Sessions Found 1995-2002

It was August of 1995 and I remember the four of us standing stage-side as nervous as a kittens at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in France. Our new group, Dan, was about to take the stage and the marquee was full to the brim. Still in our teens, this was all new to us. We were used to playing in the back rooms of smokey pubs in Ireland where the crowd rarely listened and now we were about to step on to the world stage in front of a discerning, paying audience. It would surely end in disaster? Gough's last words were 'whatever you do, lash the shite out of it' and that we did! To our surprise the crowd didn't leave, they listened, they clapped, then danced and by the end wouldn't let us leave the stage! We were a success! On the strength of our performances in Lorient we were invited to the Shetland Folk Festival and a day was booked in the studio to record some tracks to send to the Shetlands for promotion. The recording took place the day of my father's 60th birthday party and the barrels of beer were being rolled in as we played. Martin Murray was on controls with his fiddle nearby, ready for the celebration. Listening to the tracks from that day I can clearly hear an added spark in the music in anticipation of the night that lay ahead. 'The American Reels' was the first set recorded and the youthful drive and energy that became the hallmark of Dan is evident from the start. Unfortunately, this early line-up of the band was short lived, but the four of us would continue to meet occasionally for the odd gig and recording session between '95 and 2002. On one session we were lucky to have our Breton friend, cittern player extraordinaire, Ronan Pellen, join us for some tunes. Finally after more than a decade, we've decided to dust off these old recordings and make them available for the first time. Hope you enjoy!