Samhain with Selkie

Through song and story, Selkie conjures a mischievous Samhain evening (pronounced SOW-in) – blending haunting melodies, twisted tales, and just enough dark humor to keep the spirits entertained. Formed in 2019 by veteran West Michigan Celtic musicians Jim Spalink, Michele Venegas, and Cara Lieurance, and joined more recently by Noah Jacobs, Selkie draws on the Irish folk tradition to weave close-harmony songs sung in English, Gaelic, and French with mood-lifting traditional dance sets. As Samhain marks the Celtic new year and the thinning of the veil between worlds, join Selkie for an evening where the old stories come out to play.

Michele Venegas — voice, fiddle, banjo, guitar, rhythm
Cara Lieurance — voice, wooden flute, Irish whistles, button accordion
Jim Spalink — voice, guitar, bouzouki and harp
Noah Jacobs – uilleann pipes, Irish fiddle, Irish whistle

Selkie is a quartet of Celtic multi-instrumentalists living in southwest Michigan, drawing deep from two traditions at once: the make-your-own-fun spirit of Irish culture — kitchen parties, ceilidhs, sessions — and the concert-hall ambitions of artists like The Chieftains and Lúnasa who carried Irish music to the world’s stages.

Their music is strongly dance-based, tightly woven, and varied — drawing from centuries of traditional material alongside original traditional-sounding tunes with home-grown roots. Jim Spalink’s music reflects his experiences and favorite natural landscapes of Michigan, giving Selkie a sound that ranges from Ireland to the Great Lakes. Songs are sung in English, Gaelic, and French.

As the only long-running Michigan Celtic group with a harper, Selkie brings a rare timbre to the tradition. Each instrument — from uilleann pipes to tenor banjo — adds a unique color unified by the ornamentation that echoes the piping lineage at the heart of Irish music.