Tradtional Music and Irish Bands

Sorry for the late entry, apparently it never posted. But anyways, I wanted to discuss the Celtic Crossroads performance which I found way more entertaining than I expected it to be. I had envision a group of older men playing older traditional Irish music. I did not expect as much energy from the group, nor did I think that they would be so young. Everyone in the group was I'm guessing only in their 20's and though the music was traditional, they put their own twist on it to make it more mainstream. This could be related to their relatively young age, which I guess could make them more relatable to younger crowds. I also found it interesting that almost everyone in the group played multiple instruments, sang, and danced.
I was trying to relate this performance in some way to my final project, so that I could maybe incorporate it into my research. This idea of the traditional band like the Celtic Crossroads relates my idea as to why Irish traditional music has become so mainstream and accepted in society. However, this band has not been as widely recognized as those of The Pogues or Flogging Molly, for example. This could be due to the fact that they have not yet had enough coverage, or gained a large enough loyal following. But it could also be related to the fact that their music has maintained almost complete traditionalist sound, while other bands have incorporated more of an rock/punk sound into their music which may make them more relatable to both Irish and American culture.