Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers mixes Irish soul with Hendrix wah-wah
When Eileen Ivers takes the stage Saturday night for a Spokane Symphony SuperPops concert, some of her fiddle tunes will reach back to the ancient Irish mists.
Others will reach back to, let’s say, the Monterey Pops purple haze.
“When I use the electric violin, I sometimes use the wah-wah distortion effect,” said Ivers, by phone from the road near Missoula. “The audience loves that.”
From ancient Celtic to Jimi Hendrix – that more or less sums up the full virtuoso range of Ivers, one of the world’s leading purveyors of Celtic music, world music and, occasionally, wah-wah fiddle.
She and her band, Immigrant Soul, will perform with the symphony in a program of mostly Celtic-themed music, including a rousing medley to tunes from “Riverdance.”
Ivers played fiddle in the original “Riverdance” cast and went on the road with it for three years.
Yet that didn’t make her a Celtic music star. She already was one.
Ivers was born to Irish immigrant parents in the Bronx, New York, and started playing Irish music by ear when she was 8. She played every chance she could and eventually became a legend in Celtic music competitions, racking up nine all-Ireland fiddle championships.
Yet she was a practical girl. She earned a math degree and was doing post-graduate studies toward a math career. But music would not loosen its hold.
“One thing led to another and I never really had a proper day job,” Ivers said. “I was so thrilled I found the music road. I’ve been playing music for 20 years now.”
She became an in-demand session and touring player, performing with groups as varied as the Chieftains and Hall & Oates. She was a founding member of Cherish the Ladies.
By the time “Riverdance” came calling, Ivers was considered one of the premier fiddlers in the world.
In 1999 she launched her own touring act with the four-piece band Immigrant Soul, featuring percussionist Tommy McDonnell (who handles the lead vocals), guitarist Greg Anderson, accordion player Buddy Connolly and bassist Leo Traversa. They have been touring ever since.
After being invited to perform with the Boston Pops, Ivers and the band established an in-demand symphony pops show, with orchestral arrangements backing many of their tunes.
“When the full orchestra and the band are jelling together on some of the faster pieces, it’s a wonderful marriage of the two worlds,” she said.
The program will reflect the contrasting moods of Irish music, including slow airs and pensive tunes about immigration. Others are joyous and infectious dance tunes, which will be accompanied by the region’s own award-winning dance troupe, the Haran Irish Dancers.
The finale will be what Ivers calls an “Irish bluegrass-infused gospel song” – a rousing rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Ivers and the band will play both halves of the show, but the orchestra, conducted by Associate Conductor Morihiko Nakahara, will play several pieces on its own at the beginning of each half.