Independent Record

The globe-trotting Irish band Gráda will bring their high-energy Irish music to the Myrna Loy Center, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m.

Although they've performed in 30 states so far, this will be their first trip to Montana, said band member Nicola Joyce in a recent phone interview from Ireland.

They'll be arriving in Helena fresh from performing at Butte's An Rà Rá Montana Irish festival.

Although they may be new to Montanans, Gráda has attracted fans around the world--taking them to 26 countries, so far.

Their music -- from thoughtful, lilting ballads to the rousing rhythms of reels -- has also earned them critical acclaim.

Their most recent CD, ";Cloudy Day Navigation," appeared multiple times in Irish Music's top 10 charts

";Gráda is to Irish music what Arcade Fire is to indie -- informal, prodigious and full of spirit," wrote the Washington Post.

Irish Music Magazine was equally complimentary.

";Musically Gráda produces a fresh approach to playing -- bringing together elements of jazz improvisation and the raw energy of traditional Irish music."

And Sing Out Magazine wrote ";If this talented quintet appears anywhere within a hundred miles of where you live, hi'thee hence."

The group formed as a bit of a lark in 2001, when Andy Laking and Gerry Paul, two New Zealand transplants in Ireland, gathered a band to play a gig on the island of Sardinia, which included a particularly inviting three-month residency. They figured they might as well make a CD to sell while they were there.

So borrowing money from parents, the group produced 500 to 1,000 copies -- only to have the residency canceled at the last minute.

So, their first gig was to pay off their parents. Somewhat to their surprise, they sold out of CDs.

And the crowd demanded more gigs.

";It's been quite a trip," said Joyce, who joined the group 4 ½ years ago as a vocalist and bodhrán player. So far, its taken them to all corners of the world.

Growing up in Western Ireland, Joyce was raised in area known as ";fertile soil for music and music lovers."

";Music was constantly around me." She later studied music and Irish language at the university.

Fellow band members include: Laking, vocals, double bass and guitar; Paul, guitar and vocals; Stephen Doherty, flutes, whistles, melodeon, bodhrán, and cajon; and David Doocey, fiddle, concertina and whistle.

Since they're performing 200 concerts a year, much of their composing happens on the road.

And with all five members being composers, this takes some give and take.

";It's a diplomatic process," said Joyce. ";We've learned to be very diplomatic."

";Even if we take an old traditional song n by the time we arranged it our own way, it has our stamp. It all has the Gráda stamp on it."

The original compositions and the traditional tunes ";can sit happily side by side because they're coming through us," she said. ";It's the way they're played and the way they're put together."

Now working on their fourth CD in Nashville with bluegrass/Celtic giant Tim O'Brien, they'll be bringing some freshly minted tunes with them.

And as to their distinctive name, it's actually quite ambiguous, said Joyce.

The name, Gráda, was originally picked because it sounded good in any accent, she said.

But since then, they've learned it has several meanings -- gradient or slope, illustrious, or a variation of the Irish name Grady.

For its fans, the name's come to mean an exhilarating good time.

";We're looking forward to our first trip to Montana," Joyce said. ";We've come all the way across the Atlantic. Come see us. Show us how you party in Montana."

Click here to learn more about the band's music.

If you go

Gráda will be in concert as part of the Mondays at the Myrna series next week.

Where: Myrna Loy Center

When: Monday, Aug. 10, 8 p.m.

Tickets: $20, available by calling 443-0287 or at www.myrnaloy

center.com