Hot Rize has been astounding the bluegrass world with their fresh, contemporary approach to traditional music ever since their formation in 1978. The band’s unique and progressive style of bluegrass, powerful original songs, tight-as-a-drum ensemble playing, and dynamic stage show quickly made them stars on the major festival circuit and far beyond. In 1990, Hot Rize won the first-ever International Bluegrass Association’s first Entertainer of the Year Award and in 1991 they picked up a Grammy nom for Best Bluegrass album and won IBMA Song of the Year. Since the 90’s, this all-star band has kept their legend alive by performing at only the most prestigious festivals (like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass , Telluride , Bonnaroo , and GreyFox ) and a few select venues. In 2014, they are releasing their much-anticipated studio album, their first in 24 years, and will support it with a national fall tour. This crazy thing happens when you hire Hot Rize – everywhere they go, the ever-popular Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers shows up as well. Invited or not, at some point during the night, they are going to take the stage and wow the crowd with their classic honky tonk and western music. The combination of these two bands (who bear some resemblance) makes this one world-class evening of entertainment, a rare event not to be missed.

"I’ve been in love with Hot Rize ever since I heard Tim O’Briens mandolin kickoff to “Blue Night.” Individually, Tim, Pete, Nick and Bryan are unique stylists and some of the best at their respective craft. Combined, they make up one of the greatest bands in any genre of music." — Dierks Bentley

 

“It’s rare to find that magical edge between tradition and innovation, and when I first heard Hot Rize in a Telluride bakery years ago, the delightful, fresh sound lured me in and has kept me ever since. Too often a contemporary approach dilutes the core passion, but for bluegrass, this favorite band of mine strums those original heartstrings like never before, taking the yearning lonesome effortlessly into the era of tweets and blogs.” — Mike Gordon (Phish)

Lúnasa with special guest Tim O’Brien

March 22nd | SOPAC | 7:30 PM

Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god Lugh, patron of the arts, Lúnasa is indeed a gathering of some of the top musical talents in Ireland.

The band is internationally acknowledged as being the finest traditional Irish instrumental group of recent times. They are renowned for their stunning shows honed by superb musicianship and a constant touring cycle. They have performed over 1,500 shows across 36 countries since the band formed in 1997. The band has appeared at internationally renowned venues such as The Hollywood Bowl, National Concert Hall (Dublin), Sydney Opera House and Moscow International House of Music. They have been invited to appear at the White House.

Lúnasa have sold more than quarter of a million albums in the course of the band’s career and boast an impressive back catalogue of 7 highly acclaimed and award-winning studio albums.

Their inventive arrangements and bass driven grooves have steered Irish acoustic music into surprising new territory. Their recordings have been hailed as some of the best and most important world music albums anywhere, while their blend of intelligence, innovation, virtuosity, and passion has brought them to the forefront of Celtic music.

Lúnasa is composed of Kevin Crawford (flutes, low whistles, and tin whistles) who played with Moving Cloud, Trevor Hutchinson (double bass) was a key member of The Waterboys, Ed Boyd (guitar) was with  Flook and the Michael McGoldrick Band, Seán Smyth (fiddle and low whistle) is an All-Ireland champion who played with Donal Lunny’s Coolfin and Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes and low whistles) comes from the famous Vallely artistic clan and has performed with Riverdance. He recently recorded with Bruce Springsteen. Folk Roots magazine has rightly termed them an “Irish music dream team.”

Grammy Award winner Tim O’Brien is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter of extraordinary talent.  O’Brien’s presence has been strongly felt not only in his own rich music, but in the many recordings of his songs by such artists as the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley, Nickel Creek, Kathy Mattea, The New Grass Revival, and the Seldom Scene, and in his recorded collaborations with Steve Martin, The Chieftains, and innumerable others. Most recently, O’Brien has been performing before capacity crowds in the band of Mark Knopfler.