The City of Auburn’s BRAVO Performing Arts series will present its final show of the season next Friday when Gaelic Storm takes the stage at the Auburn Performing Arts Center.
Formed on St. Patrick’s Day 1996 in Santa Monica, Calif., Gaelic Storm first gained recognition in the Hollywood blockbuster
“Titanic”, which featured the band as the steerage class Irish party band.
Since then, the Celtic folk rockers have released seven albums, several of which have found their way onto the Billboard World Music Charts, and had their music featured on video games. They toured the world, bringing their brand of Irish pub rock to the masses.
According to founding member, guitarist and band spokesman Steve Twigger, the popularity of Gaelic Storm’s music lies in the good times and energy the music conjures up for audiences.
“I think in the past 10 years younger folks are latching on to it as an escape, as a release of energy,” he said. “There is something like 13 million Irish Americans in this country, and they identify with it. There is something real about the pipes and the fiddle. They are old instruments, and there is a connection to the past.”
According to Twigger, the band typically plays a 2½-hour set, culling the majority of the music from their seven CD releases and throwing in a couple of traditional Irish folk tunes for good measure.
“The songs we play are from our whole catalog,” he said. “We play our favorites and the fans’ favorites. And we tell stories. If something happened to us on the way to the show, we’ll let you know about it. We like to have a good time and make everyone feel a part of it. There is a lot of energy there.
“We’ll write a set list for the first three or four shows, and then we’ll forget the order and throw in songs as we go,” Twigger continued. “We’ll switch out songs. If it seems like the audience wants to get on their feet, we’ll do the more energetic songs. It’s fairly fluid.”
In addition to Twigger, an Englishman, the band features Irish-born Patrick Murphy on vocals, piano, accordion, spoons and harmonica and American Steve Wehmeyer on bodhran, vocals and didgeridoo.
The band also features Ryan Lacey on drums and percussion, Pete Purvis on pipes and whistles and Jessie Burns on fiddle.
“There is a wide variety of sounds that come from the stage show,” Twigger said. “There is the fiddle and pipes and then more obscure instruments like the bodhran and the Irish bouzouki.”
In addition to having their music featured on the silver screen and video games, Gaelic Storm also had their song, “Kiss Me I’m Irish”, featured on a Hallmark musical greeting card.
“In one sense, coming from where I do, which is a working class little town, it’s bizarre to have that on your resume,” Twigger said. “When you go the Wal-Mart and see it, you sort of have to laugh. It’s a little strange. But people find it popular and it puts a smile on their face.”
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Showtime
Gaelic Storm, featuring the Tony Comerford School of Dance championship dancers, will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 17 at the Auburn Performing Arts Center on 700 E. Main St. Tickets are $17, $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at www.auburnwa.gov/arts. Information also is available by calling
253-931-3043 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information on the band is available at www.gaelicstorm.com.
