The Knoxville Seisiún Players

A group of local Knoxville musicians (along with a variety of travelling guests) has been gathering to play traditional Celtic music in Knoxville's Old City for many months now. This sort of informal gathering, usually held in a pub, is traditionally called a "seisiún" (pronounced like "session") in Irish. The music is typically fast dance music, such as jigs and reels. Most of the tunes are Irish or Scottish, although Welsh tunes, and Canadian tunes and those from other Celtic-influenced nations are occasionally heard.

The group that comes to play varies from week to week. Some are hardy regulars who have braved floods and hailstorms to make it every week; others are occasional visitors who "drop in" from Kentucky or North Carolina. Some of the featured instruments include the Uilleann pipes (the "Irish small pipes" made famous by the Chieftans), the Highland pipes (traditional Scottish bagpipes), fiddles, flutes and pennywhistles, bodhrans, accordians, one guitar, and an occasional hammered dulcimer. It all depends on who happens to show up.

Audience members are often surprised at how smoothly the Seisiún operates, given that different players know different tunes... yet everyone always seems to know what's going to be played next. That's part of the magic of the Seisiún.

The players are currently meeting Thursday nights at 7:30pm at Patrick Sullivan's at Central and Jackson in the Old City, so come down and take part in the magic! You can also ask the players about the strange twists and turns of fate that seem to carry the Seisiún round and round in circles around the Old City.

The Metro Pulse article which made the seisiún famous is online!

Seisiún Players! Tune of the week Mar 22, 1999: Down the Broom

Please have someone let me know when there's a new one!