Randal Bays Home Page - Irish Fiddle, Guitar

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Randal Bays - The Music is what it's all about. I've been playing Irish fiddle for about thirty years, still finding it interesting and still hearing something mysterious in the music. I've been very fortunate - especially for someone born in America - to have gotten to know and spend time with so many of the greatest Irish musicians. I enjoy bringing the music to audiences, wherever they might be, in the form of concerts and workshops, festivals, music camps, etc.

I do concerts as a Solo Performer, often in a house concert or small venue setting. For this kind of concert I usually play both unaccompanied fiddle tunes and finger-style guitar solos. I try to give a bit of background and context to the music, and make it an enjoyable listening experience.

Also, I perform in various combinations with other musicians , such as the excellent guitarist Dave Marshall. We often appear as a duo, and whenever possible we make it a trio with the addition of one of the world's great voices (not an exaggeration), Connemara sean-nos singer Áine Meenaghan.

I'm proud to be a member of the trio FINGAL, with two legendary musicians, James Keane and Dáithí Sproule.

Solo concerts - Performing on my own, without accompaniment of any kind, is an exhilarating experience. Traditionally, this would be the form in which the music was most often heard, and it's a challenge to bring the tunes to life with no one else to lean on. I usually include some fingerstyle guitar solos and a fair amount of tune lore in a solo concert, to keep the listeners' attention and give the music some context. I'm a champion of the old/new idea of house concerts, a perfect setting for this kind of intimate music.

Click here for more information on house concerts.

Randal Bays, Dave Marshall and sean-nos singer Áine Meenaghan

Dave lives in Vancouver BC and is not only one of the finest DADGAD guitarists you'll ever hear, he's an incredible player of several other instruments, including the tenor banjo. His guitar accompaniment is what fiddlers always wish for but rarely get; someone who knows the tunes inside out and is able to play both hard-driving jigs and reels as well as the great slow airs with equal ease and musicality.

Aine sings the very old music of western Ireland, mostly in Irish Gaelic, called sean-nos, which means "old style". This kind of singing is rarely heard outside of Ireland, and even in Ireland there are few singers with the musical gift that Aine Meenaghan possesses.

Click here for more information on this group.

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FINGAL - My trio with two extraordinary musicians, James Keane and Dáithí Sproule.

For tour dates, photos, booking information, etc. visit the Fingal website at www.fingalmusic.com

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