Concert ~ Lunasa with Tim O’Brien at the Camden Opera House

Returning to the Camden Opera House is the ever popular Celtic band Lunasa with special guest Tim O’Brien!

Lúnasa and Tim O’Brien embark on a transatlantic journey exploring the common roots, interplay and mutual influences at the heart of American and Irish music.
Musicoligists and fans of the two styles of music – bluegrass and Celtic – agree that both styles of music have the same roots, share a lot of the same characteristics, and even some of the same instruments – fiddle, guitar, upright bass. Both are known for their liveliness and danceability, all the while tugging at your heart strings in some nostalgic but inexplicable way. Lúnasa and Tim O’Brien are masters of their respective genres and, over the years, both have more than dipped their feet in the waters of each other’s musical ponds. With great respect for the traditions from which they all came, O’Brien and Lúnasa keep those same traditions fresh with their virtuosic musicianship and frequent original compositions.

Since coming together in 1996, Lúnasa has performed over 1800 concerts and achieved a worldwide reputation as a different kind of Irish traditional music band. The all-instrumental quintet is noted for double bass and guitar-driven rhythms, original compositions mixed with material from Celtic regions such as Brittany, Galicia, and Asturias, and a surprising focus on slower melodies involving three-part harmonies played on the traditional pipes, fiddle, and flute. By any reckoning, Lúnasa is regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest traditional music bands. with an enviable back catalogue of seven highly acclaimed, award-winning studio albums boasting more than a quarter of a million sales. . Their recordings have been hailed as some of the most important world music albums anywhere. The music of Lúnasa is typified by the drive and passion that defines Irish music itself. Lúnasa is Kevin Crawford (flutes, low whistles and tin whistles), Trevor Hutchinson (double bass), Ed Boyd (guitar), Colin Farrell (fiddle and whistles), and Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes and low whistles).

Tim O’Brien is one of the spearheads of contemporary bluegrass. As co- founder and lead vocalist of Hot Rize and Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers, O’Brien served as a bridge between the traditional sounds of the hill country and the modern styles of bluegrass in the 1980s. Since the band’s breakup, O’Brien has continued to expand the music’s borders as a soloist, a duo partner with his sister Mollie, and with his band, the O’Boys. O’Brien’s songs have additionally been recorded by Kathy Mattea, the Seldom Scene, New Grass Revival, and the Johnson Mountain Boys. Playing guitar since the age of 10, O’Brien also plays fiddle, mandolin, and banjo. New CD Pompadour is his first solo release in four years. The album swirls together bits of bluegrass, deep-roots Appalachian music, field hollars, old-school rock ‘n roll, traditional jazz, and even James Brown funk. Lúnasa’s bass player, Trevor Hutchinson, joins O’Brien on Pompadour; and the two have toured together in New Zealand. The band’s piper, Cillian Vallely, has also toured with O’Brien in The Crossing, a group that combined Appalachian and Celtic sounds.
Coincidentally, both Lúnasa and Tim O’Brien recently performed separately at Scotland’s acclaimed festival Celtic Connections. American audiences will have the opportunity that Glasgow audiences did not – to see these artists perform together and blend their two traditions. O’Brien has just returned from a tour in Ireland and the U.K., while Lúnasa is coming off their sold-out headlining appearance at Dublin’s Tradfest 2016, as well as shows in Letterkenny and Derry. These concerts provide a rare opportunity to see (and of course, hear) an epic collaboration.

Reserved seating tickets available here $22, $25 and $28 or by calling 207-470-7066 or stopping at Camden Town Office for no fee walk-up.

Contact Website: www.camdenoperahouse.com