Lúnasa & Friends

With Special Guests Daoirí Farrell and Steeplechase

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Mount Baker Theatre with Lúnasa. Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god Lugh, patron of the arts, Lúnasa is a gathering of some of the top musical talents in Ireland. Formed in 1997, its members have helped form the backbone of some of the greatest Irish groups of the decade. From the start, Lúnasa’s complex arrangements and unique sound reshaped the boundaries of traditional music and energized audiences across the globe. Critical acclaim followed, The Irish Echo describing the band as the “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet” and MOJO magazine named the band “the new gods of Irish music.” 

Each member is prolific in their own right, and together they embody the label “Irish music dream team” given to them by Folk Roots Magazine. Lúnasa is made up of bassist Trevor Hutchinson of The Waterboys and The Sharon Shannon Band; guitarist Ed Boyd of Flook, Kate Rusby, and Cara Dillon; fiddler and All-Ireland champion Sean Smyth; Kevin Crawford of Moving Cloud; and piper Cillian Vallely who recently performed with Riverdance and recorded with Bruce Springsteen.

Having performed over 3,000 shows across 36 countries, Lúnasa has won multiple awards and become one of the most influential bands in the history of traditional music.  The band’s audience only continued to broaden through collaborations with singers Natalie Merchant, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, and Tim O’Brien and high-profile concerts at The Hollywood Bowl, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury Festival, and Bercy Arena Paris. Over the years, Lúnasa has cemented its place at the forefront of contemporary Irish music.  

“The hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet.” – The Irish Voice

Daoirí Farrell

Singer and bouzouki player Daoirí Farrell is described by many of the biggest names in Irish folk music as the most important singer to come out of Ireland in recent years. His 2017 album True Born Irishman won two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017 for Best Newcomer and Best Traditional Track. Since then, he has toured with Jerry Douglas and the all-star Transatlantic Sessions in major venues across the UK. In 2019, Farrell’s new album A Lifetime Of Happiness, was nominated for three RTE Folk Awards in Ireland.

Steeplechase

Steeplechase came about in the tried and true manner of Irish music bands throughout the centuries: four musicians playing together in a jam session. Hanz Araki (flutes, vocals), Zach Bauman (bouzouki), Sam Vogt (guitar, whistle), and David Lofgren (bodhrán) each have long histories in folk music. Their paths to taking up traditional music may vary wildly, but their passion for, and love of this art form is unquestionably shared.