Fans in New York will get two shots at seeing the group as they stop at The Bowery Ballroom for two nights March 7-8.

Hailing from small fishing villages in Northeast Canada, Great Big Sea’s music is a reflection of the traditional tunes handed down through generations.

As Bob Hallett (fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina and bouzuki) explains, their music is “a really aggressive folk band that marries traditional Celtic music with modern rhythms.”

The band – comprising Hallett, Sean McCann, Darrell Power and Alan Doyle – quickly became popular in their homeland and news of their music began to trickle out of Canada into North America and Europe.

As an example of their growth in popularity, Great Big Sea’s sophomore album, Up, released in 1995, took nearly a year to sell 100,000 copies. Their follow-up two years later, Play, went platinum in three months.

Such album sales success paved the touring road for Great Big Sea. Having stayed on the home turf until 1998, they ventured south to conquer the States. That year they joined The Chieftains and Sinead O’Connor before winging it solo.

Since then, they’ve been on the road constantly, sharing mics with Melanie Doane, Sarah Harmer, The Push Stars, and opening for Sting.

In 2000, Great Big Sea released their first live album, Road Rage, which chronicles that year’s tour.