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Bio
Soulsha is a party, a revolution, and an adventure through different traditions. It brings together some of Boston’s top musicians in Scottish, West African, and Funk music to create a sound you won’t find anywhere else on the planet.
Soulful call and response singing, masterful improvisation, traditional Senegalese and Scottish dancing and incredible energy make every Soulsha show an unforgettable live experience. Intricate rhythms, soaring bagpipe melodies, and New Orleans-infused horn lines come together seamlessly, reminding us that we’re all in this together.
The band formed through a series of serendipitous meetings in the thriving and intersecting multi-cultural melting pot of Boston. Many of the members are virtuosic and highly esteemed tradition-bearers in their styles. The music they’ve created is a conversation between cultures that breaks down all the boundaries, moving the audience to abandon their assumptions as they lose themselves on the dance floor.
While it shares obvious roots with Afro-Celt Sound System’s electronic fusion, the funk-inspired sound of Soulsha puts tradition and interchange center stage, bringing the party energy of Rebirth Brass Band, and the cultural gravitas of masters like Malian Toumani Diabaté.
The sound is fun but deep, fresh but familiar, immigrant and yet deeply American.
Selected Past Festivals and Venues
CRASHFest – Boston, MA
New Hampshire Highland Games – Lincoln, NH
Thunder Road – Somerville, MA
First Night Saranac Lake – Saranac Lake, NY
Musikfest – Bethlehem, PA
Virginia Highlands Festival – Abingdon, VA
Outside the Box Festival – Boston, MA
Tartan Day New York City – New York, NY
Irish Intl Immigrant Center Annual Gala – Boston, MA
FallsFest – South Hadley, MA
Boston’s Celtic Music Festival – Cambridge, MA
Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival – Northampton, MA
Amazing Things Arts Center – Framingham, MA
Wake Up the Earth Festival – Boston, MA
The Burren Backroom – Somerville, MA
Outlandish Gatherings – Boston, MA
Club Passim Summer BCMFest – Cambridge, MA
Riverwalk Cafe and Music Bar – Nashua, NH
Quotes
“Soulsha does far more than just place Celtic reels and jigs over West African beats, they’re arranging each track into a true exchange between the musicians… their debut album, Carry It On is a delight from start to finish….. what a breath of fresh air on the scene.” -Devon Leger, Folk Alley (Devon Leger’s Ten Best New Traditional Albums of 2019)
“Soulsha had the crowd up on its feet and dancing at Boston Celtic Music Festival. Their high-energy fusion of sounds brought an exciting youthful energy to the festival, closing out the day-time part of our festival with a party.” -Jon Dorn, Festival Organizer
“Sure to turn anyone into a dancer. …vibrant and never repetitive. …Soulsha is truly unlike any other jazz or Celtic band out there.” -Kathryn Leeber, The Noise Boston
“Multi-talented and visionary, Soulsha is more than a fresh breeze blowing; it’s a tsunami of hope and high energy intercultural awareness… DANCE and ACT now!”
-Alasdair Fraser, Scottish Fiddler
“…this is purely infectious stuff… It’s fresh, bold and exciting, and defies you to listen without moving and grooving to the beat…” –Sean Smith, Boston Irish Reporter
“Soulsha is truly unique… one of the most exciting bands I’ve ever seen. Can’t have them here often enough!” –Ellen Sturgis, E.D., Amazing Things Arts Center, MA
Band Members Contact
Elias Alexander – Vocals/Bagpipes Trisha Mandel, Manager
Lamine Touré – Percussion/Vocals (617) 610-9762
Jake Galloway – Trumpet soulshamusic@gmail.com
Dylan Sherry – Tenor Sax
Charles Berthoud – Bass For Booking Inquiries
Chris Southiere – Drums Mike Green & Associates
Conor Hearn – Guitar mikeg@mikegreenassociates.com