False Deceiver is the debut album from Kern, a contemporary folk band from Louth, Ireland.
The album is a true blend, in terms of its mood, its styles and its musicians. Thunderous sets of traditional tunes vie with lyrical, atmospheric songs, all underpinned by the production of legendary Lúnasa and Waterboys bassist Trevor Hutchinson.
As a result, False Deceiver manages to be emotional without being sentimental, traditional yet contemporary.
The band has their unusual mix of personalities to thank for this. Brendan McCreanor is a thrilling uilleann piper who has worked extensively in both traditional music and in contemporary crossover projects. By contrast, SJ McArdle is a well-known rock and folk musician, a published songwriter and singer (songs from his three albums have featured in film, TV and radio and he has toured extensively). And Barry Kieran is a former Leinster champion fiddler, steeped in the raw, pure music of Oriel. All three are from Louth, which shows in their selection of traditional music and in their self-written compositions.
Trevor Hutchinson is the perfect foil for this disparate lot, with a foot in both the traditional and rock camps. His distinctive double bass rounds out the album's sound along with the bodhrán of Eamonn Moloney of FullSet.
Tracks from the album have been featured on RTE Lyric FM's The Blue of the Night, the Mike Harding Folk Show, numerous shows on RTE Radio 1 and Raidio na Gaeltachtaand Newstalk’s The Pat Kenny Show. The band launched the album at Willie Clancy Summer School and has been playing a host of festivals and concerts, including Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Dingle Tradfest and Baltimore Fiddle Fair, Drogheda Arts Festival and Vantastival.