Saltaire brings together three distinct musical voices, shaped by years of performing in acclaimed Irish traditional and folk bands and as sought-after session musicians. Comprised of singer/cellist Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, guitarist Ian Kinsella and bodhrán/bouzouki player Conor Lyons, Saltaire creates a rich tapestry of sound, fusing Irish and American folk and trad styles.
The haunting new single ‘The Axe’, written by Ian Kinsella, features an incredible line-up of collaborators, all of whom Saltaire play live with on a regular basis: Ryan McAuley (of RTÉ Folk Awards ‘Best Emerging Folk Artist’ nominated band, Alfi); Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin (2024 ‘Best Folk Singer’ at the RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards) on flute; Catherine McHugh (featured on Frankie Gavin & De Danann’s album Port Eireann) on piano; vocalist and composer Laoise FitzGerarl on backing vocals; and Alex Bowrwick (Niamh Regan, Sam Fender, James Vincent McMorrow, Lankum and Catfish & The Bottlemen) on trombone.
‘The Axe’ is an enthralling contemporary take on the ancient ‘murder ballad’ sub-genre of folk music. The song is inspired by the true story of the infamous Axeman of New Orleans, a serial killer who terrorised the city between 1918 and 1919. A bizarre and unsettling story, Saltaire explores the incident through music steeped in the macabre, navigating themes of fear, bigotry, the sensationalising of tragedy in pop culture/media, and the ways in which collective terror can either splinter or bind a community of people together.
Saltaire’s Ian Kinsella says: “I looked into the story further only to find that the whole expanse of it was beyond belief. It showed how mass hysteria can gravely impact human behaviour and that the depravity of the Axeman was not in isolation. I wanted the song to sound macabre, but also to employ a thematic idea of the opening music to superhero shows. While the Axeman was absolutely no superhero, the moniker could easily pass for one, and applying this theme in the music adds to the dissonance of his own perception of being beyond human powers with a city in disarray – like an antihero hijacking a hero’s song.”
Bringing the song to life became a reality with the help of the old-time 5 string banjo sound of Ryan McCauley, Eoghan O’Ceannabhain weaving in and out of jazz flute ideas, Catherine McHugh adding ominous devilish intervals on keys, and Laoise Fitzgerald providing haunting backing vocals, evoking the echoing of gossip as word spread about the brutality. In the editing and mixing stage, the band had the idea to apply a radio-like distortion on the vocals towards the song’s conclusion, invoking the real Axeman letter being read aloud on the airwaves at the time.
The unknown figure declared in his letters to the police and radio stations that anyone playing jazz music would be spared from his violence – a chilling detail from the case that prompted Alex Borwick to add the trombone lines into the song’s second chorus through to the end. The band say, “He really captured that feverish energy that we imagined some of those players must have felt at the time. This was integrated with the classic murder ballad folk sound, along with the antithesis superhero theme music idea pedalling throughout the track”
Saltaire will play a double-billed matinee show with Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin at The Abbey Tavern, Howth on Sunday, May 25th as part of the renowned Feile Binn Éadair festival, which celebrates folk and trad music. Tickets €22.50 from tickets.ie.
‘The Axe’ cover art by Rachel Kenny