This month is bittersweet for Blackthorn, the blockbuster Irish band from Philadelphia. It marked the 12th anniversary of Seamus Kelleher's involvement with the band, but the celebration was short-lived. Kelleher, the Salthill, Co. Galway native who brought bluesy licks to the Irish melodies of the band, announced his intention to leave.
"I have decided that this would be a good time for me to move on from the band," he told the Irish Voice.
This father of four, NYU professor, and full time PR person found it hard to juggle the band with the demands of his solo career and everything else going on.
Kelleher released the scorching Four Cups of Coffee last year to rave reviews, but he felt the commitments with the band hampered his promotion of it. "The CD got great reviews but my Blackthorn duties made it impossible to do many solo shows to promote the CD. I plan to rectify that but before doing so, I'm taking the next three months off from live performing," said Kelleher.
Kelleher is leaving his mates in the band on the best of terms, and intends to build on the songs he has already written for his second CD.
"I'm also halfway through writing a book about my 40 years in the business-that's right, it will be 40 years in April," he reveals.
Though this spells the end of a fruitful partnership, this fan is looking forward to seeing what both Kelleher and Blackthorn come up with next! For more information on Four Cups of Coffee, log onto SeamusK.com.