Welcome to the Information Page for
FEATURED ENTERTAINERS
at the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival & Highland Games
See the Entertainment Schedule of the 2008 Festival
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SEVEN NATIONS
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| Lead singer and guitarist Kirk McLeod recently sat down to
tell the story of the band. Here, then, in his own words, is the
genesis of Seven Nations…I like to think the band started back
in 1993 with our first show. We were from New York … New York
City at the time and late ‘93 was the first time we added
bagpipes to the show, bagpipes and tin whistle. Before that,
we’d just been a regular rock bank in New York and we played a
show at Fordham University and did a couple of songs that we
actually have in our set now, so ‘93 is probably the first year.
Released numerous albums since then, been through two major
record deals -- first was with Q Records, which was under
Atlantic Warner, second record deal was with Razor and Tie,
which is a BMG Company.
Individually, most of us in the band grew up playing Celtic
music as kids. We’ve only done our own music since the early
‘90s, late 80s even, but we always used our instruments,
bagpipes and fiddle mostly, and that’s what makes us different.
We tour very hard actually. We’ve been touring now since ’94;
we’ve been on the road full-time. We’re actually trying to slow
things down a little bit tour-wise right now, because in 2002,
our tour bus was on the road 301 days that year. Plus, we had
recorded an album in LA that took us quite a few weeks, so we
were hardly at home at all. So now, we’re trying to keep
organized and stay home as much as we can. We just released a
new CD, so thanks for waiting! One thing is since we’ve been on the road for so long, we
eventually all left New York City and just moved to wherever we
either came from or just where we happen to like to live. We
just fly up and meet each other now. Seven Nations Trivia Question: Where does the
band’s name come from?
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 7N Quotes:
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 Career Highlights:
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IONA's music is a unique, acoustic weave of the traditional
music of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany (France),
the Isle of Man, Asturies and Galicia (Spain), as well as their
transplants in America. Blending songs, dance tunes, and aires
into a rich and stunning tapestry, their style is outstanding in
an arena where these traditions are seldom intertwined. Conceived in 1986, IONA was the musical offspring of lead singer, bouzouki, guitar and bodhrán player Barbara Ryan and wind section, Bernard Argent. With fiddlers Jim Queen (banjo and vocals as well) and Cassie Smith-Christmas and bass guitar player Chuck Lawhorn, IONA has become the leading Celtic group in the Mid-Atlantic region. They are all seasoned performers: entertainers who involve their audiences with the history and cultural backgrounds of the music, with teaching words to the songs -- even those sung in a Celtic tongue, with leading simple Breton dances, with humor, and with every emotion in the spectrum. An IONA show is known for: |
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Barbara Tresidder Ryan's vocals have been described as
"smooth and sweet as dark honey". A folk singer in the 60's, she
studied voice for 10 years, and has been a vocal coach ever
since. Barbara's vocals are IONA's mainstay. She has accompanied
herself on guitar since she was 12, and enjoys experimenting
with different tunings. In 1983 she acquired her first bodhrán
(Irish drum). Now the proud owner of 3, she is a skilled and
effective percussionist. Her most recent instrumental contribution is a four course Celtic bouzouki. Barbara has performed throughout the British Isles and Brittany, at concerts and festivals all over the U.S. with IONA, and has sung for Voice Of America broadcasts, and for the National Geographic Explorer Special. She and Bernard have gained international recognition as the founders of the Potomac Celtic Festival. They also organize the Winter Concerts at the Old Brogue. |
| Bernard Argent is IONA's charming historian and yarn spinner. He studied music through much of his youth and at university in England. After performing in several orchestras on trumpet, he ventured into folk realms as a blues guitarist. Inspired by the renaissance of Celtic music in the ‘70's, he took up the tin whistle and progressed to wooden flute, which have become as much a trademark of IONA's sound as Barbara's vocals. Bernard also backs the group on doumbek and occasionally on guitar. He is the bass in IONA's "precise and pretty" harmonies. He and Barbara travel extensively through the Celtic lands, collecting material for their repertoire and his scholarly interjections... |
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Chuck Lawhorn - IONA's bassist not only owns just
about every bass guitar conceived by mankind, but plays them all
expertly. Says Chuck,"My approach to the bass has been as both a
support and a melody instrument that just happens to have a
lower range than most." He also dabbles in whistle and sings a
mean tenor harmony with the group, although he describes himself
as mostly "responsible for low notes and low humor". Born in Washington, DC, Chuck grew up in Maryland, where he started playing bass in 1967, and where he lives still. Over the past three decades as a bass guitarist, he spent 13 years travelling all over the country in different dance and show bands, and was a member of the Fabulous Potato Heads from 1995-2001. |
| Jim Queen comes to IONA as a veteran of 30 years performing with the Air Force Band. Master of many instruments, his primary contributions are fiddle and vocals, although he brings a touch of banjo and guitar to the mix as well. Having performed all over the world and in just about every state, for presidents, heads of state and luminaries in every field, Jim continues to entertain as a soloist and teaches in Accokeek, MD. He has played just about every fiddle/violin style in the book, from Mozart to mariachi, but his fascination with Irish and old timey make him the perfect foil for this band of Celtic eclectics! |
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Cassie Smith-Christmas contributes youthful vitality (she was 1 year old when Barbara and Bernard founded IONA) and a lot of talent as IONA's Scottish fiddling contingent and occasional step dancer. Cassie has augmented her study of and competition in Scottish fiddling with an MA from Leiden University in the Netherlands in linguistics with a specialty in Scots Gaelic. Having performed in bands that include Poisoned Dwarf and Bally Nolla, she spent 4 years as a tavern balladeer in Colonial Williamsburg and 2 as an Irish fiddler at Busch Gardens. Cassie's musical family has always supported (even participated!) in her quest for Celtic music, and she's rather surprised and delighted to find herself playing in the band with whose music she's grown up |
| When conditions permit, IONA will often bring dancer, Kathleen Larrick, to add a new and exciting visual dimension to IONA's dynamic performance. She is a recent graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where she earned her BA in modern dance. In her hometown of Canton, Ohio, she originally trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and Irish step dancing before she began her studies in modern dance, production, composition, and improvisation under the direction of artists such as Susan Shields, Jim Lepore, and Adriane Fang. Besides dancing with IONA (Irish step, Highland dance and Appalachian clogging), Kathleen is currently training in the Vaganava technique and teaching at the Reston Conservatory Ballet. |
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