Try The Mediaeval Babes. They sing/plan traditional music with a modern twist.

Then again, there's always Captain Tractor from sunny Alberta!

Forget contemporary! How about some recommendations for traditional Celtic music?

Maggie Sansone is a local hammered dulcimer player.

I second this suggestion. Really good band.

Not a band suggestion, but check out www.celticradio.net. They're in charge of Highlander Radio, which is a free station on the Live365 network (Radio > Listen Now > Highlander Radio). Great station... I miss listening to it. It's a good mix of traditional and contemporary Celtic/Irish/Scottish music.

Oh, and if you like some of the lighter, softer stuff, Lifescapes sells some really good celtic CD's (you can find them with the relaxation stuff in places like Target). Just don't buy Celtic Flutes, as the chick who plays the tunes was sitting far too close to the mic, and you can hear it every time she breathes in... really kills the CD. But Celtic Passion, Celtic Music for Relaxation, Celtic Celebration, and a few others are really well done. They're probably some of the few CD's I've bought where I really felt I got my money's worth.

I need some "friends" like those!

They sound good, look good... but I really don't like the name of the group.

I'd recommend checking out some of the Celtic music compilations that you can get from places like *shudder* Walmart. They're almost always cheap (usually under $10, if not $5), and are a good start for finding good artists. Some of the ones I've found to be pretty good were: Celtic Lives; Celtic Mysteries; and Celtic Sisters.

The Tossers, Dropkick Murphys, Seven Nations are contemporary bands that combine modern day music tastes and the Celtic sound.

Tossers sound a LOT like the Pogues at times.

Thanks to all for the recommendations. There's some great stuff in here, for sure.

Lobo - Thanks for that tip. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know about the connection of Nordic music to Celtic - and I'm at least 1/4 Swedish. I'll definitely be picking up the Dram disc and possibly that other one, too.

Seems like Notia Scotia is filled of nothing but Celtic musicians especially fiddler players. Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie Macallister, and while not as famous a friend of mine who moved from there to Knoxville. Of course these guys are mainly Traditional, well except for MacIsaac i think he's gone coocoo and while doing so joined a rock band? I've not heard from him in awhile.

If you have not heard Loreena Mckennitt you should go listen now. Specifically " The book of Secrets".

Could either be very relaxing or very depressing depending on your personality.

They tend to play their concerts while drunk on stage. The greatest punk shows I've ever been to were Flogging Molly shows. This is an instance where I wish they weren't so popular as they are, only because their shows are a lot bigger and more pro/less punk, and the crowds are too MTV-friendly for my tastes. The band and the music still kick ass, though.

I would disagree, though, that they sound similar at all to the Pogues. Maybe I've just been listening to them for a really long time, but Dave King's voice and FM's sound are so distinctly different from anyone else's, even when playing more contemporary Irish-style tunes like the majorities of Whiskey on Sunday and Within A Mile From Home. While Dropkick Murphys have finally hit their stride as an "Irish" punk band (Boston Irish, to be more specific), I still say that Flogging Molly is the epitome of Irish-Punk fusion.

Now the Tossers-- I saw them with Dropkick Murphys, the Briggs, and Filthy Thieving Bastards a few months ago, and damn! They definitely have that Drunk Shane MacGowan sound. Probably because their lead singer is drunk off his ass too...

Wow. Even within modern Celtic, that's a huge subject. Rather than add a post that's a page long, here's a few of my personal favourites. (The bias towards Scottish bands reflects the fact that I grew up there, not that there's not excellent modern stuff from all of the Celts.)

If you're not familiar with Runrig, you ought to check them out, just from a historical perspective to get a feel for a rock band releasing an album in Gaelic in the 70s. Nowadays, it'll seem a lot less innovative than the Afro-Celt stuff, but it's still interesting to hear modern sung Gaelic. Plus if you're an emigrant, then stuff like The Cutter & The Clan hits home. Note that you do need to be a little careful with your choice of album, since they were a little inconsistent.

If you haven't ever listened to Capercaillie (smart band, named after stupid bird), I'd suggest them too. Again, plenty of Gaelic, but just bask in Karen Matheson's voice. She also did some solo work.

If you like pipes, Kathryn Tickell and Carlos Nunez are good modern interpreters of traditional instrumental stuff. Nowhere near as upbeat as Afro-Celt though!

Then there's the stuff that that's closer to your reference point of Afro-Celt: Shooglenifty, Kila, Wolfstone, Bad Haggis, Ashley MacIsaac, etc, etc...

And if you haven't heard Loreena McKennitt, you really should.

2nd on the Bad Haggis those guys are good too!

Guess I meant they're not so drunk they can't perform! Interesting about the comparison to the Pogues...I have to admit my exposure to the latter is not so much. I came to Flogging Molly because I noticed their song/album title Drunken Lullabies right before our kid was born...seemed appropriate enough for me to take a listen, and I was immediately hooked. I formed my impression wrto the Pogues with that first album. I suppose Within a Mile From Home doesn't give me that feel, though.

Also, just downloaded their new album Float last night...haven't really had a chance to listen, though.