I play Irish whistles and the bodhran. I began playing the whistles in 1999 at Irish sessions in the south-central PA area. After discovering that session music was not the typical Clancy/Makem type songs & tunes I knew, I bought a bodhran to fill the gaps when I didn't know the tune. Later, after learning a number of traditional tunes, and as work took me to cities around the country, I was lucky to have the chance to play at sessions at The The Blarney Stone in San Diego, CA; Tommy Condon's in Charleston, SC, ; The Nines in Ithaca, NY, home session of Traonach; O'Flaherty's in New Orleans, LA, Brew Moon Cafe & Club in San Antonio, TX; Molly Brannigan's in Erie, PA; and Nanny O'Brien's in Washington, DC. I play monthly at Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg, PA; Lancaster Brewing Company in Lancaster, PA; Elephant & Castle Pub in the Holiday Inn, New Cumberland, PA; White Horse Pub in Virginia Beach; Flavers Restaurant & Pub in Elizabethown, PA; and O'Reilly's Pub , Four Points Sheraton, Harrisburg, PA (see O'Reilly's Photo gallery with a shot from 2003 sitting in with Derek Warfield & Sons of Erin)
I have been blessed to sit in with Irishtown Road , Fieldstone, O'Brien & Koretzky, Seamus Kennedy, Derek Warfield & Sons of Erin, Henry Koretzky & Ryck Kaiser, Semanon, Campiglio, Mark Campiglio & Maggie Brunning, and with Bruce Young & Jamie O'Brien. I have jammed with Mary Staunton, Mary Custy, Frankie Lane, Jim Eagan, Demaris Woods of the Irish band Coisir, Sean McComiskey, Mary Kay Mann, Mark & MarkCampiglia, Doug Bishoff of Coyote Run, Tom Knapp and Chet Williamson of Fire in the Glen, Maggie Brunning, Gráinne Hambly, the boys from Kilshanny, Jack Beck and Wendy Welch, John Dreibelbis of Ceili Rain, Matthew Ward, John Winship, Farmer Ben, Kilshanny, John & Sharon Knowles of Fynesound, Angelina Carberry & Martin Quinn, Benny McCarthy (Danu founder), Pat Ryan and John Nugent of Rattle the Boards , Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and the boys of Danu, Wolf Creek Session, Julee Glaub and Mark Weems of Little Windows, Pat Kane, Jo Morrison of Port Righ, and many more great musicians/bands. Wow!
I started a Celtic band in 2004 with some friends who had a Civil
War band I was playing with. The band is Cormorant's Fancy and we
play mostly Irish & Scottish tunes and songs. We completed our
first CD March 2006 and hope to have our 2nd one finished summer of
2008. You can listen to some of our music on CDBaby or watch a
video of us playing at the Adams County Irish Festival in 2007 on
MySpace or YouTube, both of which you can link to from the band's
website at www.cormorantsfancy.com. We are also aired on a number
of Podcasts and get some airtime on Irish radio stations Galway Bay
FM Radio , Miwest Radio, and Clare FM Radio , as well as Radio Jade
87.8 in Germany and Shannon O'Neill's Memorial Celtic Music Hour on Phoenix
Internet Radio . If you hear us on other radio stations, send us an email and tell us where and when.
I play Copeland, Susato, Chieftain, and Silkstone whistles. I currently play a
Seamus O'Kane "Rack & Pinion tuning" bodhran which is the best
Bodhran I've ever heard and have a RWE bodhran on order as a back-up. I heard an O'Kane on a Teada CD; drove
to Philadelphia to take a worshop with Tristan Rosenstock just to try
his bodhran, got the
"Aha, that's it" and placed my order. What a great bodhran Seamus made
for me. Seamus no longer makes the new style (rack& pinion),
nor does anyone else as of this posting, so I have one of only a small
number of his patented drums. Offer me $2,000 and I'll not sell
it - that's how good Seamus's bodhrans are made. You still can
buy his traditional tuned bodhrans which sound equally as good as the
new style. I am learning
guitar & digeridoo in the spare minutes I find here and there.
I was inspired to write a song after observing the long, hard battle a close
loved one, fought to regain independence following a major, debilitating medical
emergency. Song for Janice (c) 2005
can be downloaded for individual use. It is my first attempt at
songwriting & singing. It was recorded on a Sony IC-Recorder. My rendition of "A Pair of Brown Eyes" by Sean McGowan. Jamming a nice set with friends at John's house in August 2007 using my O'Kane rack & pinion bodhran.