Irish-American supergroup Solas makes its seventh appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live in Charleston, W.V. Bandleader Seamus Egan, who founded the group in 1996, was a teen prodigy; he recorded his first album at 16 and toured with Ralph Stanley and Peter, Paul & Mary. The group counts Bela Fleck and Emmylou Harris among its fans — as well as rap producer Timbaland, who sampled a Solas track in his radio hit "All Y'all."
Solas' current lineup includes Winifred Horan on fiddle, guitarist Eamon McElholm, Mick McAuley on accordion and the newest member, vocalist and violist Niamh Varian-Barry. The band's Mountain Stage set draws from its latest project, Shamrock City; the album tells the stories of Egan's family, who came to Butte, Mont., in the early 20th century to work in the copper mines.
Solas is followed by Julie Adams and the Mountain Stage band, with the Etta James tribute "It Must Be Love."
This performance was originally published on April 25, 2012.
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