The story of Almost Irish

”Think folk music would be something for you?” was the question. A question that proved to be the excact right question that came to play a very important part for the life of young Rasmus and later his brothers Alexander, Lukas and Jacob as well. The parents had always had a great affection for the folk music tradition and eventhough they did’nt play themselfes, the sons were send to music school one by one from a very early eage. Here follows the acount of Almost Irish.

The early years in music

”We all attended the musical pre-school where rythms and song games filled the afternoons but soon advanced unto the wooden recorder. Here we all dwelled fo a while but later we went each our own ways with different instruments. Rasmus picked up the guitar, Alexander stayed with the whistle for a while but later also took up the guitar and the bass while Lukas aimed for the fiddle. Jacob waited a few years but after some time he fell in love with the guitar. So went the afternoons with classes, practise and playing together. At this point it was not the folk music that us, but there was something about the sounds.”

Folk music turns interesting

Then a day in 2000 the local school was guested by Denis McLaughlin an irishman living in Denmark. He spellbound everybody with stories from his childhood, songs and musical magic from the green island of Erin. Rasmus was captivated by the music and turned to Denis right after the show with a hunger to learn the songs. Denis had just been hired as guitar teacher in the music school and so he took over the lessons with Rasmus. The parents were fond of this new turn with the folk music and slowly the rich tradition of the irish folk music began to dig its way deep under the skin of the young teenager.

"Denis brought me along when he played concerts with his brothers and his family and i was simply transportet by the the atmosphere and the folk-like relaxed feeling that hits when you approach music living people. I practised like a madman and listened to my dads old vinyls but soon began to miss somebody to play with. I knew that Alex could play a whistle so i bought him a cheap tin whistle and the exact same evening we were jamming along to Belfast Mill, Skibbereen and Black Is The Colour."

A band was born

Alexander started to tag along when Rasmus had practise sessions with Denis, who taught the two eager brothers to play music and to play it together. After but a few years Denis decided to send them out into the world on their own. The first gigs came fast and i 2002 Almost Irish was born. With a cheap guitar, e couple of tin whistles, an electric bass and some songs in the bag the two brothers started to play their way round the upland of Holsted at parties, markets and pubs.

"Suddently things went really fast and the gigs came rolling up and dad drove us round the country and we practised every night in Alexanders room. We got our first website and posters were send to press. It was indeed a hectic time for the both of us between highschool duties and the musical life. We still played regularly with Denis when the opportunity appeared but most of the time it was us on our own. Vi played sets for a couple of 100 kroner bills and a box of bear and we learned new songs and met interesting people. We also made a wee demo for friends, family and minor venues and for a couple of months the duo became  a trio with the arrival of Banjo-Lars."

The word is spreading

During the following 5 years Almost Irish grew from being a small local band to a solid name in folk music surcuit of Denmark. Festivals, folkclubs and concert bookers spotted the group and the gigs became larger in numbers and venues and i February 2006 the debut album (The Private Session) was released.Their good friend Allan Bech was for a time the third member playing guitar and bodhran. Rasmus had taught himself to play the banjo, the mandolin and other instruments so the group needed an extra guitarist but when Alexander learned to play the guitar too, Almost Irish was again reduced to a duo.

"Rasmus had just got his drivers license so now we could travel the country on our own and play our music so we bought and old american van. Rasmus was offerede to play with an Odense-based folk group called Reilly's Rebels and for a year he was playing both bands full time. It proved to be a hard task to have both heart and energy to do just that so he left Reilly's Rebels in order to engage full hearted in Almost Irish. Our first record was selling fast and after only a year it was sold out. It was a time of fast development both inspirationalwise and musically and our repetoire also changed enough to make us decide not to make a re-production of the album."

Another brother appears

The third brother Lukas had learned the fiddle and began tagging along with his older brothers at concerts and gigs. The old Chrysler van was dying so they got themselfes a VW-Transporter with three seats to all three brothers could fit for the road. A material asset but also an important step on the way to the new Almost Irish. Rasmus and Alexander had graduated from highschool, taken years away from studies and Rasmus began studying to becoma a school teacher but the music kept growing. 2007 and 2008 was years rich on adventures and experience for the three brothers with gues-appearences on other artists records,radioshows, interviews, smashing reviews and still larger and growing gigs. In November 2007 they released the follow-up album. A record that sold fast and furious and got fine reviews. Lukas was learning fast and became the third member of  what was now the trio of Almost Irish, and he began to sing and play the bodhran too."

"With Lukas in the group it really started to go fast. The possibility for triple harmonies and much more full-bodied vocal arrangements and a huge lineup of instruments and with this breath of fresh air the sound also began to change. From being based primarily on songs from The Dubliners we now had the chance of adapting more traditional songs. Groups like Planxty, The Clancy Brothers, The Sands Family and other exiting constellations now began to influence our sound. We became more aware of the intrumentation, the harmonies, the stories and the possibillities of Almost Irish. The result was a development into a more creative and technical music that sharpened our engagement and energy in our music. The new songs went  down like a bomb with the audiences. Some people still think they need the old out-worn pub-classics from Greatest Irish Drinking Songs vol 21, but we just felt we were starting to find our own unique sound, groove or style so to speak."

An ongoing story

Now the story turns into present-time gramma, cause we are approaching 2009 slowly. The second release from the brothers is almost sold out, and their younger brother Jacob is a comitted pupil of the guitar and on special occasions he guests the stage with his older brothers. It is going to be exiting to follow these young musicians into a future that seems bright and interesting, more chapters will follow and the story will go on. The brothers still points out the importance and the power of all the nice people who has supported, helped, been there and listened to the life of Almost Irish.

”thank you very much everbody – without you it would not have been possible”, Rasmus, Alexander and Lukas (Almost Irish)












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