Top Irish musicians collaborate with Trinity Roots

Press Release - 13th October 2014

Top Irish musicians collaborate with platinum selling kiwi favourites Trinity Roots on ground breaking recording and show

This November, three of Ireland’s best known traditional musicians will travel to New Zealand to collaborate with New Zealand’s much loved platinum-selling trio Trinity Roots, on a unique contemporary collaboration between Maori and Irish musicians. The project is called "Motu :: Oiléain" which translates to “Islands” in Te Reo and Irish respectively.

The "Motu :: Oiléain" collaborative project will combine the traditional music of Ireland and New Zealand within a modern musical context. The concept of the collaboration is to open a musical conversation between contemporary Celtic and New Zealand musicians which explores the parallels and commonalities in music, culture and history.

The project has been brought together by Irish born New Zealander Gerry Paul, who will join with celebrated Irish artists Pauline Scanlon, Tola Custy, and Alan Doherty, and Trinity Roots members Warren Maxwell, Rio Hemopo and Ben Lemi for this special recording and show. Paul says “This is an exciting and rare opportunity to be able to bring together a handful of the most respected and creative musicians from two countries that are both so rich in music and culture”.

The "Motu :: Oiléain" collaboration has been chosen to be showcase at Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January 2015, where New Zealand is the featured country and has been supported by the British Arts Council and Creative New Zealand. The Collaboration will be working on an EP to be released early 2015 to coincide with Celtic Connections. The "Motu :: Oiléain” project will also be showcased in Wellington at a not to be missed outdoor show at The Tuatara Brewery in Paraparaumu on Saturday 22nd November and at San Fran in Wellington on Sunday the 23rd of November.

Reforming in 2010 after a 5 year hiatus, multi-award winning Trinity Roots are on the cusp of releasing their third full studio album. Recently the band have sold out tours throughout NZ and Australia, performing with Fat Freddys Drop & Ladi6; festival performances at WOMAD NZ, Homegrown, Rippon Open Air & Coromandel Gold, and a main stage performance at the prestigious Byron Bay Blues Festival, along with the Natural NZ Music Festival in Perth. Following on from their perfectly formed self-titled EP in 2001, TrinityRoots expanded their palette of sounds on two long players, True (2002) and Home, Land and Sea (2004), releases that were rewarded with platinum sales, setting the stage for other home grown independent successes that followed.

The Irish Times described singer Pauline Scanlon’s voice as a "superb mix of china cup fragility and steely strength”. Scanlon, who has entranced audiences the world over with her distinctly delicate intensity, has four critically acclaimed albums to her credit and has toured extensively - from Glastonbury Festival to New York’s Carnegie Hall. Accomplished as a soloist and with acclaimed Irish duo Lumiere, Scanlon has shared the stage with some of Ireland’s most cherished performers including Andrea Corr, Sinéad O’ Connor, Damien Dempsey and Sharon Shannon. Scanlon hails from Dingle, West Kerry.

Scanlon will be joined in New Zealand by Keeva, a trio comprised of Irish flute player Alan Doherty, fiddler Tola Custy and guitarist Gerry Paul. Dubliner Doherty is well known for his time as front man of the Irish band Gráda, and as the flute soloist on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and more recently with his new group ALDOC. From West Clare, Tola Custy is one of Ireland’s leading contemporary composers and session musicians, and his tunes can be heard at a music session in any Irish pub around the world. Guitarist Gerry Paul has an impressive international touring history, having toured the world with various folk heroes including accordion maestro Sharon Shannon, Grammy Award Winning Bluegrass musician Tim O’Brien and long time member of Ravi Shankar’s band, flute player Ravi Kulur . Collectively, the group have played in over fifty countries, at prestigious venues including the Sydney Opera House, Cambridge Folk Festival, Roskilde Festival, NZ Festival of the Arts, and WOMAD festivals worldwide.

Keeva together with Pauline Scanlon will then travel to perform their own shows in New Plymouth, Auckland, Raglan and Hastings.

Tour Dates:

• Tuatara presents Trinity Roots with Irish friends Pauline Scanlon, Tola Custy, Alan Doherty and Gerry Paul, Rhombus Dub DJ Set and emcee by James Nokise
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When: Sat 22nd - 4pm - 9pm

Where: Tuatara Brewery, 7 Sheffield Street, Paraparaumu

Tickets $45 from here

• Motu : Oiléan : Trinity Roots with Irish Friends Pauline Scanlon, Tola Custy, Alan Doherty and Gerry Paul

When: Sun 23rd - 7:30pm, Doors 7pm

Where: San Fran, 171 Cuba St, Wellington

Tickets $45 from here

• Pauline Scanlon with Keeva

When: Thurs 27th - 8pm, doors 7:o0pm

Where: 4th Wall Theatre, 11 Baring Terrace, Strandon, New Plymouth

Tickets $45 from here

• Pauline Scanlon with Keeva

When: Thurs 27th 8pm, doors 7:30pm

Where: Galatos, 17 Galatos St, Auckland

Tickets $45 from here

• Pauline Scanlon with Keeva

When: Fri 28th - 8pm, doors 7:30pm

Where: Raglan Town Hall, Bow St, Raglan

Tickets $45 from here

• Pauline Scanlon with Keeva

When: Sat 29th - 7:30, doors 7pm

Where: St Matthew’s Church, 200 King Street South, Hastings

Tickets $40 from here

ENDS

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