Lunasa to perform March 25 at library

NORFOLK — Lunasa, an Irish folk group, will perform March 25 at 5 p.m. at the Norfolk Library.

The band is on a U.S. tour and is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new album, “Cas,” which was released March 1.

For tickets and information, go to www.norfolklibrary.org/concerts.

Music is one of Ireland’s most celebrated exports and Lúnasa, a band like no other, has been at the forefront of that musical migration. Since the release of their 1997 recording debut ‘LÚNASA’ and the band’s first tour of the U.S., when word-of-mouth led to SRO shows and rave reviews, the all-star quintet has become one of the most popular bands on the international Celtic music scene. In the years since those early concerts and albums catapulted the band to the forefront of traditional Irish music, the members of Lúnasa have gathered a long list of credits and honors in addition to the legion of fans that spans the globe, fitting achievements for a band that takes its name from the old Celtic harvest festival in honor of the god Lugh, patron of the arts. Lúnasa have sold more than quarter of a million albums in the course of the band’s career and boast an impressive back catalogue of nine highly acclaimed and award-winning studio albums.

Now Lúnasa is back with a new studio album “Cas” and a tour of the US starting this February to celebrate their 20th anniversary. It is their first studio album in seven years and it is also their first recording with vocals, including guest singers who are prominent artists in their own right, that the band has recorded and toured with over the years. These include Natalie Merchant and Mary Chapin Carpenter, top bluegrass singer/ songwriter Tim O’Brien, blues recording artist Eric Bibb and Daoiri Farrell, a young Irish folk singer star who recently won the BBC Radio 2 folk contest. Band member Cillian Vallely says, “We took a break from the studio and when we came back, we wanted to do something a bit different. We were becoming increasingly involved in live concert collaborations and from these projects we invited some of our favorite singers to guest on the album.”

Lúnasa’s inventive arrangements and bass driven grooves have steered Irish acoustic music into surprising new territory. Their recordings have been hailed as some of the best and most important world music albums anywhere, while their blend of intelligence, innovation, virtuosity and passion has brought them to the forefront of Celtic music. The new recording continues this tradition while bringing the listener forward.

Band member Kevin Crawford says, “Twenty years is a big deal in any relationship, being in a band is certainly no different. We needed to justify our existence and also mark the occasion by stepping up and creating something worthy of an anniversary celebration. We’re so proud of this new recording, we’re so lucky to have all these amazing friends come join in the party. It feels really good to be out there making music with the extended Lúnasa family on into our third decade.”

Band members include Kevin Crawford, flutes and whistles; Trevor Hutchinson, stand-up bass; Cillian Vallely, uilleann pipes and whistles; Colin Farrell, fiddle, andEd Boyd, guitar.

For full tour dates and information on the band. http://www.lunasa.ie