Áit Ait (Irish for “strange place” or “uncanny valley”) are an experimental folk duo focused on reinterpretations of traditional songs – dark and deep, bright and sparkling, full of life and noise. They set out to explore the living tradition that is folk music – ever evolving and always changing. With a profound respect for the past, they fix their gaze on the future, asking what these stories and tunes have to say to a modern ear. Fearlessly employing innovative arrangements and unconventional instrumentation, they forge a vital connection between then and now. The result is a sound that is both timeless and urgently present, honoring the source material while claiming it as their own.
Áit Ait is based in the Twin Cities and is composed of Patrick Maun (sound) and Aja McCullough (song). Aja has been singing solo and in musical theater for years. She started playing traditional Irish music on the flute and tin whistle in 2012. Patrick started recording experimental noise music in the 1980s in his teens and continued recording and performing while living in Vienna, Austria. He started playing the uilleann pipes (traditional Irish bagpipe) in the early 2000s and later took a deep dive into the world of Irish traditional music.
Patrick and Aja met over a decade ago at traditional Irish music sessions, informal gatherings where musicians come together to play traditional music. After years of playing, they decided to try something different, combining Aja’s love of traditional song with Patrick’s love of experimental music. A couple studio sessions later, and they came out with their first CD, Beneath the Cold Silent Dew, which they released in 2022. Soon after, they started performing live and kept building from there. The following year the released the EP On the Salt Sea followed by a single of the epic ballad The Green Fields of America, and Live at the Parkway. Many more concerts and a mini-tour of Europe was followed by their full-length vinyl and CD The Ranger and The Stranger in January of 2026. October of this year saw their latest single, On Yonder Hill, hit the streams and the two are looking for an even wilder 2027!
=============
Other Country Ensemble (OCE) features veteran musicians from the Twin Cities, performing traditional music from the northern Mediterranean region ranging from Spanish Sephardic to Greek and Turkish music, and original compositions inspired by the regions. They weave tales of the history of the music from 711 A.D on and the fusion of sounds that spread through the Mediterranean, as well as the instruments they perform.
OCE is:
Steve Clarke - bass, alto and C flutes, and soprano sax
Laurie Knutson - bass and alto clarinet Scott Nieman - oud, bouzouki, mandocello
Michael Ziegahn - flamenco guitar, cajon, voice (Michael will be absent this evening)
Mark Black - frame drums, darbuka, and various percussion
OCE on Facebook
Áit Ait Website
Tickets are $10 in Advance / $15 at the Door. Doors open at 7pm. Online ticket sales end at 5:30pm.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.
We recommend arriving early to grab a drink and find your spot; please keep in mind that we stop seating 30 minutes after the show starts. We do not do refunds or exchanges.