Screaming Orphans at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts -- March 16.
Saturday, March 16, 8 p.m.
Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, 1301 Fifth Street, Coralville IA
Combining their own original, melodic, old-school songs with a modern take on traditional Irish music, the Celtic pop and folk singers of Screaming Orphans headline a St. Patrick's Weekend concert event at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, the March 16 event treating fans to the exquisite vocal and instrumental talents of the four Diver sisters: Angela on bass and violin, Joan on drums, Marie Thérèse on keys and accordion, and Gráinne on guitar.
Natives of Ireland's Bundoran, County Donegal, the Diver sisters originally performed with their mother Kathleen Fitzgerald (a well-known céilí singer in Ireland), and when they hit their teenage years, they formed their own Celtic pop/rock band. Screaming Orphans has subsequently toured the United States and Europe since the mid-1990s. In 1997, the band played as Sinéad O'Connor's opening band and her back-up singers on her Gospel Oak Tour across Europe, America, and Canada. They have also toured with Baaba Maal, recorded with the Afro Celt Sound System, and contributed backing vocals on the Peter Gabriel track "When You're Falling." In addition, Screaming Orphans contributed backing vocals on the Joni Mitchell's track "Magdalene Laundries" for The Chieftains' Tears of Stone album, as well as two tracks included on the soundtrack for the Jeremy Thomas film All the Little Animals, starring John Hurt and Oscar winner Christian Bale.
The Divers' 2017 folk/Irish album Taproom reached number one in the iTunes World Music charts and top 10 in the Billboard World Albums charts, and while Screaming Orphans were previously nominated by the Irish Music Awards for Best New Irish CD, they won the organization's Top Celtic Rock band category. They were also included on the Ultimate Guide to Irish Folk album, released in 2014, which includes tracks from many of their musical heroes. Taproom was named 2017 Folk/Pop/Rock Album of the Year by Folk'n'Rock, with the band's 2019 pop album Life in a Carnival making the top 25 in the iTunes Pop Music charts (U.S.), top 10 in the Billboard World Albums charts, number one in the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts (IE), and number three in the overall iTunes music charts. During the 2020 COVID lockdown in Ireland, Screaming Orphans recorded Sunshine & Moss, an album of Irish, Scottish, and American folk songs and tunes that they had played as children – sunshine (light) to represent the good acts that came out of the pandemic, and the moss (shade) to represent the hardship. The album received very positive reviews from critics and reached number four in the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts in the U.S. and number two in the Singer/Songwriter charts in Ireland.
Screaming Orphans headline their Coralville Center for the Performing Arts engagement on March 16, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $28, and more information and tickets are available by calling (319)248-9370 and visiting CoralvilleArts.org.
