NEDERLAND -- Together, Sky Kelsey and Marty Smith serve as founding members of the traditional Irish band The Safehouse. Kelsey and Smith have been the consistent leading members of the group and have played together for many years.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, they honed their sound as a duo for the first time. Kelsey and his then-girlfriend (now-wife) stayed with Smith for a few months, and they locked in completely on finding a sound together.
Since then, they’ve switched between performing with a band lineup in The Safehouse and as a duo group. Both projects focus on playing traditional Irish music.
Smith grew up in Wyoming while Kelsey grew up in Alaska. Neither environment is known for its vibrant Irish music scene. However, both individuals found Irish music in their communities.
In particular, Kelsey embraced the music developed in southern Ireland’s County Clare. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a native County Clare band, The Ceili Bandits, brought much of the county’s traditional music to Alaska.
Completely captivated by Clare music, he embraced Ireland’s oral tradition. He started learning fiddle from age twelve under the mentorship of James Kelly, who Kelsey cites as his biggest influence. By the time Kelsey was old enough to gig in bars, Clare music had been well established in his community, so he completely embraced the music and started learning music from across Ireland.
Kelsey’s mom would take him across the country to perform in the Midwest Fleadhs in Chicago and St. Louis, and he is a five-time champion of those fleadhs. He’s learned the fiddle, banjo, bouzouki, flute, guitar, Irish whistle, and bodhran over his performing career.
Meanwhile, growing up with folk music, Smith has performed in countless groups even outside of The Safehouse. These groups include Avourneen, their spinoff duo Smithstein, and Coisir.
Smith started by playing dance tunes from the British Isles on the hammered dulcimer, and he now primarily focuses on playing the Irish bouzouki and singing. He’s been mentored by bouzouki teachers such as Andy Irvine, Aaron Jones, and Roger Landes.
Both musicians focus primarily on playing traditional Irish music. Particularly for Kelsey, they don’t play the music for mass applause from an audience or even to focus on themselves as performers. For them, performing Irish music is like a form of meditation, a direct musical connection between the living and those who have passed.
Kelsey and Smith still love playing Irish music across the United States, and Kelsey currently makes annual pilgrimages to Ireland. In 2019, Kelsey even collaborated with Eoin O’Neill of The Ceili Bandits to produce the record In Session 2.
Ultimately, what Kelsey and Smith love most about performing Irish music is teaching it and continuing its oral tradition. They hope that people who come to see them perform are able to focus on the moment and allow themselves to feel what they need to feel.
Kelsey has always advocated for the continuation of Ireland’s oral musical tradition, and he continues to lobby for it. He’s currently working towards his goal of hosting an Irish festival in Gilpin County, celebrating the mountain traditions of Irish music and exposing more people to the traditions.
You can see Sky Kelsey and Marty Smith performing as a duo at Eldora Mountain Resort, located at 2861 Eldora Ski Road in Nederland, on Saint Patrick’s Day, Monday, February 17, 2025, starting at noon. Learn more about Kelsey by going to skykelseymusic.com, Smith by going to avourneen.com and coisir.com, and both by going to their Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram pages (@soulskierak and @generalschicken on Instagram, respectively).
