AnRil: traditional Celtic music that's unreal!

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Irish bands in Hawaii are about as common as Hawaiian bands in Ireland. But being out of the mainstream has never fazed the members of AnRil. Kevin O'Kennedy, tinwhistle player for the band, originally suggested the name for the group. "An ril" (pronounced "unreal") means a reel, or type of traditional dance, in Irish Gaelic. "Kevin would play reels all night long if we let him," says David Bryan, who plays cittern and flute for the group.

Stuart Helmintoller rounds out their sound on guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin. "We can sound pretty mellow if we want to," says Stuart. "But sometimes, depending on the gig, we bring in a percussion player for that World Beat sound." Recently the group has performed with various percussionists adding the sounds of djimbe, from Africa; dumbek, from the Middle East; and didgeridoo, from Australia.

"Nowadays, it seems like everyone claims to have that 'tribal' sound," says Stuart. "But take an Irish jig, throw in some ethnic percussion, and watch the people dance. Now THAT'S tribal!"


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