Who the hell are?

The Greencards

Immigrant songs: They've only been together for 3 years, but already The Greencards have become the hottest trio on the country music scene - and they're not even American. Two Aussies - mandolin player Kym Warner and bassist Carol Young - and an Englishman - fiddle player Eamon McLoughlin - have been hailed as the latest heroes of the so-called "newgrass" movement, and America has rolled out the welcome wagon for these talented expats, awarding them Best New Band at the 2004 Austin Music Awards, and Best New Talent at the 2004 Americana Music Awards. "Part of the reason we all moved to the States was because we didn't have very many opportunities to play this kind of music in Australia and England," says Warner.

Grassroots appeal: Green card-carrying musicians Warner, Young and McLoughlin met up while working on a musical project in their adopted home of Austin, Texas. Finding they shared a love of American roots music, they decided to play and write together on a regular basis. To their surprise, they found a willing audience in the local bars and venues in this spiritual home of Americana, and it wasn't long before the local music press were raving about the trio's high-energy acoustic sound and their eclectic approach to music, taking in Irish traditional, European gypsy and Latin American flavours. Their debut album, Movin' On, got them valuable airplay all over Texas, eventually hitting Top Ten in the nationwide Americana charts. The Greencards were off and running.

Sort of homecoming: Soon, Nashville came a-calling, and the band signed to the Dualtone label. For their second album, Weather & Water, the trio brought all their varied influences to bear, from Tom Petty to Alison Krauss to Ricky Skaggs to Richard Thompson. "We each have listened to so many kinds of things and that comes into the music we create," says Warner. Adding to the palette is McLoughlin's Irish parentage, which has put a little bit of green into The Greencards. Those Irish roots will be on display in Whelans on July 24th, when the band makes its eagerly anticipated Dublin visit. Even their gigs earn awards, so be prepared for a special night of exuberant acoustic sounds, mixing "the festive atmosphere of a barn dance, the fog of mountain music and the sounds of a good ol' campfire jam", according to Austin's Insite Magazine.

Crowd pleasers: "We tried to make this record more representative of us or at least who we think we are," says McLoughlin. "That takes a bit of confidence. It took a little time playing together and getting feedback from audiences on our songs to get that." "It's been great to test these songs with live audiences," agrees Warner. "They let you know what works."