Solas Brings a Contemporary Edge to Traditional Irish Folk Music

By John Roos

No agenda, no problem.

Not having a career plan or real strategy may not be the preferred path most bands take to achieve success. Yet, despite numerous personnel changes and a recent hiatus (2017-2024), Solas has persevered and began celebrating last year its 30th anniversary as one of the most respected Irish-American folk music acts on the scene.

So what's the group's secret?

"The reset was a healthy break," said songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Séamus Egan, 57, during a recent Zoom interview from his residence near the Green Mountains in Vermont . "Many times we were close to imploding. Bands are strange beasts, it can be like a marriage sometimes. The band had been going non-stop for almost 20 years so it was time to calm the nervous system down, look after ourselves a bit, and then reassess."

"Everyone got involved in different group or solo projects so itches had been scratched," he continued. "Suddenly we were nearly 10 years older with a different perspective. Then in 2024, or maybe late '23, I thought about what it would be like to start the band back up. It had to be said out loud to see what the echo was that came back. You have to trust your feelings, and mine persisted. I couldn't shake it, the time felt right."

Solas--named after the Irish word meaning light--is now on tour with a stopover Thursday night at the Freight. The group's current line-up includes founding members Egan, fiddler Winifred Horan, and guitarist Alan Murray, plus lead vocalist/keyboardist/banjo player Moira Smiley and button accordionist/concertina player John Williams. Ireland-based vocalist Nuala Kennedy rotates lead vocal duties with Smiley and is not appearing at this particular show.

Born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, Egan moved to Ireland with his parents and his five siblings when he was three years old. The family settled in Foxford (County Mayo,) a town known for its woolen mills. Egan soon started playing music under the tutelage of Martin Donaghue, a button accordion player from Ballindine who trained Egan on the whistle and flute; and was taught the banjo by the great Mick Moloney. He learned fast and won All-Ireland championships on four different instruments by the time he was 14. Egan's love for the Irish flute was also influ enced by watching the performances of Matt Molloy and James Galway on television. These influences introduced him to the essence of Irish music and culture.

The folk music career got underway with the release of Egan's debut solo album, Traditional Music of Ireland (Shanachie, 1985). Even back then, listeners got an intriguing sampling of his instrumental prowess and diverse tastes. Egan plays flute, the Cuban tres, mandolin, banjo, Uilleann pipes, and whistle, while the material is stylistically far-reaching as well, ranging from the expected Irish reels and jigs to a set of gavottes by J.S. Bach to Swedish and Newfoundland waltzes.

As for Solas, it released its striking, self-titled debut in 1996 with the original lineup of Egan, fiddler Winifred Horan, vocalist Karan Casey, guitarist John Doyle, and accordionist John Williams. Over the course of the next dozen albums and numerous world tours, the group modernized Celtic music for old and newer generations of fans by adding threads of bluegrass, folk, Americana--plus a tasteful dash of pop--into Irish standards and its own original material.

Egan gets that not all Irish music lovers--especially the purists out there--embrace Solas' subtle updating of traditional music that has been revered for centuries. Still, he maintains that Irish folk music not only can be tinkered with, it must be nudged forward with a spirit of adventure in order to survive.

"As a music, Celtic has very sturdy bones and can withstand a lot of different approaches and interpretations," suggested Egan. "The emotional weight of these ballads and tunes comes through no matter what you're doing to it. It never gives off this air it belongs behind museum glass. It can stand a little bit of kicking around, which allows it to take on the (immediacy of) the now. These songs tell stories that never go out of style . . . they may be ancient in origin but have universal truths. The joys and sorrows are relatable across time and borders."

To that point and arguably the most engrossing Solas recording is 2013's Shamrock City, the title a reference to Butte, Montana's significant Irish immigrant population in the early 20th century, which made it one of the most Irish towns in America. This deeply personal concept album was inspired by Egan's great-great uncle, Michael Conway, who immigrated in 1910 from Cobh, County Cork, Ireland to the copper mining town of Butte. Six years later at the age of 25, Conway was mysteriously dead at the hands of local police. Not only a heartbreaking personal story, the broader issues of disillusionment, policy brutality, prejudice, and potential corruption still resonate to this day, sadly.

"Of all the things we've done as Solas, this project holds a special place in my heart," said Egan. "It's a family story for me about some of the relationships we were able to build in Butte just after the turn of the last century. We always do a couple of tracks from this album during shows. It's continued over the years to have a degree of resonance, and even moreso in our world right now."

Solas is planning to revisit this project in the near future with Shamrock City: Seekers and Dreamers, a live, multi-media program which will blend music, song, spoken word, and theatrical elements to carry its themes forward into life in America today. Stay tuned.

As for the staying power of Solas and its cache of Irish folk music, Egan summed it up quite aptly.

"I believe this music at its core has that ability to touch people," he said. "You don't have to be Irish, the words and sound burrow right into your soul. I feel very lucky that this is the music that chose me. We're back at it without a plan and with zero expectations. But being together feels fresh, more relaxed. It's a different experience for us now."

No agenda required.

*Solas performs Thursday at the Freight, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley; (510) 644-2020. 8 p.m. $44-$49. thefreight.org.