Table of Contents
Áit Ait (Irish for “strange place” or “uncanny valley”) are an experimental folk duo focused on reinterpretations of traditional songs – dark and deep, bright and sparkling, full of life and noise. They set out to explore the living tradition that is folk music – ever evolving and always changing. With a profound respect for the past, they fix their gaze on the future, asking what these stories and tunes have to say to a modern ear. Fearlessly employing innovative arrangements and unconventional instrumentation, they forge a vital connection between then and now. The result is a sound that is both timeless and urgently present, honoring the source material while claiming it as their own.
The Ranger and the Stranger is their latest studio release and is available as LP, CD and digital download. This is the first vinyl release from the duo and was funded in part with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The album contains beloved ballads Aililiú na Gamhna, One Morning in May, The Red-Haired Man’s Wife, The Holland Handkerchief and more.
Áit Ait is Aja McCullough (song) and Patrick Maun (sound). Hailing from Saint Paul, the two are very active in the traditional Irish music scene, Aja on Irish flute and Patrick on the uilleann pipes. In 2022 they decided to form the band and began recording shortly afterwards, releasing their first full-length CD, Beneath the Cold Silent Dew, later that year. 2024 saw the release of both the EP On the Salt Sea and the single The Greenfields of Amerikay. Early in 2025 they released the concert recording Live at the Parkway Theater. They have performed with a wide variety of artists including Boiled in Lead, Clare Sands, Whispered the Rabbit, Emmy Woods and many, many others. In 2025, the two toured Germany, culminating in a performance at the Folkerdey Festival in Dusseldorf.
—
Aja McCullough is a fantasy/sci fi writer and musician whose love of dramatic narratives, beautiful melodies, and all things weird, old and spooky, led her straight to the shipwreck-filled world of traditional singing.
Patrick Maun began his journey in experimental music while living in Vienna, Austria during which time he performed extensively across Europe. Returning to the United States he discovered the uilleann pipes and traditional Irish music.
It was only a matter of time before the experimental and the traditional met.
Technical Requirements / Stage Plot
Áit Ait is fairly straightforward for live performance. We are comfortable performing anywhere from 30 minute to 2 hour sets. Two vocal mics (SM58 or similar) and mic stands and two lines to DI for stereo systems or a single line and DI for mono. Two monitor wedges with FOH sound in both.
Photos
Link to logo files (zip)
