Celtic band Gaelic Storm leads off Athens concert series - Sept. 16

photo Celtic band Gaelic Storm features, from left, Pete Purvis (pipes, Irish whistle, bass), Steve Twigger (guitar), Kiana Weber (violin), Ryan Lacey (drums) and Patrick Murphy (lead vocals, harmonica, accordion, spoons).

IF YOU GO• What: Gaelic Storm in concert.• When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16; doors open at 7 p.m.• Where: Athens City Middle School Auditorium, 200 Keith Lane, Athens, Tenn.• Admission: adults $18 in advance, $20 at the door; students $10.• Phone: 423-745-8781.• Website: www.athensartscouncil.org.SAVE THE DATESeason tickets are available for the four concerts in the Athens Area Council for the Arts' Big Time/Small Town Performance Season. Packages offer savings up to 30 percent than if tickets to each concert were sold separately. Remaining dates this season are:• Friday, Nov. 7: Presidio Brass' "Sounds of Cinema"• Friday, Jan. 30: Soul band St. Paul & The Broken Bones• Friday, March 13: Jazz band Dukes of Dixieland

The chart-topping, multinational Celtic band Gaelic Storm will perform in Athens, Tenn., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to kick off the Athens Area Council for the Arts' 2014-15 Big Time/Small Town Performance Season.

After 10 albums and nearly 3,000 live shows, the musicians are on tour celebrating the release of greatest-hits album "Full Irish."

Gaelic Storm has straddled the line between tradition and innovation for nearly two decades. Along the way, the musicians have topped the Billboard World Chart four times, appeared in the blockbuster film "Titanic" (they performed "Irish Party in Third Class," available for the first time on "Full Irish") and earned a reputation as a hard-touring, genre-bending band.

Led by founding members Patrick Murphy and Steve Twigger, the group infuses traditional Celtic music with modern influences, updating the genre for a new generation of fans raised on rock, country and folk. Their ability to incorporate a rock sensibility into their sound affords them a rare crossover appeal. Recently, they've performed with acts ranging from Zac Brown Band and the Goo Goo Dolls to Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett at events as varied as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Milwaukee's Summerfest.

Season and individual tickets are on sale for the Big Time/Small Town performances. Other concerts this season are Presidio Brass on Nov. 7, St. Paul & The Broken Bones on Jan. 30 and Dukes of Dixieland on March 13. Individual tickets may be purchased in advance by phone, online or at The Arts Center, 320 N. White St. in Athens. They will be sold at the door if available.

Season ticket packages offer savings up to 30 percent. A family season ticket package (immediate family only) is $150, a couple's ticket package is $100, and an individual ticket package is $60.

Patrons who purchase an AACA season ticket package will receive a discount on the purchase of Monroe Area Council for the Arts performance series season ticket when both are purchased at the same time (performances are held at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn.). For information on the MACA season, go to www.monroearts.com or call 423-442-3210.

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