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Chulrua to Perform
downtown Saint Paul
on Monday, February 25
Saint
Paul, MN — February 1, 2008
The
renowned Irish traditional band CHULRUA will make a rare
concert appearance in the Twin Cities on Monday, February 25, 2008,
at 7:30
p.m. at the Lowry Theater, 16 West Fifth Street (the old
Lowry
Medical Arts Building) in downtown Saint Paul (one half block east of
the Saint
Paul Hotel)
Admission
for the concert is $15 adults / $8 for children 12 and
under; tickets are available at the door, or by calling 651-290-2290.
The Lowry
offers convenient parking in the Lawson Municipal Ramp, and a full cash
bar.
CHULRUA
(cool-ROO-ah),
featuring Paddy O’Brien (button
accordion), Patrick Ourceau (fiddle), and Pat Egan
(guitar and
vocals), has been stirring up audiences across the U.S. and Ireland,
putting
their own energetic stamp on Irish traditional music at festivals, folk
clubs,
and intimate house concerts.
The
group recently returned from a successful tour of Ireland in the
fall of 2007, and has received glowing reviews for their
latest CD, “The
Singing Kettle” (Shanachie 23002). Irish Music
Magazine
calls the CD “at once a wakeup call and a reminder of the things
that
matter in Irish traditional music.” The Boston Irish Reporter
says: “Their playing together is stellar; it’s like listening to a
conversation
between old friends.”
Fresh
on the heels of those accolades,
Chulrua is embarking on a tour of the Midwest US in February 2008,
including
appearances at the University of Chicago Folk Festival, the Irish
American
Heritage Center in Chicago, and concerts in Duluth, Rochester, and
Saint Paul,
MN; South Bend, IN; and Belleville, IL; and more. (See a complete list
of dates
on the band's tour
schedule.)
For
tickets or additional information on the concert, call the Lowry
Theater at 651-290-2290. For information on Chulrua, visit www.chulrua.com.
Background on Chulrua
The
band’s name, Chulrua (pronounced cool-ROO-ah), translates
from the Irish as “red back,” a reference to the name and
distinguishing
feature of the favorite wolfhound belonging to ancient Irish hero Fionn
MacCumhail (Finn MacCool).
Chulrua
plays the old instrumental dance music of Ireland: jigs,
reels, hornpipes, polkas, and slides, walking marches, songs, slow
airs, set
dances, and harp music.
Button
accordion icon Paddy O’Brien
is regarded by serious players and collectors of Irish traditional
music as a
'walking encyclopedia', for collecting and committing to memory more
than 3,000
compositions—jigs, reels, hornpipes, airs, and marches, including many
rare and
unusual tunes. Paddy has made dozens of recordings, and taught as a
master artist
all over North American and in Ireland. He has recorded 500 reels and
jigs from
his vast repertoire of traditional tunes; The Paddy O’Brien Tune
Collection:
A Personal Treasury of Irish Jigs and Reels, has received accolades
from
players of Irish music around the world. In 2007, Paddy received a
prestigious
Bush Artist Fellowship, to complete Volume II of the Paddy O’Brien Tune
Collection—another 500 dance melodies from his vast repertoire.
Also an avid student of the old masters, Patrick Ourceau is a
virtuoso
on the fiddle, and a particular specialist in the style and repertoire
of Clare
and East Galway. Originally from France, he has toured extensively in
Europe
and North America, and taught at many respected traditional music
schools.
A
native of Tipperary, guitarist Pat Egan grew up singing and playing,
and has been a professional musician for the past twenty years. Though
Pat has
built up a repertoire including work by newer songwriters, he’s also
known for
reappraising well-known songs, giving them a fresh, contemporary
approach while
remaining faithful to their original intentions.
ADDITIONAL
LINKS
FULL
CHULRUA MEDIA KIT (PDF - 1.14 MB)
DOWNLOAD CHULRUA PUBLICITY
PHOTOS