From the Grand Ol'Opry to the Abymill Theatre in Tipperary
Clonmel World Music
Clonmel World Music is delighted to host Special Consensus, from Chicago, as part of their 50th anniversary tour of Ireland and the UK. The tour comes hot on the heels of their debut show at The Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville.
The Clonmel show takes place in the Abymill Fethard on Saturday, February 1. Doors are at 7pm, and show is at 8pm. Tickets are on sale on www.clonmelworldmusic.com
Formed in the Chicago area in 1975, Special Consensus is a four-person acoustic bluegrass band.
They have appeared on numerous NPR programmes in the USA and cable television shows, including The Nashville Network and the Grand Ole Opry at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Two-time GRAMMY nominees and six-time International Bluegrass Music Association award winners, the group has amassed an expansive discography of over 20 releases.
At last year’s IBMA Awards in Raleigh North Carolina, they picked up the award for Music Video of the Year for ‘Alberta Bound’, the Gordon Lightfoot song from their current album ‘Great Blue North’ which is a collaboration with Canadian musicians. The video was filmed in the USA, Canada and Belfast. Alberta Bound also won Collaborative Recording of the Year in last years IBMA’s and Greg Blake was named Male Vocalist Of The Year at the same ceremony.
Special Consensus’ sound is grounded in a deep appreciation and understanding of bluegrass music; the infectious band sound reminds people of the past while utilizing the innovations of today.
With the foundation of Greg’s unique banjo playing style, Greg Blake (guitar), Dan Eubanks (bass) and Brian McCarty (mandolin) effortlessly support each other and consistently maintain their bluegrass centre whether they’re playing a jazz-tinged instrumental or a song from any of their award-winning recordings.
These four talented vocalists and instrumentalists follow their creative desires without straying too far from their roots.
Rivers and Roads, the band’s 19th recording, was nominated for a 2018 Grammy, received five 2018 IBMA nominations and was awarded Album of the Year.
The tune “Squirrel Hunters” from that recording received the Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award.