2023 Festival Entertainment Announcement
Michigan Irish Music Festival Returns September 14-17, 2023
The Michigan Irish Music Festival, presented by Family Financial Credit Union, is excited to announce the Entertainment Lineup* for September 14-17th 2023, at Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon. Over 25 bands will perform on multiple covered stages.
Tickets are available for sale starting Thursday, May 4, 2023 at www.michiganirish.org. Save $5 or more on single-day tickets or 4-day passes when you buy tickets online.
MIMF is thrilled for the return of Seamus Kennedy
Trademarked by his ongoing interaction with his audiences, fast-paced humor is very much a part of what Seamus does. In fact, Seamus seems to be having such a grand time and he makes it all look so effortless that it is easy not to notice what a superb musician he truly is. He will segue seamlessly from an Irish ballad about a dying town to a rollicking reel and then move into American music, equally at home with folk, pop, country or traditional.
Also welcoming celebrated artists:
Slide, with its diverse songs, which range from soulful and sorrowful to contagiously energetic, The Irish Times calls Slide “traditional musicians with attitude”. With songs showcasing a variety of clever arrangements – from sensitive whistle harmonies to driving, high-powered strings and captivating lyrics, Irish Music Magazine says “[Slide] can sing, they can write, they can dance across fingerboards and piano keys, buttons, and bows, and by crikey they can play.”
Socks in the Frying Pan are a multi-award winning trio hailing from County Clare on the West coast of Ireland. Their dynamic vocal harmonies, virtuosic musical ability and their onstage wit has captured and captivated audiences the world around.
Doolin’ is French in origin – though easily mistaken for Irish musicians! This sextet (guitar, bodhrán, violin, tin whistle, accordion/vocals, bass) brings a fresh approach to Irish music. Inspired by the purest tradition, Doolin’ combines instrumentals, vocals and original compositions in a resolutely modern style. The arrangements, at times taking their inspiration from pop-rock, folk, jazz, funk or even rap (and always in the best taste), emit great energy.
Eileen Ivers, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, has established herself as the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today. Touting an impressive list of accomplishments, including a Grammy award and an Emmy nomination, Ivers’ recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores, including “Gangs of New York”.
Sharon Shannon is a prolific composer crossing over into many genres of music. Her style is uniquely traditional Irish and she has been hugely influential in promoting Irish music not only in Ireland, but in the USA where she has collaborated with John Prine and Steve Earle, in Canada with Natalie McMaster, in Japan with the Kodo Drummers, in Malawi with Umoza Children of Mzuzu and recording and touring with Seckou Keita, Kora and percussion master
from Senegal.
One for the Foxes is an exciting and dynamic transatlantic trio that features a mix of Irish and American folk music and song, both traditional and newly composed, presented in an energetic and engaging manner. Through a shared deep-rooted passion for Irish traditional music, this trio highlights the vital role of Irish traditional music as an origin of many American folk musics, and explores how those styles can interact with one another in a manner both eclectic and grounded.
New to the festival:
Paddy Keenan, a founding member of the legendary Bothy Band, is widely considered one of the greatest living exponents of uilleann piping. Paddy’s contributions to traditional Irish music were honored with the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year award (2002), which is presented to musical heroes of the modern age, and in 2011 by the Irish Music Association, with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Malinda is a NY/DC-based singer, songwriter, and actor. With a mission to make community through her art, Malinda hails a very impressive social media presence, with 1.4 million YouTube subscribers and 2.6 million TikTok followers!
Tossers are a folk-punk band from the south side of Chicago, known for one of the largest populations of Irish people this side of the Emerald Isle. Anthony (T.) Duggins got his start playing traditional Irish folk music in pubs around the neighborhood. He was joined by his brother and his best friends, playing the original songs he had written as well. Named for an old slang term used for worthless British coins in Sean O’Casey’s play The Plough and the Stars, so became The Tossers.
Additional entertainers include artists direct from Ireland and from throughout the US:
The Moxie Strings, Tallymoore, Colm & Laura Keegan, Blackthorn, Ian Gould, Kennedy’s Kitchen, Brother Crowe, Conklin Ceili Band, Black Murray, Enda Reilly, Crossbow, Ruth & Max Bloomquist, Barley Saints, Uneven Ground, Chelsea House Orchestra, Toby Bresnahan, Ardan Academy of Dance, and The Mona Shores Fiddlers
*Live music lineup is subject to change
Stay tuned to the MIMF social media pages and website – www.michiganirish.org. – for the full artist line-up, activities, cultural presentations, and other updates. Along with presenting sponsor Family Financial Credit Union, other major sponsors of the festival include G&L, Langlois Home Furnishings, The Mart Dock, and Budweiser. The Delta Hotels by Marriott and Shoreline Inn are the host hotels for the festival.
For media information, call 231-683-2065.
