The Barra MacNeils
Four and a half stars
Concerts on the Canal; Indiana History Center; Aug. 14

Six siblings (and an “adopted” bass player) sing, play multiple instruments, dance, schmooze, tell stories and do stand-up comedy with the greatest of ease. In short, during this preview concert, The Barra MacNeils proved they are a phenomena not to be missed at the 13th annual Indy Irish Fest Sept. 19-21 at Military Park (indyirishfest.com). Their distinctive, upbeat, in-the-moment sound grows from their original roots in Celtic — and Gaelic — music indigenous to Nova Scotia. Their arrangements explode the traditional sounds in the way flowers burst forth from buds. The initial hook resides in their awesome vocal and instrumental harmonies, and then you realize their choice of material equally fascinates. Expertly honed showmanship distinguishes the fast-paced, ever-changing tempo and content program from ho-hum family groups. These five brothers and a sister have been a major Cape Breton, Canada, force for 20 years, growing up together in the art and craft of live performances and recordings. Their program on Thursday highlighted cuts on their double CD anniversary collection, including the heart-touching ballads “Rock in the Stream” and “Closer to Paradise.” And then they delight with whimsical depictions of life in their small corner of the world. In their own words, put your hands together for Kyle, Lucy, Sheumas, Stewart, Boyd and Ryan MacNeil and Jamie Gatti. Bringing in their own sound system and sound engineer made a world of artistic difference.