Solas

biography

"Solas make mindblowing Irish folk music - maybe the world`s best" - Philadelphia Enquirer.

Since they formed in 1996, Solas have been widely regarded as the most influential and exciting band playing Irish traditional music to have emerged from the US, and feature some of the finest Irish musicians worldwide.

The flavours within Solas` music are highly distinctive - the precise, sharp staccato of Seamus Egan`s nylon strung guitar, the effortless flow of Mick McAuley`s button accordion and the full throttle onslaught of Winnie Horan`s fiddle are all trademarks of what is a recognisably Solas sound.

The band also features singer/guitarist Eamon McElholm, familiar to UK audiences from his appearance in the latter incarnations of Stockton`s Wing. Their newest member is Mairead Phelan, from County Kilkenny, the latest in a line of highly distinguished singers to have taken the lead vocals with Solas.

Although Solas can play undiluted traditional Irish music as well as anyone alive or departed, they are always varying the mix of fire tested tradition and contemporary sensibility with a natural ease. As a result, they transcend genres into the realm of pure musical expression that only a relative handful of musicians attain. This has enabled them to capture the hearts and ears not only of Irish music fans, but music-lovers all around the globe, with their blend of Celtic traditional sounds, folk and country melodies, plus bluesy and occasionally even jazz-inspired improvisations.

These authentic, yet innovative arrangements led the Irish Times to describe them in simple terms "One of the most exciting bands anywhere in the world"