Gaelic Storm
Encyclopedia
Gaelic Storm is a Celtic
band. Their music includes traditional Irish music
, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock
genres. Their most recent album, Cabbage, was released on August 3, 2010.
, California
, of which Murphy was the manager. This led to a number of pub performances for the next year.
In 1997, Gaelic Storm appeared in the film Titanic
as the steerage band, performing "An Irish Party in Third Class". This catapulted them into touring, where they were met with extreme success and popularity. They have toured throughout the United States
and Canada
, in the United Kingdom
, France
, and Japan
.
To this date, Gaelic Storm tours aggressively, and plays over 125 dates a year. It has also put out eight albums since its inception, including the compilation album Special Reserve. The band is notable for its energetic rendering of traditional Irish music and Scottish traditional music, and for its albums which repeatedly top the Billboard world music charts.
Gaelic Storm's fifth album, How Are We Getting Home?, was released in August 2004 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard
World Music Charts, #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and re-entered the September 2005 World Albums Chart at #3. The band's sixth album Bring Yer Wellies
was released on July 25, 2006 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Chart, #16 on the Internet Sales Chart and #31 on the Independent Album Chart. The next album of Gaelic Storm was released on July 8, 2008, titled "What's the Rumpus?" released by their own label, Lost Again Records. It reached #1 on the Billboard World Chart.
Over its history, the band has replaced its fiddle player a few times, its drummer once, and added Highland
, Uilleann
, and Deger (electronic) bagpipes to its instrumentation.
In January 2006 the band released its first DVD
titled "Gaelic Storm: Live In Chicago". The show was filmed live at the House of Blues in Chicago.
A Simlish
version of the song, Scalliwag, from the album Bring Yer Wellies was recorded and featured on the World music channel in the expansion pack, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
, for the popular PC Game, The Sims 2
.
Gaelic Storm also includes: Ryan Lacey on drums and world percussion (graduated twice from the Los Angeles Music Academy, once for hands and once for sticks), Pete Purvis of Merrickville, Ontario on uilleann pipes, tin whistle, deger pipes and highland pipes (a Grade 1 piper who toured with award winning pipe bands including the Braemar Pipe Band and played at 2000 Sydney Olympics) and the newest member of the band Jessie Burns on fiddle (originally from Suffolk, England, now
living in Colorado)."
Former members:
Guest musicians by album:
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
band. Their music includes traditional Irish music
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock
Celtic rock
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
genres. Their most recent album, Cabbage, was released on August 3, 2010.
History
Gaelic Storm's origins can be traced back to 1996, when Patrick Murphy and Steve Wehmeyer joined with Steve Twigger and Uillean piper Brian Walsh to perform at O'Brien's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Santa MonicaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, of which Murphy was the manager. This led to a number of pub performances for the next year.
In 1997, Gaelic Storm appeared in the film Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
as the steerage band, performing "An Irish Party in Third Class". This catapulted them into touring, where they were met with extreme success and popularity. They have toured throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
To this date, Gaelic Storm tours aggressively, and plays over 125 dates a year. It has also put out eight albums since its inception, including the compilation album Special Reserve. The band is notable for its energetic rendering of traditional Irish music and Scottish traditional music, and for its albums which repeatedly top the Billboard world music charts.
Gaelic Storm's fifth album, How Are We Getting Home?, was released in August 2004 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
World Music Charts, #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and re-entered the September 2005 World Albums Chart at #3. The band's sixth album Bring Yer Wellies
Bring Yer Wellies
Bring Yer Wellies is the sixth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 25, 2007. "Wellies" is a nickname for Wellington boots, which feature prominently in the lyrics of "Kelly's Wellies" and on the album cover.-Track listing:...
was released on July 25, 2006 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Chart, #16 on the Internet Sales Chart and #31 on the Independent Album Chart. The next album of Gaelic Storm was released on July 8, 2008, titled "What's the Rumpus?" released by their own label, Lost Again Records. It reached #1 on the Billboard World Chart.
Over its history, the band has replaced its fiddle player a few times, its drummer once, and added Highland
Great Highland Bagpipe
The Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
, Uilleann
Uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
, and Deger (electronic) bagpipes to its instrumentation.
In January 2006 the band released its first DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
titled "Gaelic Storm: Live In Chicago". The show was filmed live at the House of Blues in Chicago.
A Simlish
Simlish
Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA Games' Sim series of games. It debuted in SimCopter, and has been especially prominent in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. The Sims development team created the unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, Latin,...
version of the song, Scalliwag, from the album Bring Yer Wellies was recorded and featured on the World music channel in the expansion pack, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage is the sixth expansion pack released in The Sims 2 series of PC games. It was released on September 4, 2007 in North America and September 6, 2007 in Europe for the Microsoft Windows Operating System. For the Mac OS X Operating System, it was released on December 17, 2007 by...
, for the popular PC Game, The Sims 2
The Sims 2
The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X...
.
Gaelic Storm also includes: Ryan Lacey on drums and world percussion (graduated twice from the Los Angeles Music Academy, once for hands and once for sticks), Pete Purvis of Merrickville, Ontario on uilleann pipes, tin whistle, deger pipes and highland pipes (a Grade 1 piper who toured with award winning pipe bands including the Braemar Pipe Band and played at 2000 Sydney Olympics) and the newest member of the band Jessie Burns on fiddle (originally from Suffolk, England, now
living in Colorado)."
Band members
- Patrick Murphy (accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, spoonsSpoon (musical instrument)Spoons can be played as a makeshift percussion instrument, or more specifically, an idiophone related to the castanets. "Playing the spoons" originated in Ireland as "playing the bones," in which the convex sides of a pair of sheep rib bones were rattled in the same way.- Techniques :# A pair of...
, bodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, lead vocals) - Steve Twigger (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, lead vocals) - Ryan Lacey (djembeDjembeA djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
, doumbek, surdoSurdoFor the football player of the same name see Surdu.The surdo is a large bass drum used in many kinds of Brazilian music, most notably in Axé/Samba-reggae and samba and its variants, where it plays the lower parts from a percussion section....
, cajónCajónA cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front face with the hands.-Origins and evolution:...
, vocals, various percussion) - Peter Purvis (Highland bagpipesGreat Highland BagpipeThe Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
, Uillean pipes, DegerPipes, whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
) - Jessie BurnsJessie BurnsJessie Burns is a British Celtic and Cross-Over 4 and 5 String fiddle player and composer. She is currently a member of the Celtic Rock band Gaelic Storm, as the fiddle player and a backup vocalist. She is also currently working on her first solo CD...
(fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, vocals)
Former members:
- Samantha Hunt (fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
) - Kathleen Keane (fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, vocals) - Ellery Klein (fiddle, vocals)
- Shep Lonsdale (djembeDjembeA djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
, doumbek, surdoSurdoFor the football player of the same name see Surdu.The surdo is a large bass drum used in many kinds of Brazilian music, most notably in Axé/Samba-reggae and samba and its variants, where it plays the lower parts from a percussion section....
, and various other percussion) - Steve Wehmeyer (bodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, didgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
, vocals) - Tom Brown (bagpipesBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
, Tin WhistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, DegerPipes) - Bob Banerjee (fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
)
Guest musicians by album:
- Herding CatsHerding Cats (album)-Track listing:#"Drink The Night Away"#"The Ferryman"#"South Australia"#"After Hours At McGann's"#"Heart Of The Ocean"#"Breakfast At Lady A.'s"#"The Park East Polkas"#"Spanish Lady"#"The Devil Went Down To Doolin"#"The Barnyards Of Delgaty"...
- John Whelan (button accordion)
- Eric RiglerEric RiglerEric Rigler is an American player of the Uilleann pipes, Great Highland Bagpipes, and tin whistle. He plays on his own and with the band Bad Haggis, and has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks. He has been described as "the most recorded bagpiper of all time"...
(Uillean Pipes, Low "D" Whistle) - Marie Reilly (fiddle)
- Tree
- Mike PorcaroMike PorcaroMike Porcaro is best noted as the bass player in the Grammy Award winning band, Toto.He is the middle brother of Toto members Jeff Porcaro and Steve Porcaro...
(bass)
- Mike Porcaro
- Special Reserve
- Deborah Clark Colón (fiddle on Tracks 1, 3, & 8)
- How Are We Getting Home?How Are We Getting Home? (album)-Track listing:#"I Miss My Home"#"Born To Be A Bachelor"#"Punjab Paddy"#"Stain the Grout"#"Tear Upon the Rose"#"Summer's Gone"#"Piña Colada in a Pint Glass"#"Fish and Get Fat"#"The Lone-Star Stowaway"#"When I Win"#"An Cailin Deas Rua"#"Down Underground"...
- Dave PomeroyDave PomeroyDave Pomeroy is a United States musician, known as a Nashville vocalist, songwriter, and producer , but is best known as a bassist. He has played electric and acoustic bass in the studio for many recording artists in addition to his solo and concert work...
(bass guitars) - Nanci GriffithNanci GriffithNanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
(special guest vocals on Track 5)
- Dave Pomeroy
- Bring Yer WelliesBring Yer WelliesBring Yer Wellies is the sixth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 25, 2007. "Wellies" is a nickname for Wellington boots, which feature prominently in the lyrics of "Kelly's Wellies" and on the album cover.-Track listing:...
- Jeff May (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Rob Forkner (bodhran)
- Michael Ramos (accordion)
- Lauren Dilbert (didgeridoo)
- Jeff May (bass guitar
- What's The Rumpus?What's The Rumpus?What's the Rumpus? is the seventh album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 8, 2008 and reached #177 on the Billboard 200.-Track listing:All arrangements by Gaelic Storm.#"What's the Rumpus?" - 3:59...
- "Crazy" Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
(vocals) - Jeff May (bass guitar)
- Lloyd MainesLloyd MainesLloyd Maines is an American Grammy Award-winning country music record producer, musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and is now based in Bulverde, Texas....
(pedal steelPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
) - David Boyle (keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
)
- "Crazy" Arthur Brown
- Cabbage
- Jeff May (bass guitar)
- Kevin Smith (bass guitar)
- David Boyle (keyboards)
- Michael Ramos (accordion)
Discography
- Gaelic StormGaelic Storm (album)-Track listing:#"The Hills of Connemara"#"Bonnie Ship the Diamond / Tamlinn"#"The Farmer's Frolic"#"Johnny Jump Up / Morrison's Jig"#"The Storm"#"Tell Me Ma"#"Rocky Road to Dublin / Kid On The Mountain"#"Sight Of Land"#"The Leaving of Liverpool"...
(July 28, 1998) - Herding CatsHerding Cats (album)-Track listing:#"Drink The Night Away"#"The Ferryman"#"South Australia"#"After Hours At McGann's"#"Heart Of The Ocean"#"Breakfast At Lady A.'s"#"The Park East Polkas"#"Spanish Lady"#"The Devil Went Down To Doolin"#"The Barnyards Of Delgaty"...
(September 20, 1999) - Tree (June 19, 2001)
- Special Reserve (August 19, 2003) (compilation)
- How Are We Getting Home?How Are We Getting Home? (album)-Track listing:#"I Miss My Home"#"Born To Be A Bachelor"#"Punjab Paddy"#"Stain the Grout"#"Tear Upon the Rose"#"Summer's Gone"#"Piña Colada in a Pint Glass"#"Fish and Get Fat"#"The Lone-Star Stowaway"#"When I Win"#"An Cailin Deas Rua"#"Down Underground"...
(August 3, 2004) - Bring Yer WelliesBring Yer WelliesBring Yer Wellies is the sixth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 25, 2007. "Wellies" is a nickname for Wellington boots, which feature prominently in the lyrics of "Kelly's Wellies" and on the album cover.-Track listing:...
(July 25, 2006) - What's The Rumpus?What's The Rumpus?What's the Rumpus? is the seventh album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 8, 2008 and reached #177 on the Billboard 200.-Track listing:All arrangements by Gaelic Storm.#"What's the Rumpus?" - 3:59...
(July 8, 2008) - Cabbage (August 3, 2010)
Filmography
- TitanicTitanic (1997 film)Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
(1997) - Gaelic Storm Live in Chicago (2006)
Interviews
- Rambles.NET interview with Patrick Murphy
- Rambles.NET interview with Steve Twigger
- Tap Milwaukee interview w/ Steve Twigger & Patrick Murphy