Son of the famous Clare fiddler PJ Hayes, Martin Hayes is both a tradition bearer of the Clare fiddle style and a great innovator and artist in his own right. Hayes is known for his dreamy style in the studio and a more frenetic aproach to live performance. Hayes cites Kevin Burke as a major influence.
Alasdair Fraser is a Scottish fiddler who is based in California and runs his own record label, Culburnie Records. He also founded the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School, which has been attended by many of today's prominent young fiddlers, including Hanneke Cassel, Laura Risk, Athena Tergis, Brittany Haas, and Lissa Schneckenburger. He has often collaborated with pianist Paul Machlis and Scottish guitarist Tom McManus, among others.
Liz Carroll was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Irish immigrant parents from Limerick and Offaly Counties. She first picked up the fiddle as a young child. Inspired by her family and community, Liz honed her skills at the local Traditional Musicians Association. Since she was 18, when she astounded the Celtic music world by winning the Senior All-Ireland Championship, Liz Carroll and her fiddle have been amazing audiences around the globe. Her recordings and appearances on concert stages, television, and radio have established Liz as one of traditional music's most sought after performers.
Hadhirgaan are a group of sixteen young Scottish musicians from the Orkney Islands who attend Kirkwall Grammar School, Kirkwall. Under the instruction of Douglas Montgomery the group have developed into an exciting young fiddle ensemble driven by a stomping rhythm section created by piano, bass, guitar and bodhran. The majority of the group had been playing together for over eight years at the time of the release of their self-titled album, "Hadhirgaan".
Blackwater may refer to at least 3 artists:
1) a French group of Celtic music caracterized for its energic sound and accurate control over the instruments. See http://www.lesonotone.com/blackwater/ and http://www.myspace.com/blackwateririshconnection. 2) a deathmetal band from the cold north. Inspired by bands like Kataklysm, Hate Eternal, Bloodbath, Behemoth etc... 3) A London-based classic rock band comprising Tommy Balaam (vocals/guitar), George McKenzie (Guitar), Rory Murphy (Vocals/bass) and Bryce Dunn (Drums).
Ric was born on 8 December 1952 and brought up in Birmingham. He joined Fairport Convention in 1985. The violin was Ric's first love and he took up the instrument as a youngster. His first professional engagement was in 1972, touring Europe with Stomu Yamashta's Red Buddah Theatre. During the mid-1970s Ric was in demand as a jazz soloist and worked with, among others, Michael Garrick, Johnny Patrick and legendary jazz pianist Jaques Dieval.
Blowzabella produce an inimitable, driving drone-based sound played with a fabulous sense of melody, rhythmic expertise and sheer feeling. Originally formed in 1978 they have played everywhere from the main stage at Glastonbury Festival to the outer reaches of Brazil and West Africa and innumerable places in between. They compose their own music which is influenced by British and European traditional dance music. Many bands across Europe who experiment with the boundaries of folk music cite Blowzabella as a major influence.
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill are an Irish Folk/Traditional pairing who are based in the USA.
Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and American guitarist Dennis Cahill possess a rare musical kinship, ranking them among the most memorable partnerships of our era. Together they have garnered international renown for taking traditional music to the very edge of the genre, holding listeners spellbound with their slow-building, fiery performances.
Bruce Molsky (b. Manhattan, New York, 1955) is an American fiddler, banjo player, guitarist, and singer. He primarily performs old-time music of the Appalachian region. He was born in 1955 at New York Infirmary in Manhattan, and grew up near St. James Park in The Bronx. His father, Milton, a mechanical engineer, was a first-generation American descendant of Jewish immigrants from Poland. As a young man, Bruce first became interested in blues music, but eventually became absorbed in old-time music while studying engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York beginning in 1972.
