Dan Britton - vocals, guitar, bodhran, harmonica
Adele McMahon - violin
Neil Rabjohn - cajon drum, bodhran
Chris Conway - keyboards, tin and low whistles, guitar, kalimba, vocals
also in the Govannen extended family are...
John McDonald - ceilidh dance caller
Cathy Lesurf - ceilidh dance caller
Bridget McMahon - vocals
Neil Segrott - bass
Etkilendikleri
Planxty, Moving Hearts, Alan Stivell, Gwerz, The Waterboys, Eileen Ivers, Paul Winter, The Pogues, Donal Lunny, Martin Hayes, Kevin Burke
Blending jigs and reels, with traditional and contemporary Irish songs with style.
The group have been together for quite a few years now and although rooted in Irish music they have a number of different sides to their music.
You might catch them at a festival, or playing music at a wedding, performing a mixture of new arrangements and original songs at an art centre, or belting out the old songs in a pub. They might be recording atmospheric music for a recording project or with a dance caller playing the music at a ceilidh dance.
Govannen have released 4 CDs - 2 live albums on the Oblong label and 2 studio albums for Paradise Music, as well as appearing on albums by Bridget McMahon, Celtic harper France Ellul, and on the Door of Hope charity concert album.
One of the reasons Govannen works so well is the different complimentary roles in the band.
Dan Britton provides the drive and energy and earthiness of the band with his driving rhythmic guitar and bodhran and at live concerts he is the main lead singer of songs. Dan was influenced by the powerful performers of Irish music like Planxty and The Pogues.
Chris Conway ’s interests are in sounds, harmonies and arrangements, adding touches of magic with his battery of exotic instruments and keyboard wizardry. Chris’s Celtic influences were the great arrangers of multi-layered sound like Alan Stivell, Gwerz, and Donal Lunny. Plus Chris brings jazz elements into a Govannen set.
In Adele McMahon, Govannen have a soloist of world class. She’s also a library of Irish tunes for the band – she has hundreds in her head – though she can’t always remember their names…. Her dazzling fluid violin is the real backbone of the band sound. Adele as you might expect was influenced by her family (her father is a singer of traditional Irish songs from County Clare), and the great fiddle players like Martin Hayes and Kevin Burke.
Add to this the amazing percussion of Neil Rabjohn who plays the cajon drum, and the music really get cooking.
So these different factors get mixed around in different ways to make a classic concert, ceilidh or album.
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