Interview with Fianna Bán

A musical project born in the heart of Irish nature. Inspired by Celt folklore, art and traditions. Inspired by the many landscapes Ireland has to offer and the spirits within. We strive to bring humanity back to its natural roots through music.

We are happy that you found the time for this written interview, and we are all looking forward to hear more about your music and the journey you are on

Tell us a about “Fianna Bán” and what kind of music journey you are on?
Fianna Bán is a musical project born in the heart of Irish nature. Inspired by Gael/Celt folklore, art and traditions. Inspired by the many landscapes Ireland has to offer and the spirits within. We strive to bring humanity back to its natural roots through music

How many are you in “Fianna Bán” normally?
We are 2 main composers and on stage we are 3.

Where do you all come from?
We all come originally from France, however Arno has been living in Ireland for over 10 years

“Fianna Bán” what does that mean? And does it have a special meaning for you?
Fianna Bán means white deer (plural). Its origin ties in with druidism. In Druidism they believed in the other world, where spirits went after passing. The white deer is a guide to those spirits and the white stag is a protector of that in between. Additionally White Deer (LA Blanche Biche) is also a very old French medieval tune which we all love so it’s also an homage to that.

Where did you all meet and how long time have you played together as a band?
Marina and Arno met on Facebook at the end of 2021 and started talking about music and exchanging ideas. At the time Arno was writing a cover of the famous Irish tune Brian Boru’s March, and having heard it, Marina was inspired to add some music and singing to it. A video was also made and got over 50k views on YouTube (which is a lot for us). Following that Marina and Arno decided to try and compose together, and it turned out it worked, thus Fianna Bán was born. Oliver our percussionist joined us shortly before our album released in 2023 to complete our lineup.

What music inspired/inspires you?
As individuals we of course listen to many many different styles of music. However when it comes to Fianna Bán we do not take any outside influence. Everything written is written because that’s how we feel like doing it. The only inspiration we draw from would be from nature and history.

Have any of you played anything else?
From death metal to classical medieval music, we have all played many different things.

Have any of you played in other bands?
Between all of us, many bands, too many to mention any particular.

What instruments do you have in the band?
Currently we have tin whistles, recorders, drums, lyre harp, a multi pad for soundscapes, and obviously some singing, clear and throat. That list will expand over time as we are all multi-instrumentalists, and we want to incorporate many more.

Do you write all you music yourself?
Yes. Marina and Arno are the sole composers for everything we do. They both complement each other in their ways of composing as Marina is amazing at creating wonderful melodies and vocal lines, and Arno is great with details and can turn those melodies into a full song.

Have you as a band done any collabs with other musicians/bands?
Not so far.

Would you do any collabs.?
Absolutely!! We are always open to new creative ideas if it fits.

Where do you typically get your inspiration to compose/ produce music?
Mainly in nature. But as artists inspiration can come anywhere, anytime. Sometimes even in dreams. You just have to let your mind wander.

Are all in the band believers of the Nordic/old ways or finding old history interesting?
We are all extremely passionate about history and we loving learning. As far as beliefs go, that is a bit of a loaded question. We all have different spiritual guides, but nature is what unites us, and nature should be what unites everybody.

Any new releases of tracks or albums soon?
We are currently working on our second album, but no deadline yet.

Can it be hard to find time for the music?
Yes and no. Life has a way of holding you back sometimes and things can get in the way. But in general you should always make time for your passions, and music is indeed a big passion of ours.

In you free time do you hang out a lot or do you have other interests as sport, gaming or crafting maybe? Like mentioned previously Arno lives in Ireland and Marina and Oliver in France. So hanging out not so much but we do communicate very often through video chats. Outside of music we do have a lot of different interests. Marina makes jewelry out of resin and is a painter, and Arno is a leather worker, a photographer, and a big gaming geek … from DnD to video games, there is nothing too geeky.

Any concerts plans for 2025?
Yes ! For now we will be playing in Normandy, France at the Normannia festival (8-9 Feb 2025) and we will be also at the Trolls & Légendes festival in Mons, Belgium (19 April 2025). Be sure to check our website for any other concert to come.

Anything you would like to share with us?
We want to thank you for this interview and for playing our music on your YouTube live radio. This musical project being quite new we feel like a bottle at sea blown by the winds and meeting amazing people along the way. We hope the journey is only beginning and that a bright future lies ahead.

We would like to thank you for answering our questions about your music, and glad we could do this written interview

LINKS:
Official website
Youtube
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Facebook
Spotify
Apple Music