The Seamus Egan Project performs at Western
Camille Lenning | Entertainment Editor
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
The Smith Fine Arts Series hosted the Seamus Egan Project on March 12, bringing Irish folk-style music to campus just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. This group of four talented musicians wowed audiences with their lively music.
Egan exhibited his skills on many instruments throughout the performance, such as guitar, banjo and flute. In some songs, like his original “Welcome to Orwell,” Egan demonstrated an impressive mastery of the tin whistle, which is similar to a recorder.
Among those performing with Egan was Jenna Moynihan, who played the fiddle and provided vocals for certain songs, like in their rendition of “The Blackest Crow.” Her voice was a hauntingly beautiful departure from the jaunty tunes before it.
Also on stage was Kyle Sanna, an incredibly talented guitarist, who provided back up vocals to Moynihan.
Owen Marshall played mandolin with the group, and provided added humor to the various introductions that preceded songs. His banter with Egan loosened the performers on stage while also creating a sense of familiarity between the musicians and the audience.
One song in particular stood out as Egan introduced it. “Mr. and Mrs. Walsh,” Egan explained, was written after his sister eloped with her then-fiance. The eventual reconciliation with their mother inspired the tune.
“It was a situation that called for a banjo,” Egan said of the song — drawing laughs from the audience.
Each musician played completely in sync with one another, and when the set list had finished, the audience’s applause brought the group back to the stage for an encore.
