Folk Bands and Artists
Kern
KERN is a contemporary folk band from County Louth, Ireland. Brendan McCreanor is a thrilling uilleann piper who has worked extensively in both traditional music and in contemporary crossover projects. By contrast, SJ McArdle is a well-known rock and folk musician, a published songwriter and singer (songs from his three albums have featured in film, TV and radio and he has toured extensively). And Barry Kieran is a former Leinster champion fiddler, steeped in the raw, pure music of Oriel. All three men are from Louth, and this is reflected in their repertoire, which includes tunes and songs from all over the county as well as self-written new ones.
False Deceiver is their brand new debut album. It is a true blend, in terms of its mood, its styles and its musicians. Thunderous sets of traditional tunes vie with lyrical, atmospheric songs, all underpinned by the production of legendary Lúnasa and Waterboys bassist Trevor Hutchinson. As a result, False Deceiver manages to be emotional without being sentimental, traditional yet contemporary.
The band has been featured on RTE Lyric FM´s, The Blue of the Night, RTE Radio 1´s Ceilí House, numerous shows on Raidio na Gaeilge and are soon playing on Newstalk’s The Pat Kenny Show. Kern have already played a host of festivals and concerts, including Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Drogheda Arts Festival, Vantastival, Dingle Tradfest and Baltimore Fiddle Fair to name only a few.
Praise for False Deceiver:
“Quite lovely ... an intriguing release. Those interested in trad music that crosses over into singer/songwriter territory will find this album particularly attractive, but its accessibility will have easy appeal to general audiences. Thumbs up!“ – Irish Echo
“The instrumental tracks on the album are absolutely superb. (In “The Hard Wind”) SJ McArdle has written a really fine and brave song ... really interesting, powerful and complex”– Mike Harding
“Gorgeous. It’s been a while since I heard something traditional this sweet and good.” – Susan McKeown
