ENNIS
This week I'm excited to feature a wonderful group that we've had perform here quite recently. They're called ENNIS and are not only superb performers but some of the finest people that a person could ever hope to meet. Our audience absolutely loved them! I hope that you'll check out their music, read a little about them and definitely get at least one of their CD's for your collection. ( I don't think you'll be able to stop there)
Question 1) Could you tell us a little about how ENNIS came about and how you've evolved to your current group?
Ennis began as the Ennis Sisters 15 years ago. As family groups tend to do they played quite a while just for the fun of it at home before it occurred to anyone that this might be something they want to do for a living. From local music festivals and school shows one thing led to another and the Ennis Sisters was in demand as a performing entity. The three sisters, Maureen, Karen and Teresa performed as a trio for almost a decade before Teresa, the youngest, decided to go Solo. Ennis now features Maureen and Karen with a host of guest musicians.
Question 2) You have been working very hard and have some major accomplishments to your credit. You've released seven albums, a number of compilation albums, toured extensively and performed along side some very impressive names. What are some highlights of your career so far that have been exciting for you?
It's so hard to pick individual accomplishments/experiences when you've been as blessed as we have but a few that can be considered really exciting would be playing for Canadian troops in the Middle east, recording with the Chieftains, Playing in Trafalgar Square, London UK on Canada Day...most recently we performed on the Irish festival Cruise through the Caribbean with Mary Black, Tommy Sands and others...remarkable.
Question 3) You've just released a new CD. We'd love to know more about it and the songs on it and where our readers could pick one up? Will you be touring our way to promote it? (I think that's a fourth question but we won't tell anyone)
The new CD 'Lessons Learned' is a return to our roots and a celebration of our Newfoundland heritage. We had gotten away from what we loved to do the most and we don't intend to do that again. If this business has taught us anything it's that, people connect with what is the most real when it comes to music. Singing the music of our own people and our home is certainly what is most real to us. The songs have fairly self-explanatory names like 'Newfoundland' and 'Sing You Home'.. for now the CD can be purchased for our website if you would like a hard copy http://www.ennismusic.com/ or from itunes, amazon, napster, or emusic if you like to download music.
We are just nailing down our touring for 2010 now as we're booking dates around some of our favorite festivals in Newfoundland. We're working on a tour of Ireland for October of this year and of course if folks from MB would like to get out of the frigid winter you can join us on the Irish cruise in Feb 2012. details will be finalized for that shortly. Check our website as we finalize our tour sched for this year over the coming weeks.
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