The Sweet Colleens

The Sweet Colleens are Dave Bade, Dave Bille, Jeremy Greenhouse, Wolf Loescher and Pete Sandvik —accomplished multi-instrumentalists who together fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into a high-energy, infectious, and crowd-pleasing mix of “Celtic folk-rock and alt. country/Americana, with Cajun and Caribbean seasonings.” With infectious original songs, warm vocal harmonies, and fiery instrumental arrangements, the Sweet Colleens are winning a loyal local following and fans across the Midwest and beyond.

Ex-pat Canadian songwriter and fiddler Jeremy Greenhouse and Minneapolis accordionist Pete Sandvik put together a band for a Y2K New Year’s show at Kieran’s Pub in Minneapolis. The Colleens went on to establish themselves as the Twin Cities’ favorite pub band and -- since the release of the band’s debut CD Flop and its celebrated sophomore release half a mile from home -- has expanded its audience through shows and festivals in the Midwest and even a 2-week jaunt to France.

The Sweet Colleens CD 'half a mile from home' showcases the band’s trademark musical dexterity with 16 tracks that draw on a remarkable range of roots music – feisty medleys of Irish and Canadian fiddle tunes, a raucous cover of The Pogues’ “Fall From Grace,” Cajun-tinged original songs featuring performances by Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil, a folk-rock ballad about Jesse James, a tender waltz featuring the Trinidadian steel drum, and a dozen energetic and raw alt-country original songs about love, life, death and everything in between – all pulled together into a seriously fun and uniquely Minnesotan sound. The Sweet Colleens are currently working on a third full-length CD release, scheduled for release in Summer 2011.

The Sweet Colleens bring diverse musical backgrounds to bear on their truly unique folk-rock sound. Jeremy Greenhouse (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica), has recorded and performed extensively with Celtic, rock, Cajun and country acts in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Pete Sandvik (accordion, piano, guitar, vocals), brings Cajun and rock influences, classically-trained dexterity, and a not-so-secret love for the Grateful Dead to his accordion playing with the Sweet Colleens. Dave Bade (bass, vocals) offers rock-solid bass during the Sweet Colleens live shows, and everything from bluegrass picking guitar solos to cello on their recordings. Dave Bille (acoustic and electric guitar) brings fifteen years of experience playing diverse musical styles ranging from West African soukous to country blues and American roots rock. Finally, drummer Wolf Loescher’s style draws not only on the country-swing of his native Texas, but on the rich bagpipe-laced Celtic music of Scotland, where he lived for several years before founding the acclaimed Celtic-rock band Jiggernaut. Together, The Sweet Colleens offer a unique high-energy roots sound.

The Monkey Dance: All the Kids Are Doin' It! is the first foray into kids music by the Minneapolis-based Sweet Colleens, but the genre is clearly a natural fit for these good-natured denizens of the roots music world.

Released in January 2010 with two packed concerts to over 600 people at Minneapolis’s legendary Cedar Cultural Center, The Monkey Dance features more musical instruments than you could shake a banana at. The predominantly original songs range in style from funky to folky, Cajun to Caribbean, sad to sentimental to...well...just plain goofy. Special guests on the CD include The Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Michelle Campagne of the seminal French-Canadian folk-pop group Hart Rouge.

While The Monkey Dance is quickly winning over the under-10 crowd (not to mention minivan CD players everywhere), parents will also find themselves humming along to the Sweet Colleens’ sophisticated, rootsy arrangements—kids music that does it up right without dumbing it down. Happy listening... and don't forget your monkey-dancing shoes!