Biography
Kevin Burke's Open House (or simply Open House) was an acoustic world music formed by Irish fiddler Kevin Burke in 1992 that featured Mark Graham, Paul Kotapish, and Sandy Silva (plus Ged Foley on Northumbrian small pipes on their recordings). After three recordings, they disbanded in 1999.
An acoustic world music phenomenon drawing strength from the diversity of its musicians, the group took full advantage of its varied instrumentation, deftly genre-jumping through an assortment of Celtic, American traditional and eastern European settings. Legendary Irish fiddler Kevin Burke slipped easily amongst jigs, reels, bourrées and polkas, while Mark Graham's clarinet added a decidedly old-world quality to the ensemble. Citternist Paul Kotapish contributed distinctive original instrumentals, and unique rhythms were provided by Sandy Silva's driving percussive dance. Finally, the group's sophisticated repertoire was hilariously complemented by the infectious, tongue-in-cheek songwriting of Mark Graham.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.