Celtic music and flamin’ fiddles galore at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton this summer from Valley locals and international troubadours alike!

 Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads - Friday, July 22^nd 7PM

Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads is a traditional Celtic band from Blandford, Massachusetts. Zoë Darrow, born in 1989, began fiddling when she was 4 years old and now leads her trio in Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton fiddle tunes. Backed up by her dad Phillip on guitar and Tom Coburn on piano, Zoë Darrow and the Fiddleheads have been performing publicly since 1999. Zoë is currently studying anthropology and ethnomusicology at Mount Holyoke College, but still maintains a performance schedule along with her academic pursuits.  Zoë's recordings Please Don't Eat the Fiddleheads! and Fiddle Me This include both traditional and contemporary fiddle tunes. Current performances feature favorites from those recordings plus new inspirations from her trips to Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, and Ireland. Zoë's fiddling, step dancing, and charming persona add up to a show that has been pleasing audiences throughout the Northeast.

Karan Casey & John Doyle, Buille - Monday, August 1^st 7PM 

Karan Casey and John Doyle were both founding members of the Irish supergroup Solas, and they both left the group for successful solo careers. In 2008, they got together to produce a CD, but before they could release it and tour together, John was offered a position as musical director and guitarist for Joan Baez. Now, finally, John and Karan are heading out on tour to sing the songs from the new CD, Exile's Return. Karan has been twice voted Best Female Traditional/Folk artist by Irish Music Magazine readers and her nomination for a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. Doyle has spent most of his life enveloped by traditional Irish music, his main focus being the guitar. He’s worked with several prominent figures in the Irish community, including Frank McCourt (author of Angela’s Ashes).

Buille was formed in 2004 by Armagh born brothers Niall and Caoimhín Vallely along with Paul Meehan and Brian Morrissey as a vehicle to perform a body of new tunes written in a traditional style with contemporary arrangements. The groups’ debut album. “Buille” was released in 2005 to rave reviews and was described in the Irish Times: "Buille is as fresh a breath that's blown through traditional (and roots) circles in a long, long time." Buille are back now with a new project and album entitled “Buille 2”. This is a much more ambitious project featuring more large scale compositions and arrangements and utilizing a much bigger ensemble.

Coyote Run, Sarah The Fiddler- Thursday,  August 4th  7pm

Bagpipes, guitars, accordion, whistles, didgeridoo, electric bass, killer drums, and much more greet the audience at a Coyote Run concert. Something in the alchemical mix of players and their unique backgrounds creates a seamless, adrenaline filled show that never lets up. From the growling, rhythmic screams of the didgeridoo, to the rich, polyrhythm of the drums, to the monstrous and intricate bass lines, the wailing lead guitar, the filigree of the accordion, the triumph of the bagpipes and the lyrical whimsy of the whistles, this is a band that is unlike any other and is not soon forgotten.

 The moment her bow touches the strings (Sarah Michel)  Sarah The Fiddler's  passion for music is evident. Combining her influences of classical, bluegrass, and celtic music to create a unique style and sound. For the first few years of her playing career in New England Fiddle contests, Sarah was known as the girl with the red hat. Eventually it was her playing that was being recognized. Although classical music has been a staple in Sarah's music career, her passion lies with fiddling. At the age of six, she began lessons and was introduced to fiddle contests. She has entered and won over three hundred contests throughout New England and during her twenty year career.

April Verch - Wednesday, September 14^th 7PM

The photos on April Verch’s seventh album are a bit deceiving. The freshly scrubbed beauty could be mistaken for a young television star versus an accomplished player and composer, who started step-dancing at age three and playing the fiddle at age six. Who, by the age of ten, was winning fiddle contests and touring Canada -- releasing two solo albums before graduating from high school. Now, Verch, who leads her band with her own simultaneous fiddling and dancing (selling out prestigious venues and festivals for years), is giving notice that she is emerging to take the role of one of the top women in the roots genre with her recent release, Steal The Blue. April Verch performed in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC.

Seven Nations - Thursday, September 15^th 7PM

Seven Nations — the name refers to the seven original Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Galecia, Isle of Man, and Brittany — officially began in 1993 in New York City with a standard line-up of drums, guitars, and bass,” notes lead singer and guitarist Kirk McLeod. With a passionate, tender, and rollicking style that winningly veers from roots and folk to dance and fusion-rock, Seven Nations has earned a growing reputation as an adventurous band with a charismatic stage presence. Seven Nations has been touring full-time since 1994 with successful stops in Europe, Canada, Puerto Rico, and virtually every state in the US. The band’s latest album, Time as the Enemy has been praised for “having the appeal of the original albums, yet a mature songwriting style. The lyrics are relatable, surprising, and the pipe/fiddle hooks stir a desire to listen to the album over and over.”

Coming Soon:

Saturday, September 17^th at 10PM The Big Bad Bollocks

Monday, October 3^rd at 7pm Great Big Sea frontman's new project: Sean McCann and the Committed

Tickets for all of these shows at the Iron Horse in Northampton are for sale at Northampton Box Office, 76 Main Street, 413-586-8686 and online at IHEG.com.  Doors and dinner from 5:30. Music starts at 7PM.