointment.