"...Woody Guthrie's representative on earth." -Hot Press
Andy Irvine has been hailed as "a tradition in himself." Musician, singer and songwriter, Andy has maintained both personal integrity and highly individual performing skills throughout his 40-year career. From Sweeney's Men in the mid sixties to the enormous success of Planxty in the 70s, to THE Irish super group, Patrick Street, in the 80s, Andy has been a world music pioneer and icon for traditional music and musicians.
Irvine occupies a unique place in the musical world, plying his trade as archetypal troubadour, with a solo show and traveling lifestyle that reflects his lifelong influence, Woody Guthrie. Few others can equal his repertoire, Irish traditional songs, dexterous Balkan dance tunes, and a compelling canon of his own material that defies description.
Also performing is Round Mountain with their brand of original roots music, fit for the 21st Century. Sometimes raucous (imagine trumpet and accordion played simultaneously by one person), sometimes subtle (the harp-like sound of the West African kora), Round Mountain touches their audiences with great songs, emotional honesty, and an engaging live show.
Comprised of two brothers who have a quirky eccentricity and immediate rapport with their audience. They are excellent songwriters and instrumentalists whose lives are clearly devoted to music. In a world in which physical and cultural distance means less and less, they are asking questions that need to be asked: "How do we as Americans fit into the melting pot of the world? How can we connect to our roots while remaining ourselves?" The remarkable thing is that these two, both fathers, have come up with some powerful musical and emotional answers to that kind of question.
