The Harris Center Presents AN IRISH HOOLEY, 3/15

It just wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without honoring the great tradition and the mighty joy of being Irish. With rip-roaring music, song, and dance, Harris Center for the Arts presents An Irish Hooley with Slugger O'Toole in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

The 6 musicians of Slugger O'Toole, one of the best loved Irish bands, make a welcome return to the Harris Center, Folsom for a great Irish celebration of St. Patrick's Day! The group shares its passion for the music of Ireland and the Celtic Nations by concocting a heady brew of foot-stomping pub songs, heart-rending ballads and deft instrumentals. With traditional instrumentation including fiddle, button accordion, mandolin, banjo, bodhrán, pennywhistle, flute and guitars, the band thrills audiences with its brilliant close-harmony a Capella renditions of the Irish classics that are true to the Celtic core. "Seeing these guys live makes me feel like I'm at a pub in the west of Ireland.....I'll take a Guinness please!" (Conejo News Press).

An Irish Hooley with Slugger O'Toole will be performed Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 2 pm. Tickets are priced at $19-$29; Premium $39; Students with ID $12. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

Founded in 2006 by longtime friends Matt Foyer, Dan Harper and John McKenna, the Irish-American band Slugger O'Toole 'made their bones' playing the pubs of Southern California. Leaving their mark on legendary haunts like The Auld Dubliner, O'Brien's, Joxer Daly's, the Tam O'Shanter and the world-famous Molly Malone's, the band also played plenty of Irish wakes, wild weddings and private hoolies along the way (including a couple of particularly raucous affairs for Mel Gibson!).

Following the release of their 2008 debut CD Hammer and Tongs and a knock-out performance at LA's 1,200-seat Ford Amphitheater, Slugger O'Toole burst onto the Festival circuit. They played the terrific crowds at the LA County Irish Fair & Festival, the Great American Irish Fair in Irvine, the Bakersfield Celtic Music Festival, the Kern County Scottish Games & Gathering and the Big Squeeze Accordion Festival. In 2013 the band documented one such performance on their independently released CD, Slugger O'Toole Live at Folsom."

The band Slugger O'Toole is comprised Matt Foyer (Mandolin, Pennywhistles, and Flute), Dan Harper (Guitar), John McKenna (Button Accordion, and Bodhran), Tim McNamara (Bass), with special guests, Hana Rivas (Percussion), and Emmily Moore (violin).

Kerry Dancers include Kimberly Gerard, Keara Osborne, and Carrie Scott Stotmeister. These 'ambassadors' of Irish dance work with Kerry Records on various aspects of Irish folk-dance traditions, incorporating old Irish dance styles into modern Irish dance styles. Through this process, the best of ethnic and modern Ireland is represented, exposing audiences to the beauty, value, passion, and uniqueness of the traditional Irish dance.

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College is a $50 million facility built with a combination of state, regional, local and private funds. Harris Center has three intimate theaters, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a state-of-the-art performing arts venue. The Harris Center presents touring artists from around the world; partners with the best regional arts organizations, and supports productions by FLC students and faculty.

The Harris Center for the Arts (formerly Three Stages) is named to honor Brice Harris, Chancellor Emeritus of the Los Rios Community College District, for his many contributions to the capital region, including the vision and leadership he provided in opening this regional arts center.

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