Aisling is a contemporary Celtic folk band from central Ohio, USA. The band formed in 1997 and made its debut at the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio. Our music features arrangements with hammer dulcimer, fiddle, flute, tin whistle, mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, banjo and bodhran. We play traditional dance tunes, ballads, and original compositions. We like to think of our music as a fusion of Celtic, jazz and chamber music.
Our performance venues are festival stages, concert halls, small stages, upscale pubs, and private receptions and parties. We’ve released two CDs since 2004: The Dream (2004), which featured instrumental tracks, and The Pilgrim’s Road (2007), which featured instrumental and vocal tracks. Dulcimer Player News included the title track from The Pilgrim’s Road on their sampler CD in the Fall 2007 issue.
Our sound is unusual in the combination of instruments we bring to our music. A main feature of our arrangements is the hammer dulcimer, which is not a traditional instrument in the Celtic genre, but it offers a depth of sound that makes for wonderful interpretations of Celtic music. All of our band members play multiple instruments and we’ve been known to throw in some riffs featuring three bouzoukis at once – another wonderful sound for Celtic folk music. Two and three-part vocal harmonies and lovely instrumental interludes characterize most of our vocal selections.
Members of Aisling are:
Andi Wolfe – hammer dulcimer, fiddle, bodhran, vocals
Craig Caldwell – guitar, bouzouki, mandolin
Mary Bertke – banjo, bouzouki, vocals
Steve Wolfe – flute, tin whistle, guitar, bouzouki
Stuart Brand – fiddle, flute, tin whistle, vocals
For more information, please check our website at http://www.Aisling.us, our MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/aislingtrad, CD Baby at http://cdbaby.com/cd/aisling, and our video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paLdj-W3Mmk.
For booking information, contact:
Andi Wolfe
Email: Andi(at)Aisling.us
Review of "The Pilgrim’s Road" from Celtic MP3s Music Magazine
Catherine L. Tully reviewed Aisling's "The Pilgrim's Road" CD for Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. This was posted on July 14, 2008:
This CD is quite enjoyable and features contemporary Celtic folk music from a band that has been around since 1997. The group sounds like they have worked at refining a really cohesive and pleasing sound over the years. You'll hear familiar instruments such as the flute, tin whistle and bodhran here, and the arrangements are well thought out.
The real magic of this CD is that the band understands that sometimes the instruments can sing as well--and they make some room to let that happen. The addition of non-traditional instruments alongside the Celtic sounds make for an interesting diversion as well. When the hammered dulcimer makes an appearance in an otherwise highly traditional song it makes one stand up and take notice.
The Ohio band is generous with thirteen tracks on the CD and each offers something a little bit different to the listener. The sheer amount of instruments that are played by band members mean that you never quite know which ones will be popping up on a particular track; which keeps things from getting dull. My personal fave is track 12, "A Walk In The Park," which manages to have a pretty even mix of Celtic and folk stylings and a nice, full sound with an unexpected vignette featuring the instruments in all their finery.
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Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among other magazines, and reviews music for Marc Gunn's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her website at CatherineLTully.com.
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