The 2025 Who’s Who/Here/There
Kalos
Kalos is drawn to water. Every performance is like stepping into a river—they never play a song the same way twice. They make music inspired by the maritime traditions of Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia and North America. Their album titles—Harbour and Headland—honor the meeting point between the land and sea and they sing songs about shorelines, seafarers and drownings. They revel in the driving danceability of Irish tunes, but also take inspiration from the pastoral melodies and naturalistic metaphors of Scottish music. But while the music they write is forged in tradition, it is nonetheless cast and tempered in new and unexpected ways. The trio spans three generations, three cities and two countries. Ryan McKasson (violin, viola, voice), Eric McDonald (guitar, mandolin, voice) and Jeremiah McLane (accordion, piano, voice) met over the years at highland games, contra dances and fiddle camps across North America. They made their first recording in 2016 and have been touring together since 2019. Kalos prizes the magic of live performance—breathing, dancing and weaving together like high-wire acrobats. They are as generous as they are virtuosic. Like nature itself, their music is full of chaos and chance yet always feels spacious and balanced. Their concerts are more an exposé than a performance—they are immersive, trance-inducing experiences.
Darcy Noonan
Darcy Noonan is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. She started her music career at the age of 6, studying the Suzuki method with Annemarie Sudermann. Shortly after, she began studying Irish dancing with Anne Healy at the Healy School of Irish dancing. It was not obvious then, but these would become life changing experiences. As a young adult, Darcy realized her technical ability and knowledge of Irish music were a unique combination which propelled her to her true calling as a fiddler. Darcy has been fiddling up a storm ever since. Her music has moved her to Ireland to study with the masters of Irish music and taken her all over the world to play gigs and meet new friends. Darcy's music career came full circle when she studied Suzuki Method pedagogy with world renowned Suzuki violin teacher David Strom. The Suzuki student has become the Suzuki teacher. Now she is equipt with even more tools to teach her students, both fiddle and classical alike. Darcy has had the honor of being an instructor many times at music camps such as the Freight and Salvage's Fiddlekids, Golden Toad Camp, Lark in the Morning Camp, and apprentice at Fiddle Tunes. Darcy maintains a lively music studio in Oakland, CA, where she teaches both classical and fiddle music to all ages of students and shares her music at events.
Micah Babinski
Micah Babinski is a West Coast piper, competitor, teacher, and composer from Portland, Oregon. He has performed with the Renaissance Faire band Tartanic, led a Celtic trad ensemble called Dram & Go, and recorded with multi-platinum swing and Ska band The Daddies in Eugene, Oregon, among other projects. He currently competes in the professional grade in solo piping contests, and his compositions have been played by Grade 1 and 2 pipe bands from at least three continents. Micah's debut tune book, The Green Monster Collection, charts a musical pathway through life over 24 years as a composer, with tunes drawing inspiration from childhood, piping camaraderie, addiction, recovery, musical identity, fatherhood, and personal loss. With a foreword by Jack Lee and contributions from other well-known Pacific Northwest pipers including Zephan Knichel and Kevin Auld, The Green Monster Collection is poised to make a significant contribution to the body of contemporary Celtic music in North America and beyond.
Robert Sarazin Blake & the Dublin Letters
The Dublin Letters celebrate the Irish ballad tradition performing the music of Planxty, The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers, The Pogues and some of the rare olde stuff. The stories and the language of the old songs are letters from the past. When we hear them and sing them we get a window into another time. With a lineup of guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, fiddle, bodhran and of course singing, The Dublin Letters play traditional ballads, jigs and reels with a fair amount of good humor and audience banter. Robert grew up performing in his father's Irish band Mountain Thyme. Since he came of age, he's continued performing, celebrating his inheritance of songs. Robert Sarazin Blake: Guitar and Songs, Jan Peters: Harmonica & Bouzouki, Chris Glass: Fiddle, David Lofgren: Bodhran.
Sølvstål
Lennart Jansson (viola d’amore) and Mira Dickey (hardanger fiddle) explore the novel musical territory at the intersection of Norwegian fiddling and Irish traditional music. Their duet playing combines Mira’s expertise in the hardanger fiddle tradition with Lennart’s knowledge and creativity in Irish fiddling. The 9-string hardanger fiddle and 12-string baroque viola d’amore are a natural match for each other, both with a range of unusual tunings and otherworldly resonance thanks to sympathetic strings. Their sound ranges from delicate and tender to brilliant and symphonic, with a repertoire spanning traditional dance tunes both popular and obscure, as well as recently-composed pieces. This is Irish and Norwegian music like you’ve never heard it before!
Nell and Dale Russ
Dale and Nell Russ, a husband and wife fiddle duo from Seattle, play "pure drop" traditional Irish music. They have an affinity for the older, wilder side of Irish music, reflecting the deep connection of the tradition to the natural world. They encourage you to listen to the sounds of their music, rather than just the notes. They also share an uncanny ability to read each other's minds while playing - many people have commented with awe that their bows often seem to unconsciously sync with each other! Known from Japan to Ireland and across the United States, Dale has been a highly respected fiddle player, teacher, and keeper of the tradition for over fifty years. He has recorded a dozen albums, two of them solo, and worked with such luminaries as Kevin Burke, Gerry O'Beirne, and Paddy O'Brien. Nell is newer to the scene, falling in love with Irish music (and her fiddle - love at first sight!) and joining the community in the late 2010s. She was drawn to Dale's music and mentorship, sharing his deep belief in the beauty of the raw, unadorned heart of the music, and was honored to begin studying with him in 2020. Nell is a stalwart of the northwest session scene and has been performing and teaching since 2023. The duo's recent appearances include the Irish Pipers Club Tionól concert in Seattle, WA; Conor Byrne Co-Op Irish Music Mondays; Lark Camp in Mendocino; Barrington's Irish Bar and Grill on Whidbey Island; the Northwest Portland Hostel; and Irish céilís, set dances, and contras around the Pacific Northwest. They've been enjoying the Bellingham Celtic Fest for many years (shout out to the amazing Cayley Schmid!) and are honored to be a part of it.
Hayden Stern Band
Hayden Stern’s fiddle playing seamlessly blends Scottish and Cape Breton tradition with contemporary composition and improvisation. Blending influences comes naturally to Hayden, who grew up in Spain, Portugal, coastal California, and Panama. His musical career began in the contra dance world, and the skills he gained there shine in his concert sets: layers of rhythm, harmony, and groove that keep the audience asking for more. He has toured nationally, playing shows at venues, contra dances, and dance camps all over the US. As The Hayden Stern Band, he is joined by powerhouse musicians Elise Snoey (fiddle), Pat Gunning (fiddle, mandolin), and Ezra Jane Landsman (guitar). Together, they play a mix of traditional repertoire and original compositions from Hayden’s upcoming album, The Morning Dark.
Hanz Araki
Considered one of the most talented Irish musicians in America today, flautist, whistle player, singer, and Juno Award-winner Hanz Araki has been lauded by publications and audiences alike. Three decades of musical exploration into Irish, Scottish, Japanese, and American traditions has yielded his distinct style described by Fatea Magazine as “achingly beautiful.” As the sixth generation of his family to bear the title Araki Kodo, Hanz (short for Hanzaburo, his great-great grandfather’s name) spent his formative years mastering the Japanese end-blown bamboo flute. Discovering and relishing the melodic and mechanical similarities between shakuhachi and Irish whistle, Hanz applied his natural capacity and boundless curiosity to his Irish heritage. Taking advantage of the rich Irish music scene in Seattle, where he spent his youth, Hanz quickly became known for his exquisite instrumental work on both Irish whistle and flute and a haunting singing voice that was born to tell tales.
Na Glasraí
Peering out over the sprawling fields of the past decade spent making music together, Kevin Grgurich and Casey Dyer gather the ripest crops of their shared journey and serve them up as a musical feast. Na Glasraí sprouted from years of collaboration in the Portland-based Irish folk band Biddy on the Bench, and now the duo brings their own hearty harvest to the stage. Kevin leads the way with vocals rich and resonant—sweet enough to make the corn sway—and Casey coaxes even the shyest potatoes from their earthy hideaways with the enchanting call of the uilleann pipes. Join us for a rollicking night of Irish ballads, rowdy pub songs, toe-tapping dance tunes, and sharp-witted banter. You might laugh, you might cry—but we promise, no tomatoes will fly. And if that’s not enough to turn your turnip, you’ll also enjoy surprise musical guests, handpicked with a farmer’s care from the lush fields of the Pacific Northwest’s Irish music scene.
Bottle of Smoke
Playing straight from the songbook of The Pogues, Bottle of Smoke celebrates the wild life of the late and great Shane MacGowan. Bottle of Smoke features Gabe Taylor of Daikaiju on vocals!
Box Set
The Box Set are a trans-Atlantic duo whose music focuses on the parts of Irish traditional music that are uniquely Irish. Through our instruments we attempt to share the intonation, rhythm, phrasing and other individual elements of Irish traditional music that have inspired generations. We’ll also be sharing stories of the many characters of Irish traditional music that have inspired us with their unique musical personalities.
The Devillies
The Devillies are an Irish-American band that play an eclectic mix of originals and traditional tunes and songs made for dancing, laughing, and crying. A collaboration of musicians that began in the early 2000’s when Irishman-in-exile Derek Duffy met fellow guitar player Ed Hoban on craigslist in Bellingham, Washington. The duo performed as “The Devilly Brothers” at the opening of both Uisce Irish Pub and of Kulshan Brewing and were a regular feature of the B-town scene. Soon other fantastic folk musicians were inexplicably drawn to join their music including Angus McLane on the Bass, Margaret Driscoll on the fiddle, Steven Rystrom on the whistle and mandolin, and Brian Anderson on percussion. The band renamed themselves “The Devillies” in honor of the expanded roster and Derek’s repatriation to Ireland. The Devillies are frequent performers of Irish and traditional songs in and around Bellingham, and especially at our beloved Uisce Irish Pub.
Five Mile Chase
magine that you’re in a pub and you’ve followed the sound of Irish traditional music into a small back room to find musicians pouring their hearts and souls into the tunes. This is the sound of Five Mile Chase: five experienced session players from the North Puget Sound area who are comfortable with everything from driving uptempo Sligo/Roscommon reels to the stately hornpipe paces found in East Galway and West Clare and the cheerful slides of Sliabh Luachra. Join us for a deep dive into the heart of the Irish music tradition! William Bajzek, flute, Katie Bunge, concertina, Becky Deryckx, flute, whistle, concertina, Angeline LeLeux, fiddle, Donald Terao, guitar, bouzouki.
The Moving Hats
The Moving Hats are Howie Meltzer on fiddle, Jesse Stanton on guitar, Robin Elwood on button accordion, guitar and vocals, frequently joined by Beth Loudon on vocals. With many years of collective experience playing traditional folk music on other groups, the Hats came together in 2017 and developed a distinctive blend of unusual, but still mostly traditional, songs and tunes.
Gallowglass
With a combination of emotional vocal delivery, fresh melodic arrangements, and airtight accompaniment, Gallowglass has developed a style of contemporary Celtic folk that Irish Music Magazine calls "an inspired approach to the tradition." The group, featuring Jan Peters (vocals, harmonica), Mishon Kirkland (vocals, Irish flute), Zach Bauman (Irish Bouzouki) and David Pender Lofgren (Bodhrán), has become one of the Pacific Northwest's most celebrated Celtic music ensembles. Gallowglass has shared the stage with Dervish, Peter Rowan, Jolie Holland, and other luminaries of the folk scene, establishing themselves as innovators among their peers and captivating audiences with their signature sound. The release of their album, 'Dear Ruin' in 2024, has garnered critical acclaim and is enjoying international radio play. While Gallowglass is steeped in tradition, they are keeping their eyes on the horizon and have built a fire for all to gather around.
Schmid + Guest
Cayley Schmid and Aaron Guest met at the Bellingham Farmers Market in 2009. Desperately jealous of each other’s busking success, they neutralized the competition and started a band together. This was the beginning of a decade-long musical partnership that descended into marriage. After the retirement of their band, Polecat, in 2020, Aaron and Cayley suddenly found themselves musically unsupervised by their bandmates for the first time. Together they play instrumental Celtic music on fiddle and piano.
Niall Ó Murchú
Niall Ó Murchú from Cork and Dublin, Ireland is a part of Ireland’s Gaelic linguistic minority and the global diaspora of Irish speakers. He has taught at Fairhaven College, Western Washington University since 2001, and plans to bring students to Galway and the Donegal Gaeltacht in July 2023.
Ladies of Lindsay
The Ladies of Lindsay, still raising spirits—and occasionally eyebrows. They’re older, bolder, and a wee bit cheekier. Homegrown in Bellingham folklore for over two decades, they’ve got fiddle & flutes high, cello low, guitar sly, bodhran bold, and are living proof that the joy of music improves with time. The Ladies of Lindsay are Jean Rogers (guitar, whistles, podorythmie, vocals), Liz Elton (fiddle, vocals), Patty Chambers (bodhran, banjo, mando, whistles, vocals), Kelly Bachman (cello).
Brian Ó hAirt
Brian Ó hAirt is a singer, musician, dancer, and Irish speaker, whose inspiration draws from their many experiences growing up among the Irish diaspora of the upper Midwest and their coming of age in the vibrant cultural communities on Ireland’s west coast. An All-Ireland champion singer since 2002, Brian has collaborated and recorded extensively with Chicago-based ensemble Bua and singing legend Len Graham of Glenarm, Co. Antrim. Proficient on concertina, accordion, and tin whistle, their understated musical style is full of lift and subtlety and has been featured on radio programs across the United States, Canada, and Ireland. They have toured extensively, teaching and performing at many of the most prestigious festivals in North America as well as fulfilling their role as master mentor for the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program facilitated by the Oregon Folklife Network. Brian heads the Irish Cultural Society of the Pacific Northwest, a cultural non-profit sponsoring the Sean-nós Northwest & Féile Portland festivals as well as Gaeilge Northwest and Cumann Curaí na gCumar | Currach Community of the Confluences in Portland, Oregon.
Zephan Knichel
Zephan is a well-versed performer of traditional and contemporary pipe music. The Great Highland Bagpipe is his primary instrument and has devoted himself to the Scottish Smallpipe in more recent years. Zephan is a veteran member of the world-renowned Simon Fraser University Pipe Band and competes with them every Summer at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The SFU Pipe Band is currently ranked 3rd in the world. Zephan also competes as a soloist all over North America and in Scotland. He has competed at the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban and the Northern Meeting in Inverness several times, winning prizes in both Light Music and Piobaireachd. Zephan is a professional Bagpiper, performing and teaching individuals, group classes, pipe bands, and at various piping schools all over North America.
Maren & Celine
Maren and Celine are a fiddle student and teacher duo turned friends and bandmates. They share a love for Celtic music and laughter!
Harper Stone
Raised on a diet of mythology and folk music, Harper was already primed for mysticism when he found a piece of his soul tucked into a grove of trees in Ireland at the age of 12. So naturally, after a 'eureka' moment in a bathtub in his early 20s, he set out to return to Ireland to discover what it meant to be a wizard. While working on a homestead, his host directed him to a 'lady of the trees' who was camped out in the woods nearby. Though she initially mistook Harper for a fairy, they eventually became friends and began exchanging letters. From those essays, riddles, jokes, and musings, Harper has gleaned a few lessons about the branches of traditional Celtic society, spirituality and lore, and how these branches can help to build a tree fort of the soul in the modern world.
The House Wrens
Irish tunes on fiddle/guitar & fiddle/harmonica. With rhythm, grit and drive, Alaska-born Kera-Lynne Newman is a commanding presence on the fiddle. A prolific performer and teacher, she has played with the Juneau Symphony, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and her own cello-fiddle duo Calaskan with Erin Esses. Jan Peters is a multi-genre veteran of the traditional music scene, from early days performing in a duo with Joe Craven to touring Ireland in 2016 with Peadar McMahon. Jan is a founding member of Gallowglass, Rosin & Reed, and brings his distinctive Irish harmonica playing along with guitar duties.
Pajamajam
Cayley Schmid (fiddle) of Schmid + Guest and Sub Zero Glitter Fridge and Rosie O’Neil (guitar) of the Dream Goats, Marie the Band, and Bison Socks will express their mutual enthusiasm for music, dance, pajamas, and friends by shredding a variety of spicy pan-Celtic tunes.