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
•
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