FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2020

TULLAMORE, IRELAND—JigJam, an award winning quartet from the heart of the midlands in Ireland, will launch their 7th U.S. tour on February 21st in Maine taking them through the Northeast, Midwest and South, including a coveted residency at Dollywood’s Festival of Nations in March and April.

Formed in 2013, JigJam is comprised of multi-instrumentalists Jamie McKeogh (lead vocals, guitar, tenor banjo), Cathal Guinan (vocals, double bass, fiddle), Daithi Melia (vocals, 5-sting banjo, guitar), and Gavin Strappe (vocals, mandolin, tenor banjo). All four members grew up immersed in Irish traditional music and culture which is reflected by the band collectively achieving over twenty “All-Ireland” titles at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competitions.  JigJam’s music is an amalgamation of the best of traditional Irish music, including beautiful harmonies, accented with bluegrass, folk, and Americana creating a genre which has been branded as “I-Grass” (Irish influenced Bluegrass).  The band’s undeniable energy on the stage along with their virtuosic musical ability has captivated audiences throughout the world.  They have performed in 15 countries, touring various parts of the UK and Europe; headlined major U.S. festivals such as Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Milwaukee Irish Fest; and recently wowed audiences at the 2020 Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans.

JigJam’s most recent CD, Phoenix, was released in summer of 2019 and was earned JigJam “Crossover Album of The Year,” “Album Cover of the Year” and “Composers of the Year” at the 2020 American Listener Supported Celtic Music Awards. 

For the second time, JigJam is a featured artist during Dollywood’s Festival of Nations, scheduled March 14- April 20, 2020, at the 160-acre Dollywood theme park, a highly-awarded and widely-recognized leader in the amusement industry. The park is in located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and has been named a top-three U.S. theme park by USA Today on multiple occasions. Festival of Nations is an imaginative and educational event and is the perfect start to Dollywood’s 35th anniversary season. The park plays host to a number of new and returning friends performing in internationally-acclaimed entertainment offerings during the event. This unique festival provides park guests a fascinating journey around the globe by sharing the excitement of traditional music, dance, food and art from a wide array of countries. Roger White, Dollywood Entertainment manager comments, “We are delighted to host JigJam at Dollywood’s Festival of Nations this year! Their brand of Irish bluegrass music truly is unique and their affable attitudes quickly made them a guest favorite. Our visitors gave us a tremendous amount of feedback saying this was one of the best new groups we’ve hosted at the park in recent years.” For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.

JigJam’s intinerary is as follows with all dates subject to date:

February 20—WGN Midday News, Chicago, IL
February 21— Stone Mountain Arts Center. Brownfield, ME
February 22— Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY
February 23— Turning Point, Piermont, NY
February 25— The Parlor Room, Northampton, MA
February 26— The Burren, Somerville, MA
February 27– Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre, New York, NY
February 28– MSU Community Music School, East Lansing, MI
February 29— Mendel Center, Benton Harbor, MI
March 1—Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
March 3—The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
March 5— Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA
March 6— Paramount Theater, St Cloud, MN
March 7-8— North Texas Irish Festival, Dallas, TX
March 13-14— Tulsa Irish Festival, Guthrie Green, Tulsa, OK
March 17- Music City Irish Fest, Nashville, TN
March 18-31— Dollywood Festival of Nations, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN
April 2— Donald W. Nixon Centre for Performing & Visual Arts, Newnan, GA
April 1—Isis Music Hall, Asheville, NC
April 3— Rynlander Theater, Americus, GA
April 4– Elm Street Cultural Arts Village Event Green, Woodstock, GA
April 5—Word Of The South Festival, Tallahassee, FL
April 6-15— Dollywood Festival of Nations, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN
April 18— Dill’s Celtic Festival, Dilsburg, PA
April 19— Lock One Community Arts, New Bremen, OH

JigJam’s U.S. tour is sponsored by Culture Ireland. Culture Ireland promotes Irish arts worldwide by creating and supporting opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present and promote their work at strategic international festivals and venues. For more information visit cultureireland.ie/.

For more information:

www.jigjam.ie.

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