Lúnasa Celebrates 20 Years And More Of Irish Folk Music

By John Roos

Hitting the recording pause button at the right time was just what the band Lúnasa needed for a burst of creative juice.

You see, the Irish folk music quintet went seven years between the release of 2010’s “La Nua” and its latest album, “Cas.” But Lúnasa--featuring whistler/flutist Kevin Crawford, Uillean piper/whistler Cillian Vallely, ex-Waterboys double-bassist Trevor Hutchinson, guitarist Ed Boyd and fiddler Colin Farrell--was looking to do something special with their next studio album as part of the band’s 20th anniversary celebration. (Note: Founding member, fiddler and whistler player Seán Smyth is now an M.D. living in Ireland and only tours with the band for UK and some European gigs.)

That `something special’ turned out to be enlisting high-profile guest singers for the first album of Lúnasa’s career featuring vocals. Among them were bluesman Eric Bibb, ex-10,000 Maniacs lead singer Natalie Merchant, veteran singer-songwriter Mary-Chapin Carpenter, folk/bluegrass ace Tim O’Brien and Dublin-based singer/bouzouki player Daoiri Farrell. What emerged during the “Cas” recording sessions was a synergistic blend of these splendid voices with the signature instrumental sounds of Lúnasa-- that is, inventive arrangements, catchy melody lines and focused ensemble work that stretches from fast reels, jigs and hornpipes to slower-paced, melancholy ballads. (For a performance sampling, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edaN7rAIz1Y&list=PLDBD5E383F4BFDB6E&index=2&t=0s)

“Honestly at the time, before we decided on pursuing our next album, we were asking ourselves if we really needed to do another album with the industry the way it is,” said Crawford by phone from a coffee shop in Brooklyn. “So we were in no hurry but as our 20th anniversary was approaching, we thought we’d try the world of vocals, which presented a whole array of challenges and just a different flexing of muscles that we were delighted to have a shot at doing.”

Deciding on who they wanted to sing their new songs was a more personal and organic endeavor rather than a commercially-driven one.

“Luckily, we knew two years out that we wanted to do this so we put out the invitations for guest singers pretty far in advance,” Crawford shared. “Everybody we called was up for it and was generous with their time and creative energy. We had previously toured with Eric (Bibb) and Mary (Chapin-Carpenter) and recorded with Tim (O’Brien) and Natalie (Merchant) so it was a very sincere union of musicians. Our only golden rule was to not bring in big names just to bring in big names.”

Some fans of Lúnasa may be wondering if this addition of singers on “Cas”—which was released in 2017--marks a turning point for the all-instrumental group moving forward.

“Well, none of us are gonna try singing any of these songs on this tour,” insisted Crawford with a chuckle. “Later in the tour, Natalie will join us for parts of the U.S. east coast dates. But are we setting a precedent? No, we’re still a band without a singer, basically. We do have the freedom to find melodies that are song-like but without a singer. Does that make sense? We will return to our signature 3 low-whistle parts within a tune, which sounds almost like a 3-part vocal harmony.”

The objective behind Lúnasa has always been furthering the collective experience rather than satisfying individual egos.

“We’re probably the least affected bunch of musicians,” emphasized Crawford. “We really just don’t have that much interest in self-gratification. I think what defines Lúnasa is the texture of the combined sounds with harmonies, melody and rhythm all working together in support of the tunes. We get excited when the five of us are pumping, not when one of us is flying solo. It’s never gonna be about one or two guys in the group being virtuoso players. That doesn’t really float our boats.”

One thing that Crawford is keen on is working outside of his comfort zone. Back in 2004, a wealthy oil magnate/budding banjo player invited Lúnasa to play and record at his castle. Seriously. Lúnasa said yes, and the 11-song “The Kinnity Sessions” was recorded live at Kinnity Castle, County Offaly, in Ireland.

“It was a hair-brained scheme, really,” recalled Crawford, who was born in Birmingham, England but moved to Clare County, Ireland while in his 20’s. “It was hatched late one night after (drinking) quite a few rounds at a local pub. But we agreed, which led to spending a week at this castle and we recorded two nights of music played before a live audience. It was a little scary because there was no safety net, it was unlike anything we’d ever done but I believe it’s great for a band to do something like this at least once. It turned our focus away from seeking perfection to capturing the raw energy of that time and unusual place.”

While Lúnasa is considered one of the world’s elite traditional Irish bands—alongside the Chieftains, Altan, Solas, Danú and Gráda --Crawford believes that he and the lads must nudge the music forward while staying true to the music’s legacy.

“We’ve been known over the past 20 years as working slightly outside of the core tradition,” confirmed Crawford. “Purists have mostly allowed us to tamper and dabble with stretching the boundaries a bit. They trust us because they know Lúnasa would never do anything disrespectful because we do live and die by the tradition of Celtic music.”

*The Pasadena Folk Music Society presents Lúnasa on Saturday at Caltech Beckman Auditorium, 1200 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; 626-395-4652. 8 p.m. $30 for adults and $10 for Caltech students and children. https://pasadenafolkmusicsociety.org.