Young Scottish band closes Cityfolk Celtic series

Promotional picture of The Paul McKenna Band t...Image via Wikipedia"Any Celtic music group is likely to perform on traditional instruments such as fiddle, pipe and bodhran. But the most traditional instrument of all is the human voice, and this is where the Paul McKenna Band stands apart.
McKenna speaks softly in conversation, as if resting his enigmatic voice before the band’s next concert. On stage, his lilting tenor is rich with inflection, rising and falling, trembling with evocative vibrato, traveling a scenic route toward melody. His vocals sound genuine and personal, whether he’s singing about last night’s bottle or sailing ships of long ago.
“I’m a singer,” McKenna said. “And I’ve really got to make sure that the words are coming across clearly, even if it’s a modern arrangement of the song.”
The Paul McKenna Band closes this season’s Cityfolk Celtic series on May 6 at the Dayton Art Institute. In the 2009 Scottish Traditional Music Awards, the quintet from Glasgow was named Up and Coming Act of the Year. They have recently released their second album, “Stem the Tide,” a combination of traditional tunes and original compositions."
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