MojoKelt: Press

MojoKelt play Railway Bar

MojoKelt warm up for their Norwegian tour with a gig in Lurgan

One of the hottest rising bands on the folk and roots music scene, MojoKelt will play the Railway Bar, William St. this Thursday, 21st September before jetting off on a Norwegian tour.

Hailed by folk legend Tommy Sands as “One of the most exciting things to happen to roots music in a long time,” the band have gained an impressive following after their live appearances and via the MySpace website. Comments have included:

“What great music!”
“You play great, like your music very much!”
“Hi guys!!!! Great sound....I like u very much!”
“Flakin' ceili boys - that sound will take you far!”
“Great stuff; beautifully recorded”
“A very interesting mix of Celtic with elements of funk and rock/pop music, I like that fusion.”

(These and other comments can be found on the band’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/mojokelt)

A recent appearance on the Tommy Sands show had over thirty minutes devoted to the band with four tracks from the forthcoming album “MojoKelt: Live at the Grange” gaining their airplay debut.

In the near future the band will visit the US, Switzerland, Australia as well as the UK to play festivals such as WOMAD and other well-known roots music gatherings. Having already turned down record label attention, the band are working with one of the top music agents in Ireland to allow them to bring their unique brand of “Rock ’n’ Folk’n Roll” to more local venues.


Doors for MojoKelt's Railway Bar gig this Thursday open at 9.00pm. Local singer/songwriter Barry McSherry will also appear.

A pretty dang new band, only formed in January of 2006, MojoKelt is off to a good start with "Live At The Grange." It's funny--when you look at Celtic bands that are new--it isn't anything like looking at new bands in other styles of music; and this one is no exception. Many Celtic musicians are former session players, such as MojoKelt's Tom Watson, or have been playing traditional music for many, many years, such as the band's champion Uilleann pipe player, Paul McKernan. While there may be amateur musicians out there in the field, you aren't going to find them here. Not in this band.

Branded "Rock n' Folk n' Roll," their sound fits the description, but in a typically traditional Irish way. The pipes really are a signature sound here, and the entire CD has a "small venue" feel that is refreshingly not over-processed. Close your eyes and you can believe you're at the pub listening to them.

Don't miss track 3's, "The Kesh Set" here, an absolute jam. Not one bad track in the bunch on this CD. The band favors an upbeat tempo, which is especially "sprightly" in many of the songs. There are a few notable exceptions, such as track 6, "She Wore Black" which almost starts with the feel of a slower pop rock song--different and rather attention-grabbing considering the flavor of the other pieces here.

Also in the same vein is the last track on the CD, "The Walker," an easy tune with simple lyrics that work well in tandem with the subtle accompaniment. A little slice of life piece to wrap things up.

Love the music btw, sounds amazing!