traditional

Background The musicians of Magpie Lane first came together in the winter of 1992-93 to record "The Oxford Ramble", a collection of songs and tunes from, or about, Oxfordshire. Although originally conceived as a one-off recording project, the band soon took on a life of its own. The success of "The Oxford Ramble" led to the release of a second CD, "Speed the Plough", a year later; to be followed shortly afterwards by "Wassail: a Country Christmas" and "Jack in the Green".

The Dubliners started off in O'Donoghue's pub in Dublin, Ireland in 1962 under the name of "the Ronnie Drew Folk Group". Then they were four, Ronnie Drew (vocals and guitar), Luke Kelly (vocals and 5-string banjo), Barney McKenna (tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon and vocals) and Ciarán Bourke (vocals, guitar, tin whistle and harmonica). In 1963, they played at the Edinburgh festival where they met the head of Transatlantic Records, Nathan Joseph, for whom they started recording.

Four Men & a Dog made a name for themselves with their eclectic and vivacious blend of traditional Irish music with a wide spectrum of other genres, including rap, Southern rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, polka, country swing, and even salsa. Four Men and a Dog made their debut performance as a band in 'Murphy's Bar', Dungiven, County Derry, in 1990 before going on to steal the show at the Belfast Folk Festival later that year, with a high-energy approach that combines furious traditional dance tunes with irreverant new music and inimitatible covers.

The Klezmatics are an American klezmer band based in New York City. Formed in New York's East Village in 1986, the band plays an updated form of the music, mixing it with other musical traditions, singing in English and Yiddish. They have also participated in cross-cultural collaborations, most notably with the Palestinian musician Simon Shaheen.