Amhránaíthe (Aw-Raw-Nee= Irish for singers/ chorus) brings richly-textured traditional and contemporary Celtic Folk that’s distinctive, lively, and spellbinding. This group has a rich sound that’s well-steeped in history through lilting, evocative, and powerful storytelling. Three celebrated voices — Amelia Hogan, Jimmy Murphy, and Skyler Blakeslee — present vibrant melodies and grooves of whistle, flute, small-pipes, harmonica, guitar, bodhran, and shruti box. Your toes are set to tap the whole show long. They bring a breadth of charm and character to warm hearts for the long winter season ahead with community spirit. You won’t want to miss this trio of trad and Contemporary Irish folk artists, who’ve played with such storied groups as: Molly’s Revenge, Ciúnas, Rattle the Knee, The Flight Crew, and Paddy on the Binge, and in such hallowed halls as Liberty hall in Dublin, and the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco and on Putumayo’s compilations, NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock, and topping Folk Alliance International’s global Folk charts. Welcome in from the December cold.
Amelia Hogan
Amelia Hogan is an impeccably authentic singer of Celtic music, and her rich understanding of the tradition comes through in honeyed tones on Irish, Scottish, British, and American-styled vocals. She sings strongly influenced by her deep roots in the Irish Sean-Nós, or “old style” tradition, a highly lyrical solo a cappella style, as well as with accompaniment, plays shruti box and a small 22-string Welsh lap harp, and has toured internationally to global acclaim. Hogan was a FAR-West regional Official Showcase Winner 2024 and recently released Burnished to the top of the Folk Alliance International Folk charts #5 Album, #5 Artist, #3, and #5 song Mar/ Apr, and Taking Flight, which charted in the top 10 global folk albums at its release with Steve O’Neill of Foxtail Sound, with Ray Frank, Jimmy Murphy, Richard Mandel, Skyler Blakeslee, Marla Fibish, Maureen Brennan, John Weed, Rebecca Richman, and Christa Burch under her solo label. Other Projects Include: Falling You, Molly’s Revenge, NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock, Putumayo’s compilations, Amhránaithe Irish Band, and numerous others.

Skyler Blakeslee
Raised in Los Angeles and a student and lover of traditional music since childhood, Skyler Blakeslee plays lively Irish flute, fluid chromatic harmonica, and expert Scottish smallpipes and sings traditional songs. He performs frequently with other traditional musicians such as Tara Howley of Riverdance, Vince Wolf of Driving with Fergus, and his Northern California based band, Paddy on the Binge, and leads sessions across the Golden State.

Jimmy Murphy
Jimmy Murphy, guitarist, and mandolinist extraordinaire, has been a cornerstone of the traditional Irish music scene in California for over two decades. He has appeared in performance venues from the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles to temples in Japan. He has performed on KPFK’s “Global Village” with Eric Rigler, on KPFK’s “Folkscene” with Mick Moloney, as part of the band Ciúnas, and live on KCSN’s “Tied to the Tracks”. Jimmy spent two years as a contracted musician in Japan; first as a soloist for Tokyo Disney Sea, then as a member of a band for Universal Studios, Japan, and finally as a key member for a four piece band again at Tokyo Disney Sea. He is the go-to guitarist for most Irish musicians in LA and has performed in many musical configurations. Other Projects Include: Rattle the Knee, and New Wild Hog