DESCRIPTION:
Donal and Pearse began 2009 with their first European Tour, The Sub-Zero Tour named so due to the below freezing temperatures which stretched from January into February and from Scandinavia to Iberia. Highlights of the tour included a jammed packed troubadour Gig in Earls court, London, two great shows in Bristol and the Freetown Christiania Gig in Copenhagen. They were special guests on the Italian Radio Punto and were featured on the German Balcony TV Hamburg while on their travels. Túcan are a band designed to cross borders as their music has a universal language and mixes so many genres to create their distinctive sound.

Túcans debut album Aliquot Strings was released on 29th May 09 and went straight into the Irish Charts. Donal and Pearse have mined the riches of their talent to deliver a collection of nine tracks which cement their emerging reputation as one of the most exciting new Irish acts.

Aliquot, meaning several in latin, is an apt choice of word to indicate the variety of sounds which fluidly grace and infuse this album. From classical and 60s rock to heavy metal, trad, flamenco and jazz, Túcan seamlessly weave an enchanting sound from their repertoire.

From the opening chords of Garavogue, dedicated to the river that runs through their hometown, Túcan fearlessly set out their musical stall. Having completed their university studies in 2006, Donal and Pearse embarked on a career as Túcan taking them from Prague to Brisbane and even getting barred from Grafton Street!

In this short space of time, they have supported such luminaries as José Feliciano, contemporaries such as Rodrigo y Gabriela and even being requested by Regina Spektor to support her having been noticed busking. They have played with Daara J, Dervish, Alabama 3 and Kila with Lance Hogan of Kila fame producing Aliquot Strings in the Pickering Forest studios in Kildare.

Tucan are Lining up as a 4 piece for the Aliquot Strings tour, eliciting the talents of the fantastic Sligo Rhythm section, namely, Keith Kelly on Bass and Paul Wehrly on Drums. This has given their already scintillating live show fantastic depth and energy.

The Duo earned themselves the Best Musical Group Award from AOIFE (Association of Irish Festival Events). They had two hugely successful performances at Electric Picnic 07 including closing out the festival at The Body and Soul Stage. The huge crowd gave their vociferous seal of approval and in the process secured Túcan three more gigs at the Picnic again in 08, making them the hardest working band at Electric Picnic with three stomping shows.

Despite the fact that these extremely talented and dexterous musicians formed their band back in 1999, they chose to spend much of that time in University completing their educational commitments until they went professional in 2006 proving that these guys have intelligence as well as inventiveness in their repertoire. On top of this Donal and Pearses devotion to their music led them to spend that time at University honing their unique sound and expanding their musical knowledge. Major influences during this time were; Paco de Lucia, Django Reinhardt and later more experimental acts like Frank Zappa & LA metal band Tool (which can definitely be heard in their most recent music). Talk about dedication and love for the music!