Banshee
"Secret Manuscripts"
Released: 2001
Independent (Banshee Entertainment Group)
CD ID = BSM-CD-01

Take 2 members from the West Coast of Canada and 2 members from the East Coast of Canada, bring them all together and you get "Banshee," a hot up-and-coming group based out of New Brunswick. Bryon and Shelley Chase are originally from Nanaimo, BC but have family roots in New Brunswick. Stacey Read is from Sackville, NB and JP Savoie is from Moncton, NB. The group came together in 2000 when the Chase's decided to move back to New Brunswick where their family came from.

The band has taken its name from Irish Celtic mythology as "Banshee" is the Gaelic word for Ghost, almost the complete opposite of what the group is live...you can be sure you won't miss seeing them when they perform, as they are bouncing all over the place!

Their debut CD "Secret Manuscripts" is pretty close to what you'll get when you see the band perform live...energetic, upbeat, danceable songs and tunes, finishing up with an in-your-face set of fiddle tunes. Banshee's music consists of Irish, Scottish and Maritime lore, combined with humour, music and stepdancing!

The band hasn't been together all that long but you can feel the instant chemistry they must have felt as the CD is very crisp and flows along very well. The band performs its own contemporary music (5 of the tracks were written by members of the band) as well as traditional Maritime tunes.

Starting off with the traditional "Bedlam Boys," the wonderful voices of the band come through, which are very clear and easy to understand.

One of my favourite tracks is their rendition of the traditional Celtic song "Loch Lomond." It has a nice soothing feel to it. The spotlight on the fiddle set called "Owly Fiddler Set" is on Stacey Read, one of New Brunswick's finest fiddlers. She has her own solo CD's out, which you can read about here.

You can often find Banshee playing at various pubs around New Brunswick on the weekends. They have also been as far as Texas and various other performances around the Maritimes. Keep an eye out for this group...they are a group that I'm sure great things will happen for in the future.

If you're going to the East Coast Music Awards in Saint John, NB, you can catch Banshee in concert with The Irish Descendants, Slainte Mhath and Rebeka Reed at the Gothic Arches (corner of Wentworth and Princess Streets) on February 2nd. Tickets are available now at Radioland in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton. Advance price is $15 and $20 at the door. This is a licenced event so you must be 19 to attend. You won't be disappointed in the show.