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Téada has been
called "one of the most exciting traditional groups to
emerge in recent years" (Irish World). The Irish quintet was
voted "Best Traditional Newcomers" in Irish Music Magazine,
and have released two highly-regarded albums on Green
Linnet. "A new and fresh face in Irish music, Téada is a
band to watch out for," says The Irish Voice.
Téada first came
together in 2001 on the innovative Irish television series
Flosc. Led by Sligo fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, the young
musicians shared a passion for the deeply traditional
approach. After a first gig opening for the Sharon Shannon
band at an Irish festival, Téada was off and running. A
self-titled debut CD in 2002, téada, brought popular and
critical raves. Dublin's Irish Times applauded the band for
"keeping the traditional flag flying at full mast," and
Scotland's Edinburgh Evening News wrote, "If there is a
better new band on the Emerald Isle, they must be very, very
good."
Most of the
group's members grew up in rural Ireland, learning
traditional music through local classes and by listening to
older musicians. "It was really a very organic process,"
says Oisín Mac Diarmada. "With Téada, we wanted to capture
some of that rawness and individuality of the solo artist
within the dynamic of a full band." Oisín, called "one of
the most talented fiddlers in Ireland today" by the Irish
Echo, is joined in the band by Seán McElwain from Monaghan
on banjo and bouzouki, Paul Finn from Co. Laois on
accordion, Dubliner Tristan Rosenstock on bodhrán (Irish
drum), and Sligo flutist Damien Stenson. Damien comes on
board in 2005, as founding member John Blake departs for
other pursuits. |
