New On Board RGM: Grainne Holland and The Outside Track
We are very proud to welcome these two brilliant artists aboard!
GRAINNE HOLLAND released her first album “Teanga na nGael” in 2011 and has performed at festivals and events in Ireland and Europe since then, as well as performing at Celtic Connections to superb reviews. She just finished her first tour in Germany this summer. Most of her songs are in Gaelic language with charming stories in English to accompany the songs, as well as other songs in English. She tours 2 different formats of band, a quintet, or up to seven members. Most tours are with Feilimi O’Conner guitar, Brendan Mulholland on flute, a bodhran player and a bouzouki and Grainne. The other format adds saxophone, pipes and fiddle to the mix.
Her sets are quite lively songs, ballads and tunes and are a wonderful blend for most any venue or festival! Her voice is strong and unique with a charm and richness that captivates right from the start. Not to mention a lovely stage presence!
It’s been about time for RGM to have a talented Belfast girl touring for us in North America.......
She has also worked as an Irish Language TV producer and on Irish language programmes for TG4 and BBC Northern Ireland and has co-produced a 6-part music and arts series for BBC.
Grainne also can do workshops and teaching of the Irish language and her band does workshops. She is currently gathering material for a new album to be released next year to coincide with her first tours to the US and Canada. She is open to tour Summer/Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. By the way, the folks with Milwaukee Irish Fest saw her at Celtic Connections and she is already slated to appear there in August 2014. Most of her info will be up on the agency website soon, but check out her own website at www.grainneholland.com in the meantime.
THE OUTSIDE TRACK is made up of members from Canada, Ireland and Scotland and features a marriage of Celtic music, song and dance encompassing styles from Cape Breton, Ireland and Scotland. They have performed for major festivals and events all over Canada, the US, and Europe to great acclaim. New on board the band is Aoife Scott-vocals/whistle/bodhran, one of the many members of the legendary Black Family, her mother is Frances and Aunt is Mary. You will also recognize Mairi Rankin-fiddle/dance/vocals from Cape Breton...another famous family from our side of the pond! RGM has worked with Mairi years ago with the very popular band Beolach. Add to the mix Ailie Robertson-harp from Edinburgh a multi-award winner in many impressive categories and Fiona Black-Accordion, a Highland girl educated in music in Limerick and adding many different styles of playing the piano accordion, and mix in the one male member, Cillian O’Dalaigh from Limerick on guitar/step dance/vocals and you have the makings of a powerhouse band!
Winner of Best Group in both the Live Ireland and TIR awards and recently awarded the “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik” for Folk Music.....the prize of the German Record Critics’ Association is an independent association of 145 music critics and journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The band’s album “Flash Company” won the folk category!
We are also busy getting The Outside Track onto our www.rgmbooking.com website, but for the meantime please check out www.theoutsidetrack.com site and also we will have a link to a short promo video up on our News section at our site soon. Our first tours in the US will be aimed at starting late July, through August up to September 14, 2014 and then open Oct to late Nov, and Dec.
We will be working on dates for 2015 as well.
I would like to mention that RGM will be exclusive just for the US. The band has an agent for Canada and their info is listed on the band website.