Irish Music by Ashley Davis
Ashley Davis is back in Kansas.
Since leaving Kansas Ashley has studied and performed in Nashville, studied Irish music in Ireland - earning a Masters in Traditional Irish Music at the University of Limerick (where her father was a guest lecturer), performed regularly in New York, written & performed music for movies, and been an artist in residence of the Isle of Man.
At the University of Limerick, she specialized in DADGAD guitar, which included studying and working with John Spillane. After Limerick Davis was chosen as the soloist for Michael Flatleys Lord of the Dance where she went on to spend a year.
In October Davis moved back to Lawrence and although she is performing in her former home of New York city on St Patrick’s Day, her new - and original - home is not getting neglected.
Ashley Davis is performing 2 concerts at the Lawrence Arts Center this Sunday, March 14, 2010. At 2pm there’s a “Celtic Kids Show” followed at 7pm by “Celtic Music”. In both performances Ashley is accompanied by native Irish speaker, the harpist Cormac De Barra.
In case you don’t know, Cormac De Barra has played with The Chieftains and the Irish Harp Orchestra, Clannad, Cathy Jordan (of Dervish), Liam Ó Maonlaí, Brian Kennedy, and Moya Brennan. Have a listen to De Barra on MySpace.
The pair will perform tracks from her Davis’ new album, “Down by the Sea,” that she recorded last year in Dublin. The 11-song disc features a who’s who of traditional Irish musicians, including The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney, Cherish the Ladies’ Joanie Madden and Clannad’s Moya Brennan.
Davis stresses her belief that traditional Irish music is something that grows:
“I see that it really needs to have people creating music that is a nod at the tradition but it’s also new. It’s not the same song being done in a different way over and over again. … If they like the voice, they’re going to buy your album. It doesn’t have to have ‘Danny Boy’ on every record.”
See Ashley’s official website
Read more about Ashley Davis, including her fans in the Irish literary world, in the Lawrence Journal-World
These events have been added to the KC Irish Events calendar
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