Since the 1990s, Gaelic Storm has been defining and transcending the Celtic genre. With their latest release, titled Matching Sweaters, the band has planned an extensive tour that will bring them to the Washington Center for the Performing Arts Thursday, Oct. 5.
The band started in Santa Monica, California, but since then their music has reached the farthest corners of the globe, bringing Celtic music to those who may have originally been averse to it. The band’s bio states that when it came time to write the 12 songs of Matching Sweaters, Patrick Murphy and Steve Twigger teamed up with longtime friend and co-writer Steve Wehmeyer. Together, the three found inspiration in “everything from old Irish newspapers—to bits of conversation overheard in local pubs.”
“Playing for a new crowd is great,” writes Twigger on the band’s website. “It takes you back to those early days, where you’ve got something to prove. We could just do Irish festivals, but why not play a crossover show where 90 percent of the audience doesn’t know you, and you have to make them know you? That’s what makes your band good.”
As evidenced on the band’s past album covers and website (with a cat and dog chumming it up in matching sweaters), they have a sense of humor that shapes the band and gives them the credibility to cross genres and also perfect Celtic music. Their show on the Washington Center Main Stage will be not only entertaining and fun, but also challenging to the audience. The “challenge” isn’t daunting or negative, but an opportunity to appreciate multiple genres in one evening, especially one built on ballads and old tales.
“Matching Sweaters is one of the most complete albums we’ve done so far,” says band member Ryan Lacey, “because it taps into every facet of our live show.”
Tickets for the Oct. 5 show at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts can be purchased at washingtoncenter.org.
JORDAN MARIE MARTINEZ
For additional information:
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts
512 Washington St SE, Olympia
gaelicstorm.com