Solas, an Irish-American band, performed in Raleigh last month and is currently touring in Japan. Their most recent project the band is currently working on, “Shamrock City,” is inspired by family history and cultural heritage." />
COURTESY OF: SEAMUS EGAN
Solas, an Irish-American band, performed in Raleigh last month and is currently touring in Japan. Their most recent project the band is currently working on, “Shamrock City,” is inspired by family history and cultural heritage.
For most people, Irish culture seems to be about wearing green, drinking beer and having a good time. While the average American has little knowledge regarding his or her traditions, a band that recently visited Raleigh is devoted to spreading Irish-American culture.
Solas, who performed at the Duke Energy Center in Raleigh last month, is an Irish-American band currently touring internationally. Its leader, Seamus Egan, plays everything from guitar and mandolin to tenor banjo, flute and whistles.
“There are all kinds of aspects to the Irish-American culture,” Egan said. “It supports all kinds of artistic and cultural endeavors, which allows us to do what we can do in America.”
Egan, along with the band’s vocalist and violinist Winifred Horan, were heavily inspired by their cultural heritage to put this group together. The band’s name, which is Gaelic for “light,” reflects many of its values and their overall purpose.
“[Irish culture] is a big part of the American music scene,” Egan said. “Just look at St. Patrick’s Day; it’s practically a national holiday.”
Solas’ music is contemporary, but with a traditional essence to it. Egan said the band tries to keep age-old tunes alive and still make them relevant for modern audiences.
After 15 years of touring all over the country, Solas now has five members and a widespread fan base. The other members are: Mick McAuley (accordions, low whistle, concertina, vocals), Eamon McElholm (guitars, keyboards, vocals) and newest member and lead singer, Niamh Varian-Barry.
When discussing how the show in Raleigh went this year, Egan complimented North Carolina’s connection to Irish culture.
“The concert in Raleigh went really well this year,” Egan said. “We’ve been in and around Raleigh for years, and we like it because there is a strong affinity for Irish music down there. Some of the Southern music, like bluegrass, has a direct lineage to music brought over by Irish settlers. Plus audiences are always really appreciative and that makes what we do a lot easier.”
The concert was part of the band’s most recent project, entitled “Shamrock City.” Inspired by Egan’s family history and cultural heritage, “Shamrock City” is about Butte, Mont., a mining town at the turn of the 20th Century.
Solas tells the town’s story by presenting it from the perspective of Egan’s great-great uncle, Michael Conway, an Irish immigrant. Having sailed from Ireland to Philadelphia in 1910, and then gone on to work in the coalmines in Butte, Conway has a story Egan and his entire band are more than excited to tell.
Using a culmination of audio recorded in Philadelphia and film footage in Butte, “Shamrock City” is a fundamental component of how Solas is bringing its culture to the U.S.
Prior to the launching of this project, Solas already released 10 albums and completed numerous tours.
“We tour all year round and are particularly busy around St. Patrick’s Day,” Egan said. “We don’t do anything special, really, it’s what we do all the time, just a lot of it. It’s a real busy time as we cover a lot of the country over the course of seven weeks.”
Egan discussed how doing national tours open a lot of doors for upholding Irish-American culture in the U.S.
“There is a strong Irish community in America,” Egan said. “Growing up with that forms who you are and what you do. We’re part of a long line of traditions and artists continuing on in America.”
For more information on the band, visit its website at www.solasmusic.com.