Driven by a passion for exploring the colors and complexities of Irish music, The Consequences are a new Irish traditional band featuring Lexie Boatright (concertina and harp), Jake James (fiddle), Cara Wildman (bodhrán and dance), and Ryan Ward (piano and accordion). Award-winning soloists in their own right, the quartet comes together with a combination of traditional and original tunes. They arrive in Maine this January to play the historic stage at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House on Friday, Jan. 19.
Lexie Boatright is a multiple All-Ireland award-winning harpist and concertina player. She is the executive director of the Baltimore-Washington Academy of Irish Culture where she mentors the award-winning BWAIC student Ceili Band and Grúpa Cheoil. She regularly teaches across the Irish music summer school and festival circuit.
Jake James is a two-time All-Ireland fiddle champion, bodhrán player, and dancer from Queens, NYC. The Irish Echo called his 2018 album Firewood an “outstanding debut solo recording.” Since then, he’s released In Reel Time with fellow NYC flute player Brenda Dowling and toured throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan with esteemed groups including Green Fields of America, the Trinity Irish Dance Company, the Paul Brock Band, and RUNA.
Cara Wildman is a bodhrán player at the cutting edge of the instrument’s modern development. She credits a large part of her musicality to growing up playing western swing with her father in her hometown of Dorchester, Texas. She has toured with Joanie Madden, Oisin Mac Diarmada’s Irish Christmas in America, Máiréad Nesbitt, and more. Cara was the 2021 All-Ireland Fleadhfest champion and has a Masters in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Ryan Ward is an award-winning pianist and accordion player hailing from NYC. He is a Senior All-Ireland Accompaniment Champion and has performed extensively across the Feis circuit and is a highly sought after accompanist in the New York area.
Advance discounted tickets are $20 and available directly from the box office at 86 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor, (207) 633-5159. Regular tickets are $25 and available online at boothbayoperahouse.com and on the day of the concert at the door. Doors for seating open at 7 p.m., and The Consequences go on stage at 7:30 p.m.
Additional upcoming concerts at the Opera House include The Boneheads on Saturday, Jan. 13, Open Mic on Friday, Feb. 2, and Pat Colwell and the Soul Sensations on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tickets for all upcoming events are available at the box office.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story