And that is the true story of how the band began on St. Patrick’s Day, 2004. Barry and Finnian met at an Irish session in a local watering hole, Houghton’s, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They proceeded to sing a few songs together.  Before the night was over, they were asked if they would perform at a private party. The next thing you know, the band, including Barry’s wife, Sherri, began working on set lists of Irish music. 

Their first gig was in a coffee shop in downtown La Crosse, and within 6 months, they had added a drummer and a banjo player and booked their next big show, opening for Gaelic Storm at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Amadans went on to perform as the headlining band for La Crosse’s first three Irishfests in 2005, 2006, and 2007 helping to boost the Irish music scene. 

Their popularity grew over the years and they performed at many local venues in the La Crosse area, with favorites being Bodega, Howie’s (formerly Loons), and Rascals in Winona. Over the years, several excellent musicians from the Tri-State area of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota have joined us on stage, but the core of the group has remained the same. 

Amadans pub rock sound covers traditional and not-so-traditional Irish ballads and tunes, some Old Time and Bluegrass, and other music from around the world. The band features three original members, Barry Byrne (guitar, vocals), Sherri Byrne (bass, vocals), Finnian Cullen (bodhrán, vocals) as well as talented local musician, Kyle Humfeld (accordion, banjo). Past Amadans members include Jon Popelka (drums) Casey Barth (mandolin), Tripp Evenson (banjo), Steve Dwyer (drums), Paul Mathees (drums), and Tim Jenkins (fiddle). 

 Sláinte!