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We started as pick-up band for Steve at the June 20th, 2002, Mountain Acoustic Music Association Celtic Concert. Steve had met Kent Hiestand, a piper, and Ron Sommers at the Sunday afternoon Irish Traditional Sessions at Jack Quinn's Pub. Then Ron started asking first Steve then Kent to fill in for Finn MacCool at a regular gig until they were the only ones showing up. Finally they were asked to fill in at an Open Stage performance at BRAS when Ron suggested adding Heidi with whom he had played in Finn MacCool, and Steve and Kent knew from Sunday Sessions, and we decided to officially make ourselves into a band. In March 2003, Kent left the band and Kari Wilson joined. Kari previously sang and played bodhran with Finn MacCool. Kari plays bodhran and flute. Her strong vocals opened the door for beautiful harmonies, allowing Ceol Céilí to interweave the traditional Irish instrumental dance music with Ireland’s favorite ballads. In June 2009, Ron left the band and Cyndi Egan joined us for a short time. In March 2010, Roy Jackson stepped in as our fiddler. |
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Hammered Dulcimer, Mandolin, Bodhran Heidi plays hammered dulcimer and also plays mandolin and bodhrán. She has dabbled in music for most of her life. Her father taught her snare drumming techniques on their basement stairs when she was in grade school. She carried that foundation to the hammered dulcimer which she has played for the last 10 years. To be more mobile, Heidi learned to play mandolin and bodhrán. She does not like to play tambourine in marching band |
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Vocals, Flute, Whistle, Bodhran From the time she was a small child, Kari has been singing and performing for family and friends. She played Suzuki Violin at 5 years old, but switched to flute when she moved away from her instructor. She played the flute for several years before bagging it all for the glamorous drum section. Too bad that didn’t work out. Kari also sang as a member of every school choir that would accept her. Oddly enough, she is now trying to recapture her youth and play the flute again… but that sort of thing can happen in middle age. Some might suggest it’s because no one wants to sit too closely while she bangs away at the bodhran, but Kari hopes the flute will make her a more versatile member of the band. Kari started singing Celtic music about five years ago and joined Ceol Ceili in 2003. (It seems the begging and pleading worked!) Along with music, Kari is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Counseling, so if you need to talk she’s happy to set up an appointment. Or just join her in the singing! |
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Guitar Vocals Bouzouki Bodhran Steve plays guitar, Irish bouzouki and bodhran. He grew up playing guitar in Austin, Texas, and joined up with the Traditional Irish sessions in Colorado Springs in 1999. Then he started organizing Celtic concerts for the Mountain Acoustic Music Association, and next thing you know, he's in a band! When Steve's not playing with the band, he can be found somewhere in the western United States on his old BMW motorcycle which has a gazilian miles on it. It's the one with the parlor guitar strapped to the back. |
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Fiddle, Vocals, Bodhran, Tin Whistle I've been interested in folk music for as long as I can remember but was never exposed to anything Irish until I was in my late thirties. At first, I was not so fond of the music but through a series of unfortunate events at a public radio station I worked at, I ended up doing one of the only Irish music shows in the country at the time. It wasn't long before I was totally hooked on Irish dance music and at the tender age of forty decided to take up the fiddle. The pawn shop owner who sold me my first fiddle told me that I would never learn to play at my age and he was right, but it's all good fun anyway. |
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The Band