Irish-American Band Solas Return From Eight Year Hiatus For 30th Anniversary Tour And All-New Live Album

31 Jan

Releasing their self-titled debut in 1996, Solas have since been transfixing audiences with their deft blend of Irish traditional music and modern Americana songcraft.

Announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2017, Solas - a band with over a dozen albums under their belt - went their separate ways, exploring different avenues of creative expression. With 2025 marking their 30th anniversary, three of its founding members—Séamus Egan, John Williams, and Winifred Horan—are taking the beloved Solas catalog back on the road.

On February 13th, Solas will take the stage in Durango, Colorado, for the first show of a nationwide tour covering three decades of material. The first nine shows—through Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 23rd—will feature Moira Smiley on vocal, banjo & piano duties before Nuala Kennedy (vocals, flute) joins at Scituate, Massachusetts and onward. Alan Murray (guitar, bouzouki, vocals) will round out the group for the entirety of their trip across the United States. Uninitiated fans can expect fresh and unexpected arrangements of age-old tunes, compelling and topical originals and covers, and unparalleled musicianship throughout this special run of shows. And for those already familiar with Solas’s electric on-stage agility, this tour will be a welcome return for the band who continues to drive the Celtic music genre forward.

To get their 30th anniversary celebrations underway, Solas has released the first single from their upcoming concert album, Solas Live. Culled from three separate live performances, each six years newer than the last—Vicar Street, Dublin, 2004, Ballyshannon Folk Festival 2010, and Celtic Connections, Glasgow, 2016—the fourteen song collection features a career-spanning tracklist as well as a number of notable guests. In the liner notes for Solas Live, the band comments on the beauty of capturing these on-stage moments:

“In each instance we were unaware that a recording was being made. This was a blessing! It allowed for unfiltered performances, free of doubt, fully in the moment. Perfection isn’t the goal in these moments, just expression and communication, a full commitment to the present.”

In the spirit of in-the-moment expression and commitment to the present, for now, Solas Live will only be available for purchase at the merchandise table during the 30th anniversary tour, but to give fans a sneak peek of what’s to come, Solas shared “Tell God and the Devil” (Feat. Moira Smiley) live from Glasgow in 2016.