Cara

Having formed in 2003, Cara have already gained a top-band status and are much celebrated by audiences and the press wherever they perform. This may partly be due to the fact that despite being a rather new band, none of Cara's members is actually new to the world of folk and traditional music; each of the musicians has already gained experience in other renowned bands, such as DeReelium, Steampacket, Adaro and More Maids, as well as in various studio projects.

In particular, people are raving about the voices of Gudrun Walther and Sandra Steinort. These two singers breathe new life into traditional ballads and they also sing their own contemporary songs which sometimes may result in cold creeps. On the Irish Flute, Claus Steinort is not only brilliant in technical and stylistic terms; his distinctive tone and his expressive style make his playing truly unique. Along with Gudrun Walther on the fiddle, who according to "Dirty Linen" "could certainly hold her own in any Irish musical setting", they form a perfect match when "glueing" tunes together. Juergen Treyz has developed his own complex style on the guitar. His sound is characterised by harmonically and rhythmically thought-out backings and charismatic solo-parts. Rolf Wagels plays the bodhran, the Irish drum. He has a reputation for being the best player in the German-Irish scene and is well-known in Ireland, too. Along with Sandra Gunkel's sophisticated piano-backing, guitar and bodhran form a colourful, interwoven world of sound which goes far beyond any traditional approach.

Storytelling and outstanding arrangements
A blend of traditional songs and tunes as well as the band's own compositions can be heard on the album "In Colour". Wether it's traditional American lyrics that has been supplemented with a new lament-like melody (Sailor Boy), an amusing story written and sung by the two singers in the style of old traditional ballads (The King and the Fair Maid), an old English text about a serial killer (Sir John) with a new melody and an almost pop-like touch, or a contemporary-style song (There's a Light) - along with the traditional songs (Three Ravens, False, False) they form a whole that has ist roots in the joy of storytelling.

When it comes to instrumental tunes, Cara's strength - apart from their ability to play together so precisely and full of dynamics - lies in their outstanding arrangements. Piano and guitar introduce new rhythmic elements that are only distantly related to the old ceili-band-backing, strings sweeten sudden key changes, a variety of flutes play along in several voices, and the bodhrán sometimes appears like a whole drum kit. Throughout the whole recording, you can sense the strong connection the band members have to traditional Irish music. Even a melody that would never be considered "Irish" at all, like the 10/8 tune "And off he Went" with its Balkan appeal, fits perfectly in with the overall picture.

Gudrun Walther (vocals, fiddle, viola)

was brought up in a musical family with Irish and French folk music and started to play traditional music on the fiddle at the age of six. Classical training provided a solid technical basis which made her Germany's probably youngest professional in traditional music at the age of nineteen. Now she can look back on many successful engagements, being involved as studio or guest musician in many recordings and concerts with bands and orchestras.

Gudrun is a member of all-women band More Maids and formed a new project with german trad music „Deitsch“ together with Juergen, that earned them big reputation in their home country. “Gudrun Walther could certainly hold her own in any Irish musical setting." (Dirty Linen Magazine)

Jeana Leslie (vocals, fiddle, piano)

from the beautiful island of Orkney was brought up surrounded by music. She sings in English, Scots and Gaelic and plays the piano and fiddle. Jeana studied for a BA (Hons) in Scottish Music at the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2008 with her singing partner Siobhan Miller.

Our friends from the Irish band Beoga met her at the Orkney Folk Festival 2009 and when asked for ideas for new Cara members, they said straight away, “This is who you need!” Thanks for that!

Ryan Murphy (pipes, flute, whistles)

from Cork in the South of Ireland is one of the most talented young musicians to emerge on the vibrant Irish trad music scene. His main instrument is the uilleann pipes, but he also plays flute, whistles, and saxophone. He has won an impressive total of seven All-Ireland and two Oireachtas titles on the pipes.

Apart from playing with Cara, he is also a founding member of the young Irish band and powerhouse that is Éalú. Ryan holds a Diploma in Traditional Irish Music Performance from the London College of Music and is currently studying at the Irish World Academy of Music in Limerick, Irish Music and Dance, under Dr. Michael O'Suilleabhán.

Juergen Treyz (6- and 12-string guitars, dobro, bass, backing vocals)

studied guitar at the MGI in Munich. During that time he also became engaged with traditional and medival music. In 1993 he founded the artes recording studio which specialises in acoustic and traditional music.

Being involved in radio plays, theatre plays and TV productions as a guitarrist, composer and arranger, he has published over 50 albums with his own music and was repeatedly rewarded with the renowned Prize of the German Record Reviewers.

In 2002, he and his band "Adaro" published the album "minnenspiel", which was highly praised by the critics and even by Deep-Purple founder Ritchie Blackmore. Together with Gudrun he is co-founder of the new German trad project „Deitsch“, whose CD has been nominated for the german folk awards and other accolades.

Rolf Wagels (bodhrán)

was rated among the best bodhrán players of continental Europe. He is a member of the highly praised irish trad bands DeReelium and Steampacket and played in Germany with different German and Irish bands as guest or studio musician (Joe Burke & Anne Conroy, More Maids, Templehouse Céilí Band, Ian Smith and Steven Campbell among others).

In Ireland he is well respected as a bodhran player by people like Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (Altan) or John Joe Kelly (Flook). He played with „Navan“ on several festivals in the US and is a founding member of Steampacket.