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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.
Well, we’ve been to Europe , we’ve toured 48 states now I think,
no, wait, wait, wait… we just did Alaska , so that’s 49 states.
We’ve played 49 states, plus Puerto Rico , DC , Canada , and
Europe .
In Scotland , we played New Year’s Eve on the Royal Mile for
about 40,000 people, that was very cool. We did a National
Trust-sponsored tour of Scotland ; we just played England back
in May 2005.
We were sponsored by Dewar’s Scotch for about four years. As a
result of that, they put us in, I don’t know, it was like
20-something different magazines. We appeared in some of those
20 magazines like three or four times, everything from Penthouse
and Playboy to Rolling Stone, Billboard, Cigar Aficionado,
Maxim, Stuff, FHM, GQ… so that helped out a good deal.
We also played the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake . We actually
play for the Torch Lighting ceremony. That was amazing. Lately,
we’ve been doing a lot of symphony shows. We got to play with a
couple different symphonies, the most notable being the
Grammy-award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
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!
Also, the original lineup from back in ‘94 - the four of us just
got together and released a “Best of” CD of the first five CDs,
plus some additional recordings. That’s something we should
mention, too. When we first started the band, we were called
“Clan Na Gael” and we changed our name in ‘97 because of
copyright disputes.
Sales-wise we’ve done probably a quarter of a million combined
units that we’ve sold, and most of that was done independently.
We’ve toured with a lot of great bands…we’ve opened for Live,
and Cowboy Mouth, and Great Big Sea from Canada extensively.
We’ve shared stages at rock festivals with a lot of acts from
Black Crows, Counting Crows, ah, all kinds of Crows!
One of the astronauts took our CD up on the Space Shuttle one
time. I thought that was kind of cool, because they don’t get to
take too much stuff. Get lots of letters from Iraq . Lot of
soldiers are fans over there, which is excellent. Got this So
Piano CD, which is my independent release; probably because it
is so mellow, probably helps to calm them down.
Scott Long is our piper from Halifax, Nova Scotia; Dan Stacey is
the fiddle player, from Waterloo, Ontario; Christian (Crisco)
Macelli is our drummer from Orlando, Florida; Jim Struble [“
Struby”] is the Bass player from Jacksonville, Florida.
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.
The new album is the longest album we’ve ever done. It came out
at 55 minutes with 16 tracks. There’s no electric guitar in it
at all, which is cool and different. I got to play bagpipes on
two of the tracks myself, for the first time since our very
first CD.
Seven Nations Trivia Question: Where does the
band’s name come from?
The name refers to the seven nations of the Celtic world, now
known as Scotland , Ireland , Wales , Brittany , Cornwall , the
Isle of Man , and parts of Spain .
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 7N Quotes:
- "Explosive Seven Nations blows Palace into orbit ...
you'd be hard pressed to find a more original, unique but
accessible group ... powerful self-penned tunes and
transcendent live shows. A musical force to be reckoned
with, Seven Nations' day has come." - Albany Times-Union
"Arguably the best independent band in America." -
Watauga Democrat
- "Seven Nations is blazing a new path in the "indie"
music world for others to follow. Rarely has there been a CD
with such variety so skillfully played, a testament to the
multi-talented Seven Nations." - Brigid's Feast
- "Full of hooks, addictive melodies, and precise
musicianship, Seven Nations may be the next frontrunners for
the summer tour feel-good band of the new millennium." -
MusicBlitz
- "The music was riveting ... folks were dancing in the
aisles ... the cheers were deafening." - Independent Mail
- "Seven Nations, which melds bagpipes and fiddles with
blazing electric guitars and drums ... exited their tour bus
and walked in to a standing ovation." - San Francisco
Chronicle
- "Absolutely hypnotic!" - The Item
- "Wow, what a discovery! Each song is laden with hooks
and melodies that stick in your brain, thanks to songwriter
Kirk McLeod, who pens the best lyrics since Phil Lynott.
This is the stuff of legends."
- Chaos Realm
- "The band's music is a highly textured blend of sounds,
tones, and emotions, all uniting a common theme. " -
Jacksonville Times-Union
- "Seven Nations taught a crowd of nearly 10,000 one
important lesson: bagpipes rock." - Lancaster Intelligencer
Journal
- "Not only does this music make you want to get up and
move to the beat, but the band's overwhelming abundance of
spirit and energy keeps their audience begging for more." -
St. Augustine Record
- "One of America's soon-to-be-most-widely-recognized
Celtic bands." - Creative Loafing
- "Billed by Planet Radio DJs as the "Dave Matthews Band
with bagpipes," the five man group takes rock and roll,
Celtic, and folk music and turns them upside down." - Indie
Music.com
- "...if such a thing is possible, the band's stage shows
are even more energetic than their recordings."
-Rambles Magazine
- "The packed house chanted and rocked with enthusiasm.
When the opportunity comes to see them again, I know I'll be
there." - Global Music Evolution
- "Seven Nations could do for a Celtic and pop music mix
what the Squirrel Nut Zippers did for rocked-up swing." -
Denver Post
- "This is a group to watch for in the future." - Green
Man Reviews
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Career Highlights:
- Performed at the Torch Lighting ceremony at the Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City
- Subject of PBS Special “An Evening with Seven Nations”
- Chosen by Extreme Sports to create the music theme for
their theme, which airs internationally
- Featured on CNN in a Worldbeat special airing
internationally
- Selected by Dewar’s Scotch for a multi-million dollar
profile campaign and sponsorship.
- Featured in national print campaign with exposure in
over 20 major magazines
- Seven Nations CD flown on the Space Shuttle Endeavor by
Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield
- First American band to be asked by the National Trust of
Scotland to do a return engagement
- Rolling Stone Presents Showcase and VIP party in San
Francisco in 2001
- Performed for the televised opening ceremony of the New
York Marathon in late 2001
- National Major-market Hard Rock Café tour in 2001
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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:
1. Traditional Celtic Material The haunting songs, toe
tapping dances and the humor of the Celtic peoples from Scotland
to Brittany provide IONA with an incredibly varied repertoire
2. Original Acoustic Arrangements All the members of the
band play several instruments, often switching within a piece to
achieve their unique sound. They weave tunes from different
countries around their songs, pursuing complex rhythms with deft
professionalism.
3. Lively Entertaining Presentation Above all, IONA's
performances are FUN! Barbara and Bernard teach audiences words
to their songs (some in Celtic languages!), lead them in
clapping and even encourage them to dance!
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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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