Named for a gathering of doughty Irish robin-hoods in the 1490s, Woodkerne is the culmination of some of the top musical talents in western Massachusetts. Its members have helped formed the backbone of some of the greatest acoustic groups in the area: John Rough (of Maple Ridge, Swift River) - five string banjo - brings a rich heritage of improvisation and American cultural roots to this Celtic mix; Adam Sweet (of Maple Ridge, Swift River, Sweet Blend, Backwoods Medicine) - violin and bouzouki - contributes a stellar classical sound with a fantastic skirling style, his bow flashing colors across the imagination landscape; Andy Wiener (of Hart & Soul) - bodhran - stimulates the senses with drumming that is unheard of in this world, yea he brings the underworld, literally the world of the Sidh to bear, and we can hear their trumpets blaze in the dark as they come through! Guitarists Paul Burton (of The Black Rebels) and James Bunting contribute a solid backbone with splashes of fire and water, literally burning and cooling as the music progresses. Primarily Celtic in nature, the genres covered by the band include traditional Irish tunes by Turloch O'Carolan and others, Scottish, Welsh, French Canadian, Nova Scotian and New England Contra; as well as folk songs from the great American Folk history - many of them with roots in Irish and Scottish folk music.
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