Music
Banda Taverna
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Kilt wearing, sea-faring, soul-baring band from Brazil! Celts accidentally born in Brazil, kilt users, piracy and navigation addicts and long lost Highland castles lovers. Makers of heavy medieval and Celtic influenced folk music filled with stories.
Born in Belo Horizonte in 2012, the band is formed by:
- Mariana Roque (Vocals, Celtic Harp and Percussions)
- Rafael Salobreña (Bodhran, Alfaia and Derbak)
- Romulo Salobreña (Viola, Violin and Hurdy gurdy)
- João Gabriel (Mandolin, Banjo, Uilleann Pipes and Flutes)
- Gustavo Fofão (Acoustic Guitar)
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Photo credit – Colleen Raney
Hanz Araki
Considered one of the most talented Irish musicians in America today, flautist, whistle player, singer, and Juno Award winner, Hanz Araki has been lauded by publications and audiences alike.
As a sixth generation of his family to bear the title Araki Kodo, Hanz spent his early years mastering the Japanese end-blown bamboo flute. Hanz recognized the similarities between the shakuhachi and the Irish whistle. Honoring his Irish heritage, he took advantage of the rich Irish music scene in Seattle and became known for his instrumental work on the Irish whistle and flute, as well as his haunting singing voice.
Hanz has released twelve albums, his latest the 2019 critically acclaimed At Our Next Meeting recorded with Donogh Hennessey in Dingle, Co. Kerry. Hanz has performed at numerous festivals, as well as with the Seattle Symphony, at the Gates Estate and for the Japanese Consul General.
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Biddy on the Bench
Biddy on the Bench’s origins go back to the winter of 2014, when the original four members first began practicing together. Kevin, Casey, Noah, and Nick began carving out a niche in Portland, Oregon’s folk scene with a combination of ballads, pub classics, rebel songs, harmonized shanties, and traditional tunes. 2017 saw the arrival of Tristan, followed by his brother, Trevor. An ever-increasing schedule of pub gigs, Highland games, Celtic festivals, and private events around the Northwest cultivated a supportive and widespread audience. Nick left the band in early 2019 for other pursuits, but not before the six-piece recorded its first single with Billy Oskay at his Big Red Studio the preceding December. As a five-piece, Biddy continued to evolve and hone its sound. Spring of 2020 arrived along with the band’s debut album, “Make the Rafter Roar.”
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Bill Mullen
Born and raised in Dundee, Scotland, Bill was surrounded by Scottish and Irish people, songs and culture. Bill’s musician launch came on Scottish Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) when he was eleven and performed for the first time, to his parent’s surprise. By age 16, he was performing concerts on his own.
Bill’s professional music life really launched in Oregon in 2008 when he was invited to sing at a local pub in Lake Oswego. The crowd loved it, and so did he. He left his career in the business world to play music full time in 2013. Since then he has travelled throughout the United States and Canada performing concerts in a wide variety of venues.
Bill has two CD’s, The Beginning, which has both Irish and Scottish songs, and Mullen It Over, which is filled with his own compositions.
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Brick Top Blaggers
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Armed with original and traditional melodies of Celtic Folk music and the epic power and energy of Punk Rock, Brick Top Blaggers have been winning over die-hard fans since 2009. Hailing from Orange County, this five-piece band of dedicated musicians bring a party full of shenanigans and unforgettable music. Celtic Folk Punk Radio says “their original storylines and unique renditions of Irish classics demands that you hoist a pint, down a whiskey, and dance all night!”
Brick Top Blaggers is that rare band that bridges the gap between Celtic folk music and contemporary punk rock without sacrificing either integrity or relevance. With a band full of songwriters and an arsenal of instruments as diverse as their musical backgrounds, they have created a distinctive sound that seamlessly blends traditional tunes played on fiddle with roaring guitars, passionate vocals, and rock-solid bass and drums. The result is their own intelligent, exuberant brand of Celtic rock that is always original, always evolving, and always a night to remember.
Fans and venues alike agree the Brick Top Blaggers are taking the So Cal Celtic Punk scene by storm. This band always puts on a good show with high energy delivery. Owning stages all over the country from San Diego, to Vegas, to Chicago and everywhere in between. Check out their latest EP “The Fury”, while the band is currently writing their newest record. Don’t miss your chance to catch them live! We dare you not to have a good time! Sláinte!
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Channing Dodson
Scottish Highland Bagpipe, Scottish Smallpipes, and Irish Uilleann Pipes
Channing began learning the bagpipes in his teens from Santa Cruz piper Jay Salter. He later received instruction in pìobaireachd from Scottish piping gold medalists Pipe Major Jimmy MacColl and Ailean Dòmhnullach (Allan MacDonald of Glenuig).
During a summer in college spent in Co. Kerry, Ireland, he began learning the uilleann pipes with the help and encouragement of West Kerry pipers Con Durham, Cillian Ó Bríain, and Eoin Duignan. He later attended workshops with David Power and Jimmy O’Brien-Moran that left a strong influence on his playing. In addition to the uilleann pipes, he also plays Irish music on the wooden concert flute.
Since moving to Portland, Channing has had the privilege of performing and playing in sessions with some of the world’s greatest Irish traditional musicians, including Kevin Burke, Paddy Keenan, and Paddy O’Brien.
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Dan and Fran
Dan Compton and Fran Slefer play traditional Irish music on button accordion, fiddle, guitar, and voice. They’re especially fond of the music of southwest Ireland — that region known as Sliabh Luachra — with its repertoire of slides, polkas, and danceable reels and jigs. But they’ll play a tune from anywhere if they like it, so you can expect to hear them borrow from the traditions of the Québec, Brittany, Britain Scandinavia, and other cold, damp places.
Dan plays fiddle and guitar and sings. His main fiddle influences are the Irish players Denis Murphy, Kevin Burke and Matt Cranitch. Dan is also known as a tune writer, and many of his compositions surface on recordings and at dances and sessions. As a guitarist, Dan draws on a strong classical background, and is a captivating fingerstyle player as well as a dynamic flatpicker and accompanist. Dan is a long-time teacher at Artichoke Music, and his Irish session classes are a great way to spend a Monday evening.
Fran plays button accordion. She grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and lived in Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland, and Dublin before moving to the United States. Fran studied fiddle with Tralee fiddle player Maire O’Keeffe before picking up the box about 20 years ago. She plays the C#/D “press-draw” style rooted in the music of Sliabh Luachra, and is inspired by the playing of Jackie Daly, Sharon Shannon, and Verena Commins.
Dan and Fran have two recordings: The Rambler and Session at the Cottage. Each are available through their own website, CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify and the like.
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Dréos
Dréos is a Celtic ensemble of performing composers who create new music and reimagine old music using a traditional vocabulary. Combining the blazing piping of Eliot Grasso, virtuosic fiddling of Brandon Vance, and powerhouse accompaniment of Glen Waddell, Dréos offers listeners exciting, handcrafted music in a living tradition, and brings audiences and students into a centuries-old cultural-artistic dialogue. Dréos has been engaging listeners in North America and in Europe since its inception.
The word “Dréos” comes from Scottish Gaelic and translates into the English word “blaze” with the idea that it is light that helps us see the past, present, and future, and that it is the warmth of musical performance around which we gather for community and dialogue.
Dréos’s debut recording, The Clearing (2015), was hailed by New York’s Irish Echo as “a taut, accomplished work that plays at the crossroads between Irish and Scottish music” and was named one of the top ten recordings by Folk, World & Roots Music in the year of its release. Their second album, The Odyssey of These Days, a recording of original chamber music written in response to the abstract paintings of artist Wesley Hurd, was recognized by the Oregon Arts Commission with an Artist Fellowship in 2017. Having performed for the William Kennedy Piping Festival in Armagh, U.K., the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, Ireland, the World Music Series, University of Oregon, Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, and points beyond, Dréos offers compelling music, live and recorded.
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Eliot Grasso
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Performer-scholar, Eliot Grasso, teaches music at Gutenberg College. He has taught, performed, and recorded throughout North America and Europe for over two decades. Eliot has performed for President Clinton at the NEA Awards, appeared as a featured artist on “Prairie Home Companion,” performed and taught for the William Kennedy Piping Festival, and appeared as a soloist in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for Scotland’s National Piping Festival, Piping Live. Eliot has over a dozen recordings to his name, including an album of unaccompanied uilleann piping, which is volume 1 of Na Píobairí Uilleann’s series of master pipers, The Ace and Deuce of Piping. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Oregon, and a M.A. in ethnomusicology from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. Grasso’s artistic and academic work as a performer, recording artist, composer, and researcher has earned awards from the traditional music community, the recording industry, and the academic establishment. A fuller picture of his endeavors is available at www.eliotgrasso.com.
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Iona Fyfe
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Aberdeenshire folksinger, Iona Fyfe, has become one of Scotland’s finest young ballad singers, rooted deeply in the singing traditions of the North East of Scotland. Winner of Scots Singer of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2018, Iona has been described as “one of the best Scotland has to offer.” (Global-Music.de)
In her early 20’s, Iona has toured extensively and performed with the BBC Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra as part of the World Premiere of Disney Pixar’s Brave In Concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Iona has released two albums. Her first, called Away From My Window, was held to critical acclaim and received nationwide airplay on famous Scottish stations.
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Jim Malcolm
Jim Malcolm is well known to many Celtic music lovers in Oregon, having toured here from Scotland almost every year for the past two decades, first with Old Blind Dogs, then solo. This year for the first time he began touring with his wife Susie – together they left their empty nest and flew to the west coast of the States for a four-week tour which brought them to Corvallis, McMinnville and Tualatin, among many other places. Right now they should be on tour in the Midwest, but since COVID trampled over all their plans, the whole tour has moved online. Well….every cloud has a silver lining. Moving to Zoom concerts means anyone from anywhere can attend (for a modest donation), and there are a variety of dates and times to choose from:
Sat Oct 3 – Salem OR 7PM PT
Sun Oct 4 – Chicago IL 4-5PM CT
Fri Oct 9 – Ann Arbor MI 7.30-8.30PM ET
Sun Oct 11 – Grand Rapids MI 2-3.30PM ET, to attend please register here: https://www.kdl.org/…/virtual-sunday-afternoon-live…
Wed Oct 14 Cleveland OH 7.30-8.30PM ET
Thurs Oct 15 Mansfield OH 7-8PM ET
Sun Oct 18 Cincinnati OH 4-5PM ET
Wed Oct 21 Omaha NE 7-8PM CT
Fri Oct 23 St Louis MO 7-8PM CT
Thurs Oct 29 Dallas TX 7.30-8.30PM CT
Fri Oct 30 Chicago IL 8-9PM CT Further details from www.twowaystreet.org
Sun Nov 1 Houston TX 3-4PM CT
If you’d like to attend any of these concerts, please email susie@jimmalcolm.com. Make sure to let her know which concert you’d like to attend.
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Kathryn Rose
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Kathryn Rose is a folk singer and recording artist from Oregon. She has been singing since she could talk and grew up listening to Irish and Scottish folk music. She began seriously collecting songs after her grandmother passed away and she found a treasure trove of handwritten Irish folk songs tucked inside the piano bench. Kathryn performs folk music from both sides of the pond, with an emphasis on Ireland and even a dash of Gaeilge here and there. Her influences include Susan McKeown, Christy Moore, the Clancy Brothers, Seamus Begley, Sarah Ghriallais, Moya Brennan, and more.
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Lisa Lynne & Aryeh Frankfurter
www.LisaLynne.com | www.Lionharp.com
Lisa Lynne & Aryeh Frankfurter are a multi-instrumentalist duo with Celtic Harps, Swedish Nyckelharpa, Ukrainian Bandura, Bouzouki, Cittern and more. They hail from Oregon and tour extensively, both having successful recording and performing careers built from years of street performing and a background as rock musicians. They have performed with some of the biggest names in folk and acoustic music and have sold well over a million albums combined. Audiences are spellbound and enchanted with their unique show of breathtaking music both Traditional and original, with wondrous stories and humor entwined.
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Na Rósaí
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In 2010, Erik Killops returned to his hometown of Portland, Oregon after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Irish Music & Dance at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Shortly after he met recent New Jersey transplant, and bouzouki player, Richie Rosencrans and California native, and uilleann piper, Preston Howard at sessions around Portland. All three were eager to start a project and discovered common interests in regard to traditional music. After a few house gatherings, a weekly performance began at a local watering hole the East Burn. In the fall of 2012, flute player Conor O’Bryan moved to Portland from Chico, California and immediately joined the ranks of the band.
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Band members Scot, Brooke, Steve, Bexy and Matti from Old Man Flanagan’s Ghost, Toronto
Old Man Flanagan’s Ghost
Old Man Flanagan’s Ghost has been bringing a variety of Celtic music to audiences for years. Based out of Toronto, they are best described as ‘high-energy Celtic folk’, combining the sound of traditional folk instruments with a passionate intensity. Yet don’t be fooled, for when the mood shifts to folk-style story-telling songs, the haunting melodies and warm vocals created by these musicians would ‘bring a tear to a glass-eye’. Proudly several generations Canadian, they have members with ancestry from Scotland, Ireland and Finland, and have been featured on ‘The Celtic Music Journal’ and interviewed in Irish Music Magazine. With their rendition of classic Celtic and east coast covers, traditional fiddle tunes, and a variety of original tunes dubbed ‘Music with a Celtic Heart’, they often invite the audience to participate in a fun, energetic stage show that can be enjoyed by all.
Imagine the smell of the sea, cold pints of beer, old shipwrecks, stories of love and loss, and boisterous friends sharing a laugh and a song. Now mix it with an instrumentation that takes you on a journey east, and a feeling of being welcomed into your neighbour’s home for a kitchen party, THAT is the essence of Old Man Flanagan’s Ghost.
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Peter Daldry
From the Familiar Roads of his hometown of Clydebank, Scotland to the sun kissed beaches of California Peter Daldry brings his talent and unique voice. Peter is becoming the vocalist of choice at Scottish and Irish events in Northern California and beyond, he now resides in Mountain View, CA. Blessed with a strong smooth tenor voice Peter sings the only way he knows how, with power and passion and depth of feeling.
Peter has had the honor of performing the “Star Spangled Banner” for 42,000 San Francisco Giants fans at AT & T park, he has also played at the biggest Scottish games in the world at Pleasanton in California, Monterey Scottish Highland Games, San Diego Highland Games and in Oregon at the La Grande Scottish Highland Games
Peter has appeared with such well known Celtic acts as Tempest, Molly’s Revenge, Golden Bough, Browne Sisters and George Cavanaugh, Seamus Kennedy and international star Isla St. Clair as well as many others. Peter has played and sang for the Mayors of Dublin Ireland and San Jose CA at the Spirit of Ireland awards. Peter has had the opportunity to have played at the “St. Andrews in the Square folk club” with Jim Malcolm {formerly with Old Blind Dogs} and at the “wee folk club” in Edinburgh with Ian Bruce. He was also nominated for his song “I wish I Was in Glasgow” (song and lyrics by Billy Connolly) from his Cd ” Under a Leaden Sky” for Best A Cappella in the 12th Annual Independent Music Awards 2013. The Independent Music Awards is a prestigious international program that gets top-ranked independent artists & releases the recognition they need to reach millions of fans worldwide.
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Pipedance
Pipedance was formed out of a true love for Irish music and dance. The Lincoln City, OR-based husband and wife team of Gary Burman and Nora Sherwood began performing together in 2001. The duo’s sound is complemented by Nora’s percussive sean-nós step dancing – this duo is not only fun to listen to, they are fun to watch.
Gary Burman is a lifelong musician who plays uilleann pipes, guitar, flute and whistle, and is also a wonderful balladeer. He is a fine craftsman who builds his own pipes and plays instruments he built himself.
Nora Sherwood is a retired champion Irish step dancer. She also plays whistle and bodhrán, and sings and dances in the traditional sean-nós style.
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The Finns
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The Finns are two brothers from Laois, Ireland who play an exciting brand of original Irish folk music with banjo, guitar, harmonicas, bouzouki and harmonies and they have captured audiences across the world with their sound. After the huge success of their debut album Creations, The Finns’ songs have been internationally recognised through songwriting contests, TV advert placements with RTE and Creative Ireland, and many television appearances in Ireland including the highly prestigious “Realta agus Gaolta”. The band has an impressive list of gigging Ireland’s biggest stages including Electric Picnic, Temple Bar TradFest, Vantastival, Whelan’s Live and winning the 2017 Busker Fleadh, and supporting bands like Sharon Shannon, Bagatelle and Tupelo, performing in the US at Florida’s Raglan Road, Dunedin Haggis Celtic Concerts, and the South Shore Irish Fest amongst many others. The Finns are fast emerging as one of the most promising bands to carry the Irish folk flag with worldwide appeal. The brothers strive for the highest level with their hugely entertaining live performances, top-class recordings, and now adding high-quality live streaming gigs too in 2020.
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The Fire
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The Fire is a high energy traditional music band that combines world-class performances of blazing Scottish music with a distinctly Californian flare. The group includes International Scottish Fiddle Champion Rebecca Lomnicky, dynamic bagpiper and multi-instrumentalist David Brewer, and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate Adam Hendey on guitar, bouzouki, and harmonium. All three band members have lived and studied in Scotland, and work together to further contribute to the traditions of Scottish music in America through performances and tours, as well as workshops funded by agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts.
The band has headlined main stages at Celtic festivals such as The KVMR Grass Valley Celtic Festival, The Pleasanton Scottish Highland Games, and The Portland Highland Games, and has performed at a variety of venues throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland. The Fire is currently based out of Santa Cruz, California, and has recorded three albums together.
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The Kilt Lifters
A bit of the Emerald Isles on the Hawaiian Isles! The Kilt Lifters progressive Irish and Celtic rock band celebrates our island nations with their eclectic and electric Celtic rock sound. With rocked out traditional and original tunes, paired with beautiful classic Scottish ballads and Irish traditionals, The Kilt Lifters bring a modern twist to the Celtic music we all love.
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Photo credit – Jillian Lancaster
Colleen Raney
Vocalist Colleen Raney has been referred to as “among the best in her genre”. (Irish Music Magazine) and “one of America’s best traditional singers.” (Tradconnect)
Born into a family where Irish music and dance were a part of everyday life, Colleen got a MFA in Acting from the University of Washington, worked as an actor for ten years, and then came back to the traditional music world. She created her first album, Linnet in 2008, followed by Lark in 2011. She’s added Here This Is Home in 2013 and Standing in Doorways in 2018.
Colleen has toured extensively in the United States and abroad, and her music can be heard on radio in Europe, Japan, and throughout the United States.
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Aleys Chumakov
Aleys is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Minsk, Belarus. He has performed with medieval band STARY OLSA since 2002, on vocals, shawms, gusli (Baltic Psaltery), rebec, hurdy-gurdy and more. They have released 8 albums and 3 live CDs.
In 2005, he started his own Celtic music band CEILIDH CEOL, and has released 2 albums.
In 2019, Aleys started his gusli project with the first release – a Christmas Carols album. The gusli is the first metal-stringed instrument with a hollow wooden body and dates to the 11th century. It is the ancestor of all guitars, violins, etc. He not only plays this instrument, but he also builds (and sells) them as well, in his workshop.
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Claire Hastings
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Glasgow based folksinger, songwriter and ukulele player Claire Hastings has made a name for herself on the folk scene since winning BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2015.
Since then she has toured throughout the UK, Europe and New Zealand both as a solo artist and with her band, and has shared stages with the likes of Lulu, Jamie Cullum and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed at world-renowned festivals including Celtic Connections and Festival Interceltique de Lorient.
Claire has a strong ability to portray a story through song, and is known for her varied repertoire of traditional, contemporary and original songs as demonstrated in highly regarded albums ‘Between River and Railway’ (Exquisite Songlines) and ‘Those Who Roam’ (Highly engaging The Scotsman), launched at Celtic Connections 2019.
A remarkably talented singer-songwriter SONGLINES
A compelling storyteller STIRRINGS
A unique and original talent MAVERICK
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D’n’A
D’n’A play traditional music from Europe and North America. Doug Heydon plays guitar, banjo and bass, plus a touch of percussion (spoons, bones, mouth harp) and the French vielle à roue (hurdy-gurdy) and the Appalachian mountain dulcimer. Amey Herman focuses on fiddles: 4-string and 5-string, and the 9-stringed Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. In normal times, Doug and Amey play at festivals, weddings, dances and in a classical orchestra. When not playing music, Doug makes and repairs stringed instruments, and Amey teaches French. You can most likely find them watching a film or tv series, or on a bike ride. They live in Springfield, Oregon.
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Lumina’s Heart
Lumina’s Heart has been seen regularly around the Rogue Valley at the Elk Mountain Highland Games, WinterFest, Prospect Hotel, Wolf Creek Inn, the Rogue Manor, and many senior living communities. Specializing in music from the Celtic lands and original songs, Lynne and D. David share their passion for uplifting audiences with harp, guitar, Irish bouzouki, and vocals. Look for them on Facebook and YouTube and “Like” their several music videos!
As a harpist/singer-songwriter, Lynne’s experience includes touring with the Bay Area electric harp bands Electric Angel and Lumina, and decades of performances ranging from Scottish Games to weddings to private parties. She is a member of the Jefferson State Choral Coalition that performs at the Craterian Theater and in 2019 at Carnegie Hall.
D. David Hotchkiss has been a musician for most of his life, currently performing on 12-string guitar, mandolin, and Irish bouzouki. As a teenager, his band The Royal Knights recorded in Nashville and performed around the Detroit area. An Oregonian for the past 40 years, he has performed at numerous local venues and is a historical reenactor with the Josephine County Living History Players.
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Coming Up Threes
Coming Up Threes is a seven-piece, high-energy Celtic-music-inspired band which formed in Portland, OR in early 2012. The band features Bill Tollner on guitar and lead vocals; multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Bauer on penny whistle, banjo, bodhran, percussion and vocals; Naoyuki Ochiai on fiddle, accordion and vocals; Chad Marks-Fife on Fiddle, Mandolin and vocals; Charlie Norris on bass; David Fender on drums and featuring Giuseppe Tambourini on the tambourine and auxiliary percussion.
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Young Dubliners
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This was our bio before the Coronavirus took a grip on the world and changed everything. We will update it as soon as we know what the future holds. Meanwhile, it’s nice to remember what a great plan we had and will soon have again.
It’s the start of a new decade and an exciting new beginning for the Young Dubliners. After thirty years as one of the world’s leading Celtic Rock bands, the boys have begun work on their tenth studio album while simultaneously launching the 2020 Winter tour. They are also welcoming onboard new bass player Ethan Jones who had previously worked for the band in the early days as a tech and stage manager. When the Dubs were holding auditions for the job in November 2019, Ethan reached out and said he would like to try out. Although they hadn’t seen him in many years it was as though they had never been apart. Ethan’s bass playing is superb but it was the ease with which he assimilated into the band that has really caused the most excitement and renewed commitment from the whole band. “It felt more like a family member coming home” says frontman Keith Roberts. The new line up is Keith Roberts (vocals / guitar), Chas Waltz (Violin, keys, vocals), Justin Pecot (guitar, vocals), Dave Ingraham (drums) and Ethan Jones (bass guitar)