Music
Press
"Remarkable and compelling, as writers and performers...there is something very special and rare here."
David Tamulevich
Tamulevich Artist Management - An Dro
"Remarkable and compelling, as writers and performers...there is something very special and rare here."
David Tamulevich
Tamulevich Artist Management - An Dro
Discography
“The Turn”, recorded in the Eddie Eicher Studio, Grand Rapids, MI. This was our first recording and the winner of the 2009 WYCE “Jammie” Award for “Best Traditional Group”.
"Tribe”, recorded at River City Studios, Grand Rapids, MI, was released July 2011. This recording also earned the "Traditions" Award for 2011 at the WYCE "Jammie" Awards.
"Storyteller" was also recorded at River City Studios and was released October of 2012.
Photos
Bio
An Dro takes you on an adventure that is both personal and universal. You'll hear traditional Irish melodies, medieval French songs, Breton dance tunes, Scandinavian refrains, Appalachian influences, Arabic rhythms, and African grooves all performed with joy and freshness. This is dance music but it’s also listening music.
An Dro's original works have a feel that is both ancient and modern with a dynamic range that takes you from crazy dance grooves to delicately orchestrated waltzes and airs to blazing improvisational assaults.
The band takes their name An Dro from a folk dance of Brittany where the dancers link fingers as they move in a spiral line dance. An Dro translates literally as “The Turn” and is an apt description of music that is alive and ever changing.
Members and instrumentation
Michele Venegas plays fiddle with intensity and tenderness and is the melodic mainstay of the group's sound.
James Spalink plays bouzouki and hurdy gurdy and propels the music with power and texture while his Celtic harp playing adds a delicacy in concert settings. He also writes most of the original tunes.
Fred Willson contributes masterfully in melody and rhythm roles on mandolin and guitar and occasionally picks up the pennywhistle.
Carolyn Koebel dances across the tonal spectrum on a wild array of percussion instruments from across Africa and the Middle East. Her kit includes djembe, darbuka, riq, cajon and an assortment of cymbals, shakers and bells.
Together the four create a music that can be beautifully complex or disarmingly simple. It expresses the pure joy of making music.
Recent performances include:
Foundry Hall, South Haven, MI
The One Trick Pony, Grand Rapids, MI
Noreast'r Music Festival, Mio, MI
Foellinger Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN
Spirit of the Woods Festival, Brethren, MI
Saline Celtic Festival, Saline, MI
Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival, Evanston, IL
The Howmet Theatre, Whitehall, MI
CMU Public Broadcasting Cruise, Mackinaw City, MI
Saugatuck Brewing Company, Douglas, MI
Michiana Celtic Festival, South Bend, IN
Michigan Irish Music Festival, Muskegon, MI
Kalamazoo Irish Festival, Kalamazoo, MI
Cooper’s Glen Music Festival, Kalamazoo, MI
Fiddler’s Hearth, South Bend, IN
Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo, MI
Dogwood Center's Black Box Theater, Fremont, MI
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey, MI
Wheatland Music Festival, Remus, MI
The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
Blissfest, Harbor Springs, MI
Milwaukee Irish Fest, Milwaukee, WI
Uncommon Ground, Chicago, IL
Links
