In the media player this week is the eponymous debut album from the band Peter Street, which is a great thing to have in it. Featuring four young, astonishingly good musicians who play with poise, power and great lift, it is an outstanding effort and an auspicious debut from a group that traditional music fans will definitely want to have on their radar.
Peter Street is comprised of John Paul Reynolds (fiddle), Simon Crehan (guitar, vocals), Keelan McGrath (button accordion) and Fionn O’Hanlon (bouzouki, vocals). Meeting as students at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy, they came together as a band in 2023 and have been building a name for themselves ever since.
Each of the band’s members is already quite accomplished. Traditional music fans in New York will of course recognize Reynolds as the son of John Reynolds and Margie Mulvihill, two great musicians who were longtime residents of Rockland County. An unbelievably talented musician who has won numerous All-Irelands, Reynolds seems to play everything exceptionally well and has shared the stage with top-tier musicians such as Joanie Madden, the Sharon Shannon Band, and Cathal Hayden, among many others. Crehan, from Lattin, Co. Tipperary, was mentored by John and Julia Clifford’s son Billy and was awarded the Patrick O’Keeffe “Young Musician of the Year” in 2021. O’Hanlon, of Boherbue, Co. Cork, is a multi-instrumentalist who is featured on the album “’Twas manys a wild night” with Alan Finn, Joanne Quirke and Paul Clesham. Finally, there’s McGrath, who hails from Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary. In addition to winning the senior All-Ireland in 2022, he was awarded the Bonn Óir Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal when he was 16, making him the youngest to ever to receive that honor. It’s an extremely accomplished bunch.
The music here is strong throughout. A set of high energy reels, “Peter Street / Peter Feeney's Dream,” opens the album and not only demonstrates how tight the group’s playing is, but also showcases the virtuosity of Reynolds and McGrath, as they take the opportunity there to demonstrate some of the great flash in their playing. There’s really something to be said for all of the album’s instrumental tracks. Others that stand out for me include the slide set “The Scartaglen / …” and the barndances “Around the Fairy Fort / …,” both of which have great rhythmic touch and tasty playing. I also love the reels “The Otter’s Holt / …” and the jigs “Old John’s / …,” not only for the high level playing, but also for their interesting arrangement and the harmonic sensibility that’s brought to them.
Another of the album’s standouts is “The Butterfly.” There, bouzouki and guitar features in a thoughtful, richly layered arrangement that unfolds beautifully. Crehan and O’Hanlon are superb here and the track is one of the album’s best.
The album also includes three songs, “The Tinkerman’s Daughter,” “Aragon Mill,” and “The Broad Majestic Shannon.” All three are quite well done, but I find myself returning to “Tinkerman’s Daughter” for the great vocals and it’s well done arrangement. A truly lovely track. (Apologies, though, as I’m not sure who is singing! Both Crehan and O’Hanlon are given vocalist credits, but the album’s liner notes don’t indicate who is singing vocal lead.)
Congrats to Peter Street on a very fine debut album. The music is well thought out, brilliantly executed, and highly enjoyable. The production standard deserves mention, too, because it’s quite well mixed and mastered, adding to the delight of listening. Overall, this is an album I think fans of traditional music will be very excited to hear – definitely recommended! To learn more and to purchase, visit https://peterstreet.bandcamp.com/.
