Three giants of the Irish traditional scene, The Teetotallers - fiddler Martin Hayes, flute player Kevin Crawford (Lunasa), and singer and guitarist John Doyle (Solas, Joan Baez) - return to New York City after selling out Joe's Pub last year.
The three musicians, who regularly tour in other settings, first performed together at the 2010 Sebastopol Celtic Festival, in California. As the Teetotallers, they teamed up again in Ireland and then a US tour in 2012, touring to packed halls and thrilled audiences. This January, they appeared at the renowned Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. With a recording in the works, this summit meeting of talent, skill, and imagination is captivating fans of Irish and other roots music around the globe.
Fiddler player Martin Hayes is one of Ireland's most innovative and influential artists, from appearing at globalFest in 2012 with his group The Gloaming featuring Doveman (Thomas Bartlett), to collaborations with Brooklyn Rider, Bill Frisell, Gavin Friday (Electric Prunes), and Iarla O Lionaird (Afro Celt Sound System). He recently took part in a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, which can be heard here.
By the age of 19, Martin had picked up six All-Ireland fiddle championships before setting off on a musical odyssey that has brought his lyrical East County Clare sound into the worlds of jazz, film, theatre, and modern dance.
A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Kevin Crawford has been a key member of two of Ireland’s most celebrated instrumental bands, Moving Cloud and Lúnasa. Awash with plaudits for his solo albums, the former Irish Echo Artist of the Year has also collaborated with the likes of Natalie Merchant, Susan McKeown, Grianán, Raise the Rafters, Joe Derrane, and Sean Tyrrell.
Dubliner John Doyle’s filigree finger-picking guitar style is the perfect foil for the understated mastery of Hayes and Crawford. A founding member of Irish-American band Solas and recently bandleader for the Joan Baez band, Doyle received a Grammy nomination in 2009 for his collaboration with Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll, Double Play. Doyle’s tenor vocals and songwriting are superb, and he plays a cracking bouzouki and mandola as well.
As our own Paul Keating said of Teetotalers “They give life and breath to the tunes and songs...[with a] magnificent grasp of how Irish music moves and inspires the soul.
“No one should ever miss that journey with them when they perform live."
Here’s the dates for the upcoming US tour 2013:
4/24/2013 Night Town, Cleveland Heights
4/25/2013 Roots Cellar, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
4/26/2013 Fort Hunter Centennial Barn, Harrisburg, PA
4/27/2013 Montgomery, Silver Spring, MD
4/28/2013 House Concert, Bryn Athyn, PA
4/29/2013 Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
5/1/2013 Burren, Somerville, MA
5/2/2013 Square One Theatre , Stratford, CT
5/3/2013 Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland, RI
5/4/2013 Barre Opera House, Barre, VT
5/5/2013 Worcester Irish Cultural Centre, Worcester, MA
** highlineballroom.com
For more information on the Monday, April 29th gig at the Highline Ballroom visit their website or visit the Teetotaler’s Facebook page.
Here’s a video of the Teetotalers playing in Clifden, Galway:
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