The Sweet Colleens are a five-piece Celtic roots based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their style is called fiddle-fueled accordion-infused celtic-cajun folk pop.
The Sweet Colleens are Dave Bade, Rich Larson, Jeremy Greenhouse, Wolf Loescher and Pete Sandvik —accomplished multi-instrumentalists who together fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into a high-energy, infectious, and crowd-pleasing mix of “Celtic folk-rock and alt. country/Americana, with Cajun and Caribbean seasonings.” With infectious original songs, warm vocal harmonies, and fiery instrumental arrangements, the Sweet Colleens are winning a loyal local following and fans across the Midwest and beyond.
Ex-pat Canadian songwriter and fiddler Jeremy Greenhouse and Minneapolis accordionist Pete Sandvik put together a band for a Y2K New Year’s show at Kieran’s Pub in Minneapolis. The Colleens went on to establish themselves as the Twin Cities’ favorite pub band and -- since the release of the band’s debut CD "Flop" and its celebrated sophomore release "Half a Mile from Home" -- has expanded its audience through shows and festivals in the Midwest and even a 2-week jaunt to France.
The Sweet Colleens CD "Half a Mile from Home" showcases the band’s trademark musical dexterity with 16 tracks that draw on a remarkable range of roots music – feisty medleys of Irish and Canadian fiddle tunes, a raucous cover of The Pogues’ “Fall From Grace,” Cajun-tinged original songs featuring performances by Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil, a folk-rock ballad about Jesse James, a tender waltz featuring the Trinidadian steel drum, and a dozen energetic and raw alt-country original songs about love, life, death and everything in between – all pulled together into a seriously fun and uniquely Minnesotan sound.
The Sweet Colleens bring diverse musical backgrounds to bear on their truly unique folk-rock sound. Jeremy Greenhouse (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica), has recorded and performed extensively with Celtic, rock, Cajun and country acts in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Pete Sandvik (accordion, piano, guitar, vocals), brings Cajun and rock influences, classically-trained dexterity, and a not-so-secret love for the Grateful Dead to his accordion playing with the Sweet Colleens. Dave Bade (bass, vocals) offers rock-solid bass during the Sweet Colleens live shows, and everything from bluegrass picking guitar solos to cello on their recordings. Finally, drummer Wolf Loescher’s style draws not only on the country-swing of his native Texas, but on the rich bagpipe-laced Celtic music of Scotland, where he lived for several years before founding the acclaimed Celtic-rock band Jiggernaut. Together, The Sweet Colleens offer a unique high-energy roots sound.
"The Monkey Dance: All the Kids Are Doin' It!" is the first foray into kids music by the Minneapolis-based Sweet Colleens, but the genre is clearly a natural fit for these good-natured denizens of the roots music world.
Released in January 2010 with two packed concerts to over 600 people at Minneapolis’s legendary Cedar Cultural Center, "The Monkey Dance" features more musical instruments than you could shake a banana at. The predominantly original songs range in style from funky to folky, Cajun to Caribbean, sad to sentimental to...well...just plain goofy. Special guests on the CD include The Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Michelle Campagne of the seminal French-Canadian folk-pop group Hart Rouge.
While "The Monkey Dance" is quickly winning over the under-10 crowd (not to mention minivan CD players everywhere), parents will also find themselves humming along to the Sweet Colleens’ sophisticated, rootsy arrangements—kids music that does it up right without dumbing it down. Happy listening... and don't forget your monkey-dancing shoes!
The Twin Cities’ Sweet Colleens have taken their genre-busting Celti-Cajun Folk-Pop sound to new heights with "Closer to the Sky". With their feet planted firmly in American-roots music, the Sweet Colleens bring a spirit of joy and adventure to their 4th studio release, embracing the intimate melodies of traditional folk, crafting bold musical arrangements, and harnessing the power of modern rock.
The 11 tracks on "Closer to the Sky" take listeners on a wild musical ride, bridging diverse styles with seamless integrity. And the band’s original songs and instrumentals travel a beautiful, broken world: from the Great Plains to the beaches of San Diego, from smoky Toronto nightclubs to Cajun dancehalls, from Irish pubs to a quiet street in Nordeast Minneapolis. With "Closer to the Sky", The Sweet Colleens have redefined their sound while staying true to the emotional core of their past.
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Line-up:
Jeremy Greenhouse - Guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, vocals
Pete Sandvik - Accordion, guitar, vocals
Dave Bade - Bass, tenor banjo, vocals
Rich Larson - Guitar, vocals
Wolf Loescher - Drums, percussion, bouzar, vocals
Discography:
"Flop" (13 tracks, 2013)
"Half a Mile from Home" (16 tracks, 2005)
"The Monkey Dance (All the Kids Are Doin' It!)" (10 tracks, 2010)
"Closer to the Sky" (11 tracks, 2013)
You can download their albums for free from Noisetrade and, if you enjoy them, then go to Bandcamp and purchase their stuff. And remember that you can listen to The Sweet Colleens on our 24/7 streaming radio Celtic-Folk-Punk radio
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