West of Eden (band)

West of Eden is a folk rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden.

West of Eden 2013

West of Eden at ″Lottes Musiknacht″ 2017

The band was formed in 1995 by spouses Jenny and Martin Schaub after they returned from a trip to Dublin, where they fell in love with Celtic folk music.[1] They are the lead vocalists and main songwriters. Martin also plays multiple instruments, produces the albums and arranges and conducts string and brass sections. The band has released twelve studio albums to date. Their repertoire consists mainly of original songs with influences from Irish and Scottish folk music. The sound is characterised by mostly acoustic instruments like violin, accordion and whistle. After initially being more oriented towards pop, they now fall under the genre of folk rock. In addition to Sweden, they have toured England, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and China.

All lyrics are in English, with the exception of the songs on the 2021 album Taube, which is Swedish. The album contains interpretations of songs written by Evert Taube (1890 – 1976), whom is a legend in Sweden and also hails from Gothenburg.[2]

Throughout the years, many "Guests of Eden" have appeared on the albums. Notable names are (alphabetically) Ron Block, Duncan Chisholm, Steph Geremia, Jarlath Henderson, Filip Jers, Christian Kjellvander, John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick, Damien O'Kane, Kate Rusby, Heidi Talbot, but also former or future band members David Ekh, Øyvind Eriksen and Pär Öjerot appeared as a guest.