All Hallows Faire

The Black Irish Band is celebrating 22 years of performance and twenty-one CD albums. Hailing from the historic Gold Rush Country of America, the four member Black Irish Band have a musical style that is as timeless as the rugged landscape of the west, a tribute to the people whose lives were spent building the world we now take for granted. The band has a large compliment of traditional maritime and railroad music, as well as ethnic tunes in their repertoire. They excel at Irish & Scottish, Italian, and American folk music with an assortment of original songs and traditional western ballads. The bands musical style captures the spirit of the immigrants of this land, the men and women who tamed the Wild West.
At present the band is in the recording studio working on their 22nd album titled, “DARK OCEAN”- (Ballads of Pirates, Privateers, and Poor Sailors). The new CD will feature both original and traditional material. The album is a follow up to the bands 12th release, “Into the Arms of the Sea”, which has been the number one selling Maritime CD of the West Coast for five years. Todate the band has written and recorded 87 original songs and produced 56 music videos of their work. Videos can be seen on You-tube at Trainfire28. The Black Irish Band has gained much national attention over their 22-year history. In 2005, the band was hired by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and performed at the National Mall and Kennedy Center. In 2000 the band headlined at the International Music Festival in Singapore. The band also was the featured performers for the 100th Anniversaries of the Alaskan Gold Rush and White Pass & Yukon Railroad.
Black Irish Band members are Patrick Karnahan, Steve McArthur, Rick

Robbie Byrne (Bagpiper) and Walter Baldwin (Drummer) created the band in 2006. Robbie introduced the Celtic side of the sound whilst Walter, Doug, and Rich enhanced the music to create a passionate Celtic/Rock experience. Robbie, a former Scots Guards professional musician had performed for the Queen of England during state visits at Buckingham Palace in London, as well as touring extensively at music festivals in England, Ireland, Scotland and Europe before moving to America.

The band have performed at many gigs over the past two years, including the William Wallace day, Bakersfield Highland Games, other venues alongside the Wicked Tinkers, Tempest, Banshee in the Kitchen and other Celtic bands.

Their music is mix of Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and American Roots. Grimaldi writes many of the bands songs and the group has shown tremendous growth over the years. They have also managed to weather some personnel changes as drummer Peter DeMattos has stepped up to the plate to deliver a crisp and proficient backbeat for the band to jam to.

This is a band that should be on your radar and definitely seen in concert. They have proved to be consistent, persistent and inspired. I look forward to many years of being entertained by them and remain grateful that they, and others, are keeping roots music alive in a world that is without a doubt moving too fast for my taste. Like a good home cooked meal this album is unpretentious, well prepared and full of love.

Chances are you've seen BROTHER on NBC's 'ER', maybe heard their music on the classic 'Baraka' soundtrack. The band has shared stages with Joe Walsh, Jon Enwhistle, Linkin Park and Alicia Keyes and are the only independent band to have played The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
Two thirds of BROTHER, Angus and DidgeriDrew create a hypnotic sound together, both of them playing several different instruments during a show. Mesmerizing beats blend with didgeridoos, looped guitars and astral keyboards, inspiring listeners to dance and sing. Bagpipes, whistles and vocals weave captivating melodies in the BROTHER tradition, staying with audiences long after a show.
The sound of Angus and DidgeriDrew is celtic tribal trance - and truly unique.