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The Saline Celtic Festival, July 8 and 9 at Mill Pond Park, features new faces and familiar favorites, including an invasion of Celtic talent from the Motor City.
Saturday’s headliner is the Detroit Celtic/rock band The Corktown Popes, winners of the Detroit Music Award’s Outstanding World Music Artist award for 2014. “We’re proud to be headlining the Saline Celtic festival again,” says Terry Burns. “It’s a great event for family and friends. Plenty of things to see and do, with fantastic entertainment!”
The five members of Bill Grogan’s Goat use a rock band format of bass, drums, guitars and traditional instruments such as Irish bouzouki, tin whistle, mandolin, fiddle and highland pipes. “Bill Grogan’s Goat is Detroit Celtic Rock – welcome to the party!” says leader Gerard Smith. “We range through styles from hard rock to traditional Celtic, from punk rock to gypsy jazz, and most genres in between. Expect the unexpected as we reimagine ancient songs of love, war, and whisky. The Goat is fed, charged up, and ready to be a part of our first Saline Celtic Festival!”
Other bands from the Big D include Stone Clover, an Irish rock and roll band drawing influence from punk, metal, jazz, and folk; the family quartet of Finvarra’s Wren; The Diggers trio; and Brother Crowe, with brothers Derek and Paul honing in on an New Country/Indie Folk sound with a traditional Americana style.
Ann Arbor talent includes Dragon Wagon, combining mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, and drums; the Celtic fusion of Nessa; and Ann Arbor Celtic Harpers. Peat in the Creel from Grand Rapids features a range of Irish and Scottish dance tunes, folk songs, and melodies.
The talented young Saline High School musicians of Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic present American folk, fiddle, bluegrass, jazz, western swing, and Celtic traditions, with spirited vocals and Appalachian step dancing.
The Flint-based band Roane specializes in Celtic, maritime, and American folk music; Saginaw-based Equinox transforms jigs, reels, strathspeys and hornpipes with fiddle, whistles, concertina, bodhran, flute, bagpipes, guitar, bass, drums and voice; and Clarkston-based Blue Caledonia performs Scottish music with a bluesy twist.
Tickets at the gate on July 9 are $5 for ages 13-17, $15 for adults, ($10 online and groups of 10 $80 online), and $10 for ages 65 and up. Ages 12 and under and active military, free. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to midnight, gates open at 8 a.m. Pub Night on July 8, 5:30 p.m. to midnight also at Mill Pond Park, features Dragon Wagon, The Diggers and Nessa, Gaelic football and previews of Saturday’s festival, and costs $5. For a complete schedule and information on all the festival events, including Highland athletics, Wee Folks Island, pipe bands, jousting and much more, visit www.salineceltic.org.
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