The High Kings and Gaelic Storm

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 7:30pm at Troy Music Hall

The High Kings are Finbarr Clancy, Darren Holden, Paul O' Brien and Brian Dunphy who have held the position as the distinctive voice of Irish folk music across the world for the last 15years.  And as they continue to sell out venues around the world to an ever- growing army of loyal fans The High Kings show no signs of stopping. Having already surpassed a 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify as well as 2 platinum albums in their time, 2023 saw The High Kings celebrate 15 years together by releasing 15 brand new tracks to their fans, as well as the release of their, 8th Studio Album The Road Not Taken. Renowned for their captivating harmonies and timeless melodies, The High Kings eighth studio album is a collection of original songs that breathe new life into traditional folk music, blending the old with the new. Having amassed almost 2 million streams since it’s release in June 2023 ‘The Road Not Taken’ has also reached the number independent album position in Ireland, No1 in Folk, Number 2 in all genres, No.2 in singer songwriter in the USA, the number 1 bestseller on Amazon Germany and a selection of top 5 chart positions worldwide. 'The Road Not Taken' by The High Kings is a groundbreaking collaborative effort, co-written and produced with some of Ireland's most respected and popular artists. This includes household names such as The Script, Kodaline, Picture This, Sharon Corr and more. The album also includes guest appearances from international artists such as legendary 'Journey' frontman Steve Perry, making it a genuine feast of global music collaborations. The High Kings have charted across the world and performed for hundreds of thousands of fans, as well as in many prestigious situations including for the Prime Minister of England (2011), Barak Obama( 2012) & George W Bush ( 2009 at the White house and at The Pentagon (2015) Notable performances include Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight ( 3 times – headlining in 2015) appeared in Time Square & headlined the St Patrick’s Day concert in Trafalgar Square London (2015) as well as performing at the top of the Empire State building on St Patricks day 2023. As they continue to go from strength to strength The High Kings remain firmly rooted in Irish tradition and classic folk music and their brand new tour will be a feast of well-known hits and spectacular musicianship, and they look forward to seeing you soon.

It’s hard to imagine Gaelic Storm just coming into their own after 20 years of success, but that’s exactly what makes a true anomaly. This multi-national, Celtic juggernaut grows stronger with each live performance, and as you can imagine, after two decades and over 2000 shows, it is a true force to be reckoned with. With their latest release, Go Climb a Tree, their music has never sounded more representative of themselves as musicians and as live performers. The band attributes their continued success to their fanatic audience, and it’s a well-diversified crowd for sure. The country-music folks adore the storytelling, the bluegrass-heads love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love their devotion to tradition, and the rockers simply relish the passion they play their instruments with. Each band member, in their own way, expresses a deep gratitude for their fans, but it’s best summed up in the words of Patrick Murphy: “The fans are the ones that have given us this life. We’re here for them.” On Go Climb a Tree, co-founders of Gaelic Storm, Steve Twigger and Patrick Murphy, along with longtime friend and co-writer Steve Wehmever, are again at the helm of song-writing duties. The album has everything—party drinking songs (“The Beer Song”), patriotic anthems (“Green, White and Orange”), beautiful folk songs (“Monday Morning Girl”), spritely instrumentals “”The Night of Tomfoolery”), perfectly poppy songs (“Shine On”), and even a raucous pirate song (“Shanghai Kelly”). When speaking of the overall concept of the album, Patrick Murphy gives some insight: “With all the craziness and division in the world, we wanted to make an album about ‘contemplative escapism.’ Go Climb a Tree certainly isn’t about dropping out of the conversation, it’s just about taking a short hiatus to recharge the batteries before you take on the world again.” Gaelic Storm takes a true blue-collar, hard-nose approach to touring, consistently traveling the US and internationally over 200 days a year, forging a unique path in the Celtic music world. “You have to see us live. We are the true working-mans’ band,” says Ryan Lacey, who joined the lineup in 2003. “We still, and most likely always will, tour most of the year, and that’s how we constantly hone our craft.” The dedication to live shows date all the way back to the mid-1990s, when Gaelic Storm kicked off its career as a pub band in Santa Monica, California. Due to their discovery at the pub, by the end of the decade, the musicians had appeared in the blockbuster film Titanic (where they performed “Irish Party in Third Class”). This laid the groundwork for a career that would eventually find them topping the Billboard World Chart six times, making appearances at mainstream music festivals, and regularly headlining the largest Irish Festivals across the country, all the while gaining a reputation as a genre-bending Irish rock band, whose songs mix Celtic traditions with something uniquely creative. Looking to the future, Gaelic Storm is excited about what lies ahead. In 2022, they were excited to welcome Natalya Kay, an incredible fiddler hailing from Western Massachusetts, but living now in Music City, Nashville, TN. Natalya's energy and presence on stage has been a force to be reckoned with.