Screaming Orphans

Screaming Orphans is a Pop/Celtic Rock band from Bundoran, Co. Donegal, Ireland. The band consists of the four Diver sisters – Joan, Angela, Gràinne and Marie Thérèse. Screaming Orphans is one of the most sought after Celtic bands with a powerful, award-winning sound combining their own original melodic old-school pop songs with their unique and modern take on traditional Irish music and song, inherited from their family roots.

Screaming Orphans
Screaming Orphans at the "Folk im Schlosshof" festival 2010
Background information
OriginBundoran, County Donegal, Ireland
GenresPop, Celtic Rock, Folk Music, Traditional Irish Music
Years active1995 – present
Websitehttp://www.screamingorphans.com
MembersJoan Diver
Angela Diver
Gráinne Diver
Marie Thérèse Diver

They have released twelve albums and two EP's: Life in a Carnival, Taproom, Dance with Me e.p., Ballads Rule OK, Toy Theatre, Sliabh Liag, Lonely Boy, The Jacket's Green, East 12th Street, Belle's Isle, Circles, Back to Dublin, Screaming Orphans and Listen and Learn.

Career

From an early age, the Diver sisters performed with their mother Kathleen Fitzgerald (a well-known céilí singer in Ireland) and when they hit their teenage years, they formed their own Celtic pop/rock band, Screaming Orphans. The band has toured the United States and Europe since mid-1990s. In 1997, the band played as Sinéad O'Connor's opening band and her back-up singers on her Gospel Oak Tour across Europe, America and Canada. They have also toured with Baaba Maal and recorded with the Afro Celt Sound System and contributed backing vocals on the Peter Gabriel track When You're Falling. Screaming Orphans also did backing vocals on the Joni Mitchell's track Magdalene Laundries for The Chieftains' Tears of Stone album. They also contributed two tracks to the Jeremy Thomas film All the Little Animals, starring John Hurt and Christian Bale.

Screaming Orphans then signed to Blue Mountain Music Publishing, and a deal with Warner UK/WEA (Warner Music Group) followed. While they were with Warner UK (WEA), Screaming Orphans recorded their debut album, Listen and Learn, in Normandy, France, with Mike Hedges. Moria Bellas, CEO of WEA, subsequently departed from Warner when London Records took over and the album was then exclusively licensed from Warner Music to Mike Hedges' own label 3 kHz Records.

In 2001 the band travelled back and forth to New York City to work on music for cartoon pilots with Funny Garbage. They then decided to make New York City their permanent base and started playing Irish festivals, colleges, universities and performing arts centres throughout the US.

Screaming Orphans continue to actively tour throughout the US[1] and Europe. In summer of 2011, the band recorded Lonely Boy (pop album) and The Jacket's Green (Irish album).[2] In spring of 2013, the band recorded their folk/Irish album Sliabh Liag and pop album Toy Theatre and in winter/spring 2015, Screaming Orphans recorded their folk/Irish album Ballads Rule OK. In the summer of 2015, the band released their pop EP, Dance with Me e.p. In the summer of 2017, the band recorded and released Taproom, a folk/Irish CD. Screaming Orphans' latest pop album Life in a Carnival was released in 2019.

Screaming Orphans 2017 Folk/Irish album Taproom charted No. 1 in the iTunes World Music charts and top ten in the Billboard World Albums charts. The band was previously nominated by the Irish Music Awards for Best New Irish CD and have won the Top Celtic Rock band category. They were also included on the Ultimate Guide to Irish Folk album, released in 2014, which includes tracks from many of their musical heroes. Taproom was named 2017 Folk/Pop/Rock Album Of The Year by the Folk'n'Rock magazine.

The band's 2019 pop album Life in a Carnival was produced by internationally distinguished producer John Reynolds (Sinead O’Connor, Damien Dempsey, Brian Eno, Robert Plant, David Byrne, and many more) and it charted in the top 25 in the iTunes Pop Music charts (U.S.), top 10 in the Billboard World Albums charts, No. 1 in the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts (IE), and No. 3 in the overall iTunes music charts (IE).

Screaming Orphans split their time between New York City and Donegal.

Members
  • Angela Diver – bass, violin, vocals
  • Joan Diver – drums, vocals
  • Marie Thérèse Diver – keys, accordion, vocals
  • Gráinne Diver – guitar, vocals

Discography
  • Life in a Carnival (pop 2019)
  • Taproom (folk/Irish 2017)
  • Dance with Me e.p. (pop 2015)
  • Ballads Rule OK (folk/Irish 2015)
  • Toy Theatre (pop 2013)
  • Sliabh Liag (folk/Irish 2013)
  • Lonely Boy (pop 2011)
  • The Jacket's Green (folk/Irish 2011)
  • East 12th Street (pop 2009)
  • Belle's Isle (folk/Irish 2009)
  • Circles (pop 2005)
  • Back to Dublin (folk/Irish 2005)
  • Screaming Orphans (pop 2003)
  • Listen and Learn (pop 2001)

References
  1. "Entertained by some Screaming Orphans". South Marion Citizen. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  2. "Music on My Mind: The Screaming Orphans". Irish American News (Ohio). Retrieved 11 December 2011.
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