About

What about the name?

Until 2019, the group performed simply as an extension of Carswell & Hope. However, at the end of a late-night session on St Patrick's Day, a new name was mustered into existence. Nick explains:

"We were playing at a local pub at the end of a long day of music and festivities in Lawrence, and we had opened it up to requests - as we often do. A lady at the bar shouted out "Thin Lizzy", so we all give each other a quick look and cranked out a Phil Lynott rocker. Anyone else? "Hothouse Flowers!" the same lady shouts. Oh yeah, now we're talking! We bang out a bit of Don't Go. Lovely! Who's next? The same lady really goes for it now: "Divine Comedy!" I couldn't believe it, she was calling out all these amazing and obscure Irish artists and songs that we knew and loved to play. This went on for a while, and after a couple more songs and a few more pints - short story long - the lady at the bar was Maggie, and that night, and forevermore, we were Maggie's Jukebox."

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken"

- Oscar Wilde

What could possibly tie a diverse group of musicians from folk, bluegrass, funk, rock and pop worlds together in the US Midwest? Why, a shared love of music from the Emerald Isle of Course! It seems unlikely, but that's exactly how the latest Celtic act making a splash on this side of the Atlantic came together to form Maggie's Jukebox.

With a smogasboard of musical talent at hand, and an unbridled love for a powerful melody or lyric, Maggie's Jukebox moves seamlessly between haunting Irish ballads, blistering guitar rock and epic singalongs. The common thread? Music written, performed or made famous by Irish artists.

Maggie's Jukebox was formed when Kansas-based Irishman Nick Carswell's indie-rock outfit Carswell & Hope began celebrating Nick's Irish roots with shows at the Kansas City Irish Center, Kansas City Irish Fest and around Lawrence, KS during St Patrick's Day festivities. The group had so much fun, they invited the phenomenal vocal talent Katlyn Conroy (with her own Irish roots) to join for some performances, and finally filled out the sound with celebrated bluegrass fiddler Shannon O'Shea joining on violin.

As the band talked more about music from Ireland, and shared favorite songs and artist recommendations, the repetoire grew ever bigger to include Paul Brady, Sinead O'Connor, Thin Lizzy, U2 and many more. The annual Songs From Ireland show at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, KS every March became a signature performance, offering a unique revue of music from Irish artists, performers and songwriters, much to the delight of audiences.

"We certainly love to turn our "Irish" genre on it's head a little bit," says Nick Carswell on guitar, piano and vocals. "One of my favorite things is when somebody says 'I love that song, I never knew that band/songwriter/singer was Irish!' It's an opportunity to show people that there can be so much more to our little island and the artists that live there!"

With a Maggie's Jukebox set, you can expect 90s pop from Limerick, 70s glam rock from Dublin's most charismatic bassist, traditional tunes blended with original songs, folks ballads that have traversed the Atlantic several times over, and powerful songs that will make it impossible not to sing or dance along.

For more information, contact book@maggiesjukebox.com

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