A FREE In-Store Concert by the High-powered Celtic Progressive Band MILLISH

Saturday , July 16, 2005
11:00 am
Location: Elderly Instruments
in-store performance (free)

The high-caliber alternative-Celtic quartet Millish, based in Ann Arbor, consists of State Champion bluegrass fiddler Brad Phillips, World Champion Uilleann piper Tyler Duncan, National Award-winning jazz percussionist Mike Shimmin, and Millish's "Creative Mastermind" guitarist Jesse Lee Mason. Individually they've garnered numerous state and national awards, and together they've created an original and exceptional Celtic-based music while sharing their common interest in---jazz.

Jazz? Yes. "Millish music," referred to as "Irish music with a difference," has coalesced into jazz-based Celtic sounds. They've taken the States by storm, appearing on "A Prairie Home Companion," playing and recording with Natalie McMaster, The Chieftains, Mark O'Connor, Emmy-award winner Kitty Donohoe.... And Millish has become a Wheatland Festival favorite.

Speaking of Wheatland, Vice-president of Wheatland's board of directors Tom Ball shared this insight into Millish: "Mighty things will come from Millish. They combine the seasoned edge of professionals with the cutting edge of the next generation. Erin Go Bragh!"

Natalie MacMaster called them "Fantabulous!!"

Dave Siglin, Artistic Director of The Ark in Ann Arbor, where Millish is becoming a fixture, refers to the four-year-old quartet as "...the kind of group The Ark is all about: young, extremely high-caliber musicianship." Siglin adds "This is a band with a future."

This from Sheila Graziano, Saline Celtic Festival Director: "The synergy created by this group of musicians transcends what one might expect to hear from a Celtic oriented quartet. Millish has a wonderful ability to present serious music with a playful 'dare me not to' attitude towards arrangements and genres of their selections. The 'Full Millish' is a great musical experience to be exposed to."

Not wanting to force a preconceived notion of "fusion," Millish explains, the talented quartet has "let their music coalesce" over the past four years, and they've been turning heads worldwide. Their debut album earned them an International Acoustic Music Award--before it was even released.

These young artists say they're united by a single musical goal: "to participate in the evolution of modern music." And they're doing a SUPER job of it! Millish can also be seen in concert at The Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner in Old Town, Saturday evening, July 16, at 8 pm.

Millish has been "...mining a vein of Irish music, melting it down, and adding cultures with the zeal of a slightly deranged chef--somehow, in these musicians' capable hands, a classic Irish jig gets paired with music of Scotland, Brittany, Bulgaria, and Spain, as well as good old American rock 'n' roll. Purists, please stay home with your record collections; cultural amalgamation is a hard job, but someone's got to do it." - Kate Connor-Ruben, The Ann Arbor Observer, September 2003.

Check out recordings we carry featuring Millish