Solas

Solas fuse a genuine reverence for Irish musical heritage with melodic and instrumental experimentation that points toward tomorrow, earning recognition as one of the strongest Celtic folk ensembles active in the United States, where several observers have called them perhaps the finest Irish traditional band currently performing.

Multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan originated the project. Born in Pennsylvania in 1969, Egan relocated to Ireland with his family at age three and soon began tin whistle lessons. He returned to the United States at fourteen, already demonstrating advanced ability on whistle, flute, banjo, mandolin, and guitar. At sixteen he recorded his debut album, Traditional Music of Ireland, and before turning twenty he had become a working professional, touring with Peter, Paul & Mary and Ralph Stanley while contributing session work with Vernon Reid.

The group took form when Egan joined fiddler Winifred Horan, an All-Ireland champion and prize-winning Irish stepdancer, and guitarist John Doyle. The three first performed in New York City Irish bars before adding accordionist John Williams and vocalist Karan Casey. They chose the name Solas, Celtic for light, gave their initial concert in Washington, D.C., in 1995, and within a year signed with Shanachie, the label that had issued Egan’s first solo recording. Their self-titled debut appeared in 1996, after which the band gained wide visibility through appearances on A Prairie Home Companion and Mountain Stage. The 1997 follow-up, Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers, drew strong praise, as did the 1998 album The Words That Remain.

Solas had become one of America’s most popular Celtic folk acts through steady touring, yet The Hour Before Dawn in 1999 arrived during a period of change. Egan had begun exploring pop-oriented writing, having earlier co-written “I Will Remember You” for the soundtrack to The Brothers McMullen, later a hit single for Sarah McLachlan, and the fourth album moved away from traditional material toward pop and new age influences. Personnel shifts followed: after releasing her first solo album in 1997, Karan Casey left in 1998, with prize-winning Irish singer Deirdre Scanlan joining in time for The Hour Before Dawn. John Williams also departed before the fourth album, replaced on button accordion and concertina by Mick McAuley, who had previously played with Casey’s solo band.

The group’s direction continued on the fifth album, The Edge of Silence in 2002, extending the approach introduced on The Hour Before Dawn. The record featured interpretations of songs by Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, and Tom Waits and was co-produced by Neil Dorfsman, best-known for his work with Dire Straits. Further lineup adjustments occurred as guitarist Donal Clancy, son of Irish folk legend Liam Clancy, replaced John Doyle, while bassist Chico Huff and percussionist Steve Holloway, already touring with the band, joined the studio sessions. Outside the group, Egan maintains a solo career and composed the score for the musical Dancing on Dangerous Ground. Winifred Horan also performs with the Celtic supergroup Cherish the Ladies and has released a solo album of her own.