LÁ NUA SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 6
www.lunasa.ie

IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC ICONS CONFIRM SPRING TOUR DATES
BAND FEATURED ON NATALIE MERCHANT’S FORTHCOMING ALBUM

”The most innovative and intriguing instrumental group in Ireland today’

Iconic Irish traditional music ensemble Lúnasa is poised for the release of their seventh album
Lá Nua (New Day) April 6 on Lúnasa Records.

The new album—their first studio effort in four years—follows the critically acclaimed 2006 release Sé, which received worldwide praise; “The material, both original and traditional, becomes a springboard for explorations that go beyond folk, dipping toes into chamber music, jazz and beyond.” NPR, USA.
Lúnasa will embark on a U.S. tour in support of Lá Nua beginning April 8th and tour Ireland and the U.K. in May. Please see enclosed for tour dates and visit www.lunasa.ie for more information.

Lúnasa recorded Lá Nua on location in the beautiful and historical Cooley mountains, which inspired much of the creativity and writing on the album. Widely-known for their original compositions and double bass-driven rhythms, Lúnasa upholds the traditional instrumentation of pipes, fiddle and flute. Of the band, legendary Irish fiddler Kevin Burke says, “Maintaining the unique, intimate qualities of a musical tradition while at the same time meeting and fulfilling the demands of the contemporary music world is a difficult juxtaposition to achieve, yet Lúnasa have managed to accomplish exactly that.”

Lúnasa is composed of Kevin Crawford (flutes, low whistles and tin whistles), Trevor Hutchinson (double bass), Paul Meehan (guitar, bouzouki and mandolin), Seán Smyth (fiddle and low whistle) and Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes and low whistles). The band began to take shape in 1996 and were an immediate sensation while in Australia at the Blue Mountains Festival in Katoomba, Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald picked up on the excitement, calling Lúnasa, “The most exciting band to emerge from Ireland in a long, long time.”
The band is also known for their energetic live performances and have previously toured and performed with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Rosanne Cash, and Billy Bragg, among others. Three U.S. tours, a much-covered performance at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival, and the Coeur Miroir award at the Quebec City Summer festival in 2003 confirmed the band’s reputation as masters of modern Irish music. Lúnasa is now one of the most prominent groups in Irish music, with further tours of the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Moscow planned for the coming year.
They are featured collaborators on Natalie Merchant’s forthcoming album Leave Your Sleep also due for release in April.
Irish Launch @ The Button Factory, Temple Bar, Dublin. Thursday 27th May.

Tour Dates
Spring 2010

America and Canada

April 8  Fenian’s Irish Pub, Conklin, MI
April 9   Victoria Theater, Dayton, OH
April 10 Thunderbird Café, Pittsburgh, PA
April 11 Reston Community Center, Reston, VA
April 13 Williamsburg Library, Williamsburg, VA
April 15 Diana Wortham Theater, Asheville, NC
April 16 The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
April 17 Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA
April 18 Liam Maguire’s, Falmouth, MA
April 19 Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
April 21 Private Show, London, ONT
April 22 Aeolian Hall Performing Arts Centre, London, ONT
April 23 Monmouth University – Pollak Theater, Long Branch, NJ
April 24 Festival International De Louisiane, Lafayette, LA
April 25 Festival International De Louisiane, Lafayette, LA

Ireland and the U.K.

May 9    Baltimore Fiddle Fair, West Cork, Ire
May 13  Athlone Folk Club @ The Palace Loft, Westmeath, Ire
May 14  Last Inn, Oswestry, U.K.
May 16  Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, Nr Manchester, U.K.
May 18  Turner Sims, Southampton, U.K.
May 19  Electric Theatre, Guilford, U.K.
May 20  Tyneside Irish Centre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, U.K.
May 21  The Kirkgate Centre, Cockermouth, U.K.
May 22  Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith, London, U.K.
May 23  Town Hall Theatre, Galway, Ire
May 26  The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, Ire
May 27  The Button Factory (launch), Temple Bar, Dublin, Ire
May 28  Glor, Ennis, Co Clare, Ire
May 29  World Ceilidh, Knockenorroch, U.K.

Further dates tbc.

Also on;
www.lunasa.ie
www.facebook.com/lunasaband
www.myspace.com/lunasaofficial