West Stockbridge — If you have even a small interest in Celtic vocal music, then you need to know about Karan Casey, who will appear at The Foundry on Tuesday, March 4, at 7 p.m.
Some of the press quotes on Casey’s website seem a little over the top:
- “…the Irish equivalent of Emmylou Harris.” (Washington Post)
- “The most soulful singer to emerge in Irish traditional music in the past decade.” (The Glasgow Herald)
- “Casey’s voice is among the loveliest in folk music, and she’s a wonderful interpreter of both contemporary and traditional material.” (Boston Globe)
- “Setting her clear voice in arrangements that mix traditional and modern instruments, she maintains the taut, quivering ornamentation of old ballad style, singing tales of love, war and murder with a gentle gravity.” (New York Times)
- “If ever any doubt existed about who’s the best Irish traditional woman singer today, ‘Exiles Return’ sweeps aside all pretenders. As gloriously evident on this new CD, Karan Casey has no vocal peer.” (Irish Echo).
But it takes only a brief listen to Casey’s singing to realize these glowing reports are true. Her voice really is among the loveliest in folk music, and a broad range of artists has taken notice of it over the last 30 years. In addition to releasing 11 of her own albums, she has contributed to over 80 others and has collaborated with James Taylor, Bela Fleck, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and a host of traditional folk musicians: Kate Ellis, Niall Vallely, Pauline Scanlon, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Peggy Seeger, Karen Matheson, Mick Flannery, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Tim O’Brien, and Solas.
Her latest album, “Nine Apples of Gold,” came out in February 2023, eliciting high praise and reaching number one on the U.S. Folk radio charts for the month of March.
Casey is also an activist, having co-founded FairPlé, an organization dedicated to achieving fairness and gender balance for female performers in Irish traditional and folk musics.
Karan tours with her band, Niamh Dunne, Sean Óg Graham, and Niall Vallely.
Hear Karan Casey on Tuesday, March 4, at The Foundry, 2 Harris Street, West Stockbridge. Tickets, $20, are available on The Foundry’s website or for $25 at the door. Seating/bar: 6:30 p.m.; show: 7 p.m. For more information, call (413) 232-5222.
Parking is limited at the venue, so please use one of the three public parking lots in town, one across from the Post Office, one behind Berkshire Bank, and one just off Main Street. Whatever you do, don’t park at Trúc Orient Express Restaurant or the Post Office, unless you want to get a parking ticket.
