Folk Bands and Artists
Mariah Wade
London
Mariah Wade present unique and beautiful interpretations of traditional Irish and old time American songs, interspersed with their own carefully crafted compositions. Formed of three long-time compatriots Catherine Doogan, Mary Quinn and Glenn Cumiskey they weave together stories on acoustic guitar with vocal harmonies that run as deep and clear as a mountain stream. Their music defies easy categorization - it embraces the pre-eminent ambassadors of traditional Irish, folk, Appalachain and country music.
“We feel a deep empathy with the sparse immediacy of the early traditional music of our forebears,“ says Catherine, “And in our own way we try and communicate the emotional resonance of that material.“ This primitive post-modern approach is supported by unconventional and deceptively simple accompaniment. “I think much of the feeling of our music comes from the dislocation and loneliness that is part and parcel of the emigrant experience,“ says Mary. Their wistful, plaintive sound is also underpinned by the bubbling joy the group find in the simple act of making music together, as evident in their live performances.
The themes of emigration, love, joy and loss are reflected in the genealogy of the group´s name. Mariah Wade was an emigrant from the hills of South Armagh in Ireland who made the long journey to a new life in America in the late 19th century. This sense of place, family, tradition and migration tie all of the group´s members together. And it´s why in their hands a Bill Monroe song can sit comfortably beside traditional sean-nós from the Donegal Gaeltacht.
“We love playing together,” Glenn says. “There´s a timeless quality about much of the material we perform that really excites us. It feels as if, in our own small way we´re continuing to weave a thin thread of tradition into the future.”
It’s not hard to see why the public receive Mariah Wade so well when they perform.
