Photos by Wilson Graham
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Photos By Linda Federico
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| The Music of Four Shillings Short Travelling musicians with a carload of instruments is nothing new in the world of folk music, but what if one of those instruments is a Sitar from India or a Renaissance Crumhorn? Going out on a musical limb is common for the group Four Shillings Short. With an ever-increasing array of instruments (over 20 at last count), including hammered dulcimer, mandola & mandolin, tinwhistle & woodwinds, sitar, banjo, percussion and vocals, their music is always varied and captivating. In a single night, Four Shillings Short perform Traditional Irish tunes and airs, Indian Ragas, Folk Ballads, Old-Time songs, Medieval & Renaissance instrumentals and acappella numbers as well as contemporary folk and original compositions. Their sound has been described as "wondrously diverse", "truly refreshing" and "alternative neo-Celtic folk of the first order". |
| Places we've played: current tour schedule Potomac Celtic Festival Leesburg, VA, Willamette Valley Folk Festival Eugene, OR, Hiawatha Folk Festival Marquette, MI, Mid-America Celtic Festival Hot Springs, AR, Minnesota Irish Fair St. Paul, MN, Big Top Chautauqua Washburn, WI, Chicory House Wilkes-Barre, PA, The Meeting Place Midleton, Co Cork, Ireland, Two Way Street Coffeehouse Downers Grove, IL, Club Passim Cambridge, MA, Nietzsche's Buffalo, NY, Paddy Reilly's NYC, NY, Bound for Glory Ithaca, NY, The Sounding Board W. Hartford, CT, Woodstock Folk Festival Woodstock, IL, Kilworth Arts Center Kilworth, Co. Cork, Ireland, The Starry Plow Berkeley, CA, St James Church Concerts Dingle, Co Kerry, Ireland, Louisville Dulcimer Society Louisville, KY, Heartland Dulcimer Festival Elizabethtown, KY Library & School Programs As an offshoot of our music we have created a program for schools and libraries to introduce young audiences to the range of instruments and repertoire of music we perform. In the program we perform music from Ireland, Scotland, England, America, Medieval Europe and India on a variety of instruments. Our fees vary with each school & library and what they can afford. |
| Reviews and Comments from the Press "This group captures the essence of what I enjoy about traditional folk musicians. These are excellent musicians that draw you in with great stories and jokes. The music is icing on the cake. These are entertainers in every sense of the term." Every Other Weekly, Bellingham, WA May 1999 "Its nothing short of amazing - and purely captivating- what kind of musical richness the duo of Aodh Óg Ó Tuama and Christy Martin can produce. Playing nearly a dozen instruments between them, with Martin adding sweet vocals, Four Shillings Short offers a mischievous blend of Jazz and Celtic, American and East Indian traditional music." City Pages, Wausau, WI July 2001 "The wavering, mystical tones of the sitar hover behind the Celtic melodies like a sari-wrapped ghost hovering over the moors....the duo bring an experimental spirit to traditional music, mixing Irish, Indian and American influences into a sound as multi-cultural as a U.N. meeting." Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, NM, Jan 2001 "This duo hurdles the invisible boundaries of traditional musical genres with ease." Santa Fe Reporter, Santa Fe, NM Jan 2001 "The live performances of Four Shillings Short are marked by totally infectious, finger-tapping rhythms and show-stopping a cappella pieces....In concert, these two are mostly just pure, unadulterated fun!" Crosswinds, Santa Fe, NM Jan 2001 "Four Shillings Short takes the diverse styles of Celtic, blues, East Indian and medieval and blends them into one colorful, dizzying yet masterful concoction." Statesman Journal, Salem OR May 2001 "Four Shillings Short is blessed with a devilishly experimental streak especially where Traditional music is concerned." John O'Regan, Radio Free Limerick, Ireland /Rock 'n' Reel magazine, UK Jan 1999 |
Recording Information: Of Labour & Love (2002) Our latest recording was recorded & produced in Ireland and features some of Ireland's top musicians. It is an acoustic blend of tunes on the dulcimer, three pieces featuring the sitar, including an Indian Raga, traditional & contemporary songs in English and Gaelic. This CD has already been pre-reviewed in Ireland and is touted as "miles above"any of our previous recordings. Along with the duet of Aodh Óg & Christy are John Spillane (vocals), Steve Cooney (guitars), Niall Vallely (concertina), Nuala Ni Chanainn (fiddle/vocals), Pat Crowley (keyboards), Noel Barrett (bass) & DanDan Fitzgerald (drums). Dodging Lodging (2000) This is a live recording of Four Shillings Short from 1997 to 2000, recorded at a number of venues in the United States during our various tours. It is Four Shillings Short as we sound at our concerts. Many people have requested a recording of just the two of us. So we went through 30 dat tapes from 4 years of touring and chose what we thought were the best selections of previously unrecorded material. This recording includes hammered dulcimer pieces, an 11 minute Indian Raga, accapella songs and some of our funnier material like "Chicken on a Raft" and "The Irish Ballad" by Tom Lehrer. The Boggy Spew (1998) Our second studio recording features many of the musicians we perform with in the San Francisco Bay Area.It has a lovely, full sound but is largely an acoustic album. It includes the talents of Kristoph Klover (guitars), Jeff Buenz (bass), Kevin Carr (fiddle, pipes, banjo), Kris Yenney (cello), Tony Khalife (tablas & guitar), Margaret Davis (harp), Tim Guitierrez (steel drum & latin percussion, Andrew Buffington (drums) & Susannah Martin (vocals). In reviews it has been described as "uniquely eclectic British Isles music......fun and adventurous listening" and "sweet ear candy for those seeking a fresh and inventive look at traditional music." |
| Contact Information: | |
| Booking: | Aodh Óg Ó Tuama & Christy Martin |
| Web Page: | http://www.fourshillingsshort.com |
| Email: | 4ss@art.net |
| US Address: | 1049 El Monte Ave. Suite C #303 Mountain View, CA 94040 U.S.A. |
| Phone: | (650) 274-1100 |
| Ireland Address: | c/o Ó Tuama Hollymount, Lee Road Cork, IRELAND |
| Phone: | 011 353 (021) 454-1759 |
Four Shillings Short is:
Aodh Óg Ó Tuama on vocals/tinwhistle/woodwinds/spoons/dumbek
Christy Martin on vocals/hammered dulcimer/mandolin/mandola/bodhran/sitar/banjo