| FÁNAÍ Saturday, Sept. 16th 8:00 PM $10.00 admission, Children under 12 free NOTE: FÁNAÍ will host a session in nearby Embreeville (15 min. from concert) immediately after the concert. Directions will be available AT the concert. For more information on the session, call 610-486-2220 |
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| FÁNAÍ is Irish for "traveler", an appropriate name for this Irish traditional music trio made up of a Dubliner, a London Irish man and a Pennsylvanian. But Ireland, England and the US are only where they started, and among them, they have clocked up many miles and many experiences.
The group features the singing and playing of three widely traveled musicians. John Walsh plays banjo and mandolin and sings. His journey has led from his home in Malahide, Co. Dublin, to Palmer, Alaska. Jamie O'Brien (vocals, guitar) left England for Pennsylvania, by way of France and Germany, and currently is in the process of moving to Arizona. Button accordion and melodeon player Dan Possumato has spent most of his adult life traveling |
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| across the globe - from Pittsburgh and the Mid-Atlantic to Germany before settling in Eagle River, Alaska, 8 years ago.
Performing melodies which revolve around the driving sound of banjo, enriched with the fullness of accordion and accompanied by the inventive rhythm of guitar, the band has won the hearts of many wherever they've played. Fánaí creates a sound steeped in tradition while still appealing to modern listeners. Their repertoire features many lesser-heard tunes inherited by the players on their long musical journeys. The same is true of the songs sung by John and Jamie, songs which reach deeply into the rich cultures of both the Irish at home and abroad. The band originally teamed up in 1999 when John and Dan toured the Mid-Atlantic with their Alaska-based group, Last Night's Fun; O'Brien, a noted accompanist, filled in for their absent guitarist at some performances. Since then, the three have continued to play together at every opportunity. They have performed across the Mid-Atlantic region, for such diverse organizations as the Greater Washington Ceili Club and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann; they've appeared at venues such as J.Patrick's in Baltimore, the Purple Fiddle in West Virginia and at 'house concerts' in Pennsylvania. But no matter where they play, the result is always the same: an enthralled audience inspired by the tunes and moved by the songs. |