A FREE Concert by "Alternative Neo-Celtic Folk" Artists Four Shillings Short

Saturday , July 24, 2004
11:00 am
Location: Elderly Instruments
in-store performance (free)

Elderly hasn't offered an in-store concert by a Celtic band recently, so we're very pleased to present Four Shillings Short, an "alternative neo-Celtic folk" duo from Palo Alto, California, currently on tour throughout the U.S.. Diversity of musical styles and spirited, fun-filled performances are clearly dual keys to Four Shillings Short's ongoing success.

Aodh Og O'Tuama (pronounced "a-yog), a native of Cork, Ireland, plays gemshorn, crumhorn, timwhistle, spoons, dumbek, recorder, and sings lead vocals. He has studied Medieval and Renaissance music extensively and received a music fellowship at Stanford University in 1984.

A California girl, Christy Martin sings lead vocals and plays sitar, mandolin, tamboura, dulcimer, and bodhran. She began studying the sitar at age 16 with a protege of famed sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Together Christy and Aodh Og have fronted the widely-popular and diverse neo-Celtic band Four Shillings Short for over a decade.

In a single set, the pair performs traditional Irish tunes and airs, Indian ragas, folk ballads, old-time songs, Medieval and Renaissance instrumentals, a cappella pieces, contemporary folk compositions, all this with an exciting stage presence. The rave reviews say it best:

Four Shillings Short bring a fascinating mix of material, spirit and wit to the stage. They are visually interesting with their eclectic array of instruments. There is excitement, electricity and fun in their performance." - Dave Humphries, past president of the North American Folk Alliance and current director of The Two Way Street Coffee House, Downers Grove, Illinois, March 2003.

"...many thanks for the FANTASTIC show last Friday!...I love all kinds of music and was thrilled to hear the sitar pieces and Sanskrit singing. I always really like performers to do political music. I think it's one of the most powerful agents of change...I'm impressed with your dedication to music and applaud your gypsy lifestyle." - Jack Bohl, Portland Folklore Society, Portland, Oregon, January 2004.

"Four Shillings Short...play their own uniquely eclectic blend of British Isles music. Both excel at singing in traditional Celtic styles." - Michael Parrish, Dirty Linen, February/March 1999.

"It's nothing short of amazing...Playing nearly a dozen instruments between them, with Martin adding sweet vocals, Four Shillings Short offers a mischievous blend of Jazz and Celtic, American and East Indian traditional music." - City Pages, Wausau, Wisconsin, July 2001.

"Four Shillings Short is blessed with a devilishly experimental streak, especially where traditional music is concerned." - John O'Regan, Radio Free Limerick, Rock 'n' Reel Magazine, UK, January 1999.

"Four Shillings Short takes the diverse styles of Celtic, blues, East Indian and medieval and blends them into one colorful, dizzying, yet masterful concoction." - Andre Hagerstedt, Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, May 2001.

The praise goes on and on. Come see a free concert with highly-acclaimed "entertainers in every sense of the term."

Check out recordings we carry featuring Four Shillings Short