Sean McGuinness, who position himself firmly at the extreme, traditional end of the Celtic music spectrum, is performing at Carson City’s Brewery Arts Center at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 9.
McGuinness is a nationally-recognized Irish singer and song writer of tunes and songs closely connected to Celtic heritage. He grew up in Denver hearing Irish ballads on vinyl records by The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners, so Irish music was with him from the start. He began to perform these traditional songs in public, and after hearing The Pogues — and with a life-long appreciation for Bob Dylan — he added an edge to his music.
McGuinness also began to write original songs in the folk idiom. At a local Denver pub, he was encouraged by the great Tommy Makem to “keep singing” when Makem happened to catch one of McGuiness’s shows. Taking that advice to heart, McGuinness began to perform more frequently.
Since the early 1990s, the singer recorded three CDs. He plays festivals, pubs and other venues in Denver and Boulder, Colo.; New Orleans, La.; Jackson, Natchez and Oxford, Miss.; Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; and Las Vegas and Reno.
If you can’t make a journey to one of those cities, hear McGuinness in the BAC’s MHJ Black Box Theater, 449 W. King St.
Tickets cost $10 for BAC members; $12 for students and seniors; and $15 for general admission. Ticket prices go up at the door.
Tickets are at Breweryarts.org or in the BAC’s Artisan Store.
For more information, call the Brewery Arts Center office at 775-883-1976.