No Crows is a dynamic folk orchestra from the multicultural melting pot of Sligo’s music scene. Formed in 2005, No Crows’ growing output of original material reflects its diverse musical roots, from Irish traditional to Latin rumba, classical, jazz, rock and Balkan music. No Crows is made up of Felip Carbonell – guitar, percussion and voice, Ray Coen – guitar, fiddle and voice, Anna Houston – cello, mandolin and voice, Eddie Lee – double bass, electric bass and voice, Oleg Ponomarev – violin and voice and Steve Wickham – fiddle, mandolin, viola and voice. The presence of Waterboy Steve Wickham in their ranks has drawn them added attention, but they are a multi-instrumental ensemble outfit, who describe themselves – not inaccurately – as a “folk orchestra”.
“Why Us?”, the band’s fifth CD, contains thirteen original musical delights, five songs and eight instrumentals. The band’s most mature recording to date includes compositions by all six members and displays the growing presence of multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, Ray Coen. “On this album” says Coen, “we have tried to capture the feel of our live performances, with all six of us recording together in one room. We believe that we have captured the essence of No Crows on this CD”