Solas - dublin

Solas

Solas, one of the most exciting trad acts around, play Whelans on the 31st of January.

Solas comprises the talents of Seamus Egan on flute, banjo and mandolin, Winifred Horan on fiddle, Mick McAuley on accordion, Deirdre Scanlan on vocals and Eamon Mc Elholm on guitar and vocals.

Seamus Egan originally started the band in the mid'90s with Winifred Horan, John Williams, John Doyle and vocalist Karan Casey. Solas signed to Shanachie in 1996 and released their debut album, Solas in 1997. The band brought a broad musical vision to Irish trad music, mixing impassioned renditions of famous jigs, reels and airs with their inimitable renditions of traditional songs like “Johnny's Gone for a Soldier”. The album was recognised as a modern day classic and brought the formidable musical talents of Casey, Egan and Horan to the music public.

Solas followed their debut record with the albums Sunny Spells & Scattered Showers, The Words That Remain, The Hour Before Dawn, The Edge of Silence and Another Day. On the album The Words That Remain, Solas consolidated a style that brought the flair and excitement of American bluegrass playing to trad and then gave a trad rendition of American folk classics by Woody Guthrie and Peggy Seeger.

By the time the band recorded The Hour Before Dawn in 2000, Karan Casey had left the band to pursue a solo career and the talented vocalist Deirdre Scanlan had joined the band. The band were to broaden their musical horizon further on their next album, The Edge of Silence with covers of Bob Dylans' “Dignity”, Nick Drake's “Clothes of Sand” and Tom Waits “Georgia Lee”. Solas's latest album Another Day sees the band return to the tight and exciting trad group of their first three albums. Solas are one of the most innovative and exciting trad acts around, so if you love trad music, this concert in Whelans is not to be missed.