Gaelic Storm has mastered the art of evoking the traditionalism of Irish folk music and balancing it with the primitive sparse sound of rising folk artists such as Monsters of Men and Mumford and Sons.
Though their sound is straightforward and instantly relatable there are many interesting complexities that build it up. They use very basic chord progressions, but dress up this structure with a large conglomerate of instruments. The expected instruments such as guitars, vocals and bass provide the framework for their music; however, they lavish their sound with cheerful splashes of melody from varying and obscure instruments like the penny whistle, violin and bagpipes. They use a unique assortment of stringed instruments as well as such variations of mandolins and acoustic guitars and even a Greek guitar-like instrument called a Bouzouki. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of their sound is their rich percussive undertone. Percussionists, Patrick Murphy and Ryan Lacey, use a plethora of drum instruments from all around the world. They use everything from spoons to the Brazilian Samba to the appropriately selected Irish frame drum, the Bodhran. The rhythmically timed plucks of the string instruments work masterfully with the percussion and strongly emphasize the beat of the song. The forceful sway of their music does nothing but urge the audience to dance along and this is exactly what you will find if you attend a Gaelic Storm concert.
Though the group hails from Santa Monica, California, their sound is as Celtic as imaginable. Not only is their sound enlivening, their lyrics for songs as evident in tracks like “The Night I Punched Russell Crowe” are absurdly hilarious and add immensely to the fun tone of their shows.
Luke Combs
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