Celtic Music: Solas

Solas means "light" in Irish Gaelic. Founding member Seamus Egan had already recorded two solo albums when he formed the group. Fiddler Winnifred Horan had been a member of Cherish the Ladies. Guitarist John Doyle had been in the group Chanting House with Egan. Based out of New York City originally, the band first performed in Washington, DC in 1995. They were featured on public radio's A Prairie Home Companion in 1996, the year of their first album release.

Solas was getting great attention in American and Irish/American media even before the first CD came out, and that has continued throughout the band's career.

Solas is noted as a band that can play straight traditional music in traditional style, while also adding a contemporary feel to traditional material and playing newly-written material in the traditional manner. They're also lively as all get out, and their playing wins over new listeners quickly.

Band members
* Seamus Egan - flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, tin whistle/low whistle, guitar, bodhrán)
* Winifred Horan - fiddle
* Mick McAuley - button accordion/piano accordion, concertina, low whistle, backing vocals
* Máiréad Phelan - lead vocals
* Eamon McElholm - guitar, vocals, keyboard
Former members
* Karan Casey - lead vocals
* John Williams - accordion
* John Doyle - guitar
* Deirdre Scanlan - lead vocals

Tracks
1. Hugo's Big Reel
2. Poor Ditching Boy
3. The Crows of Killimer/Box Reel #2/Boys of Malin/The Opera House
4. Girl in the War
5. A Waltz for Mairead
6. The Ghost of Tom Joad
7. A Sailor's Life
8. Grady Fernando Comes to Town
9. Sadhbh Ní Bhruineallaigh
10. Trip to Kareol
11. Sorry
12. A Tune for Roan

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Track listing:
1. Ni Na La
2. The Flowing Bowl / Maire Breathnach's #1 / The Doon / The Mason's Men
3. The White Petticoat / Stan Chapman's / The Miller's Maggot
4. I Wonder What's Keeping My True Love Tonight?
5. The Yellow Tinker / Cranking Out / Master Crowley's #2
6. Crested Hens
7. Johnny's Gone for a Soldier
8. Dougie MacDonald's / Maire's Breathnach's #2 / Antrim Rose / Atlantic Wave / Toss the Feathers
9. The Newry Highwayman
10. Gan Ainm / The Humours of Whiskey / Leslie's March
11. Sliabh Geal bCua Na Feile
12. Lament for Frankie
13. Timmy Clifford's / The Return Home / O'ot Be Est Da Vong / John Joe Casey's

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Track listing:
1. The Wind That Shakes the Barley
2. The Big Reel of Ballynacally / The High Hill / Flash Away the Pressing Gang
3. Aililiu Na Gamhna
4. Tom Busby's / James O'Byrne's / The Four Posts of the Bed
5. Paddy Taylors / McFadden's Handsome Daughter / The Narrowback / Franks Reel / Esther's Reel
6. The Unquiet Grave
7. The Made on the Shore
8. Song of the Kelpie
9. Mom's Jig / Bill Nicholson's 67th
10. The Primrose Lass / Molly From Longford / The Four Kisses
11. Vanished Like the Show
12. The Kilnamona Barndance / Give the Girl Her Fourpence / My Maryanne
13. Adieu Lovely Nancy

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Track listing:
1. Pastures of Plenty
2. The Stride Set
3. The Waking Up Set
4. The Grey Selchie
5. Song of Choice
6. La Bruxa
7. I Am a Maid That Sleeps In Love
8. The Vega Set
9. A Chomaraigh Aolbhinn o
10. Sproggles Set
11. The Beauty Spot
12. Sraid an Chloig

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Track listing:
1. Bheadh Buachaillin Deas Ag Sile
2. Granny Quinn's / The Lilac Reel / Sporting Pat
3. Last of the Great Whales
4. A Little Child
5. A Miner's Life
6. What's Up With Win / Sonny Brogan's / Cahal's Jig
7. When My Love and I Parted
8. Homeless
9. Boy/Girl Tune
10. Brauch Na Carraige Baine
11. Bonnie Mae
12. The New Custom House / The Flavor of the Month / The Tinkers Daughter / Dogs Among the Bushes / Pinch of Snuff
13. I Will Remember You

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Track listing:
1. Darkness, Darkness
2. Charmy Chaplin
3. Prelude #1/Black Annis
4. Who's In The What Now
5. Dignity
6. The Poisonjester's Mask
7. Maybe In A Prayer
8. Beck Street
9. Clothes Of Sand
10. Prelude #2/Georgia Lee

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Track listing:
1. Bird In The Tree
2. Scarecrow's Dream
3. I Wandered By A Brookside
4. It's Still Raining / Carlisle Street Reels
5. Just You
6. The Highlands Of Holland
7. All That You Ask Me
8. Maire Mhilis Bhrea
9. The Wiggly Jigs
10. This Love Will Carry
11. Seoladh Na Ngamhna
12. Another Day

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Track listing:
1. The Hanover Reel / John James' Reel / The Copperplate
2. The Silver Dagger
3. Tom Sullivan's / Mick's Polka / The Newmarket Polka
4. On a Sea of Fleur de Lis
5. The Night Visit
6. The Coconut Dog / Morning Dew
7. Doireann's Waltz
8. Lowground
9. The Ballerina Jig
10. Erin
11. The Ploughman
12. Steven Campbell's / The Road to Ringussoon / The Bag of Beer
13. Mi Pequena Estrella (Little Star)

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This is a 2-disk set with a CD and a concert DVD for the usual price of a CD. The DVD is part concert/part documentary. For the concert, all present and past members of the band were brought together and perform in various combinations. The concert, with interspersed commentary, will give you a good idea of how the band started, the changes in personnel, and how they have affected the sound. Nine bonus tracks follow the concert presentation. Of the 17 tunes on the CD, only one, "Highlands of Holland," is not on the DVD.

CD Track listing:
1. Pastures Of Plenty
2. Coconut Dog/Morning Dew
3. Silver Dagger
4. Timmy Clifford's
5. Newry Highwayman
6. Reasonland
7. Highlands Of Holland
8. Le Poules Huppees(The Crested Hens)
9. Rain And Snow
10. Black Annis
11. Who's In The What Now
12. On A Sea Of Fleur De Lis
13. Lowground
14. Beauty Spot
15. Nil Na La
16. The Flowing Bowl
17. Lament For Frankie

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This album is the first with Kilkenny singer Mairead Phelan in the lineup. Founding member Seamus Eagan says, "Sonically, a new singer -especially one of Mairead's abilities - opens up so many different options in terms of both what she can sing and what we can build around her voice."

Cellist Natalie Haas, who frequently teams up with Scottish fiddle master Aladair Fraser, contributes to three tracks. Canadian roots band The Duhks is featured on two tracks recorded in Louisiana.

"We're going into our thirteenth year now," Egan said. "After continuing on this long, as a musician, you want to be surprised; you want to be pushed. Those qualities are important. Whether it's from a new member or by collaborating with people like The Duhks or Natalie Haas, it's good to have a different perspective - it makes you feel young again."

Track Listing:
1. Eoin Bear's Reel/Tune For Sharon/The Rossa Reel
2. Seven Curses
3. Tilly's Jig/The Happy Traveler
4. Mollai na gCuach Ni Chuilleanain
5. Merry Go Round
6. Sunday's Waltz/Solo Double Oh
7. Vital Mental Medicine/The Pullet
8. Sailors Song
9. There Is a Time
10. John Riordan's Heels/Hoban's White House/The Lisnagun Jig
11. The Gallant Hussar
12. My Dream of You

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