Gaelic Storm's Drink 'Em Down Tour Heads to SOPAC NOV 22

With two decades of success and over 2,000 shows to its credit, the rollicking Irish band Gaelic Storm returns to SOPAC for a much-anticipated appearance on Friday, November 22 at 8 p.m.

Gaelic Storm is back on the road with the 59-date Drink 'Em Down Tour in support of its most recent album, Go Climb a Tree. Tickets to this exclusive area performance are $35-$48 and can be purchased at SOPACnow.org/gaelic-storm.

The SOPAC audience can expect high-spirited Gaelic Storm favorites, old and new, such songs as "Scalliwag," "Don't Go for 'The One,'" and "Johnny Tarr," as well as selections from past hit albums like Bring Yer Wellies and Special Reserve. Most people recognize them as the musicians who performed "Irish Party in Third Class" in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. Since then, they've built a sterling career as a genre-bending Irish rock band that mixes Celtic traditions with something uniquely creative.

The band attributes its continued popularity to its audience - a well-diversified crowd. Country music fans adore the storytelling, bluegrass fans love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love the devotion to tradition and the rockers simply relish the musicians' passion for playing their instruments.

Gaelic Storm kicked off its live shows during the mid-1990s as a pub band in Santa Monica, California. Due to their discovery there, the musicians were tapped to appear in Titanic. This launched a career that would eventually place them at the top of the Billboard World Chart six times and include headline appearances at mainstream music festivals and the largest Irish festivals across the country.

With their latest release, Go Climb a Tree, Gaelic Storm co-founders Steve Twigger and Patrick Murphy, along with longtime friend and co-writer Steve Wehmever, are again helming songwriting duties. The album features party drinking songs ("The Beer Song"), patriotic anthems ("Green, White and Orange"), beautiful folk songs ("Monday Morning Girl"), spritely instrumentals ("The Night of Tomfoolery"), pop-y songs ("Shine On") and even a raucous pirate song ("Shanghai Kelly"). Speaking of the overall concept of the album, Murphy says, "With all the craziness and division in the world, we wanted to make an album about 'contemplative escapism.' Go Climb a Tree certainly isn't about dropping out of the conversation, it's just about taking a short hiatus to recharge the batteries before you take on the world again."

The multi-national bandmates of Gaelic Storm take a blue-collar, hard-nose approach to touring, consistently traveling the U.S. and abroad for over 200 days a year. "You have to see us live. We are the true working-man's band," says Ryan Lacey, who joined the lineup in 2003. "We still, and most likely always will, tour most of the year, and that's how we constantly hone our craft."

The band welcomed a new fiddle player, Katie Grennen, and she has become the "purple squirrel" of the band, affectionately meaning she is the perfect new addition. Pete Purvis, who joined Gaelic Storm in 2005, remarks, "With the addition of Katie, the band has never sounded better. We're gelling on a whole new level, and the idea of sharing these new songs with our fans is exciting!"

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