Partners in Rhyme

	Heather Alexander Singer-Songwriter & Celtic Fiddler Bards' Comments: Hawke has jammed with this goddess of renfaire music, gaining Cedric and Joyce's undying envy. We're not worthy, we're not worthy . . . Further Comments: When Cedric went up to Washington, he finally got to meet Heather Alexander, and he'll never forget the first words he spoke to his idol: "Nonesuch in E-minor. Watch me for the tempo." Later that summer, Cedric stole Heather's approach to "John Ryan's Polka," which got twisted into the energetic number that opens the Excalibur pub-sing these days.
	Avatar's Early Music Homepage Avatar's band Istanpitta performs medieval music with a middle-eastern flair, combining historically authentic music (rare at renfaires) with exciting performances. For a moment of peace at any faire, sit down in front of Istanpitta, close your eyes, and listen. The effect is magical. Bards' Comments: Composed mostly of Cedric's old jamming buddies from the SCA, Istanpitta played for Cedric and Joyce's wedding, both the ceremony and the ensuing Maypole dance. Also, the vielle (medieval fiddle) that Thea is holding in the middle of the picture is a sister instrument to Cedric's vielle, pocket fiddle, and hurdy-gurdy.
	Axel the Sot Music and Comedy. Believe it or not, this is the fellow who wrote "101 Nights." Bards' Comments: Not enough people know it, but Axel's alter ego is an excellent rock musician and songwriter. Pick up his album Chasing Paradise to see what we mean.
	Bedlam Bedlam is an acoustic duo that plays (mostly) traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, and England. Bards' Comments: The whole time that we were at King Richard's Faire, people kept getting us confused with those pretty boys from the band Bedlam. When we played, there was no confusion: those guys play slow, sweet, and crazy; we play fast, loud, and crazy. It was sure fun meeting them.
	Boru's Ghost Boru's Ghost: Bards' Comments: Your bards from Bedlam met these fabulous musicians at OkRF 2002, where they served up a thick mix of Celtic fiddle tunes, English folk songs, and original lyrics, all driven by a world-beat treatment on the djembe. Though they play acoustically at faire, their album is heavy folk-rock reminiscent of the Scandinavian roots music Cedric loves so well.
	BOWI Band of wandering idiots. Man, that guy who plays the Mandolin is HOT! MmMMm. Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. I need to get my hands on one of those sexy CDs. BOWI rules. Bards' Comments: Saw this in your guestbook, couldn't help myself. Tony, you're crazy. Keep it up! --Hawke!
	Brobdingnagian Bards They combined their unique instruments--autoharp, recorder, and mandolin--together to form a unique sound they dubbed 'Celtic Renaissance'. Bards' Comments: Another Austin-based renfaire duo with the initials "B---- Bards"? What were the chances? Further Comments: We often act like we have some big rivalry with the other B Bards, but in fact we always look forward to swapping trade secrets and music with Marc and Andrew. In the early days, they learned a lot about energetic performance from watching Hawke, and more recently, they've clued us into some great venues. Yeah, we just love these low-down, good-for-nothing, korobushka-blocking, groupie-stealing lack-talents. No, really.
	Queen's Gambit (featuring Bruce the Bruce) Queen's Gambit is an Oklahoma-based Celtic band specializing in Irish and Scottish traditional music, with a side order of English Folk, dance, and Renaissance music. Bards' Comments: We remember when Bruce first showed up at faires, playing his guitar softly and singing timidly. We're proud to see him teaming up with the lovely lady Rowan and his daughter Amber to perform as a bold trio.
	Clandestine A high-energy, internationally famous Celtic band that does a great job fusing the sound of pipes and fiddle, backed up by guitar and percussion, and balanced by some lovely vocal work, Clandestine has a distinctive sound that rocks on both traditional and original material. It's hard to pick out the best thing about this band. Bards' Comments: TRF veterans will have fond memories of piper EJ, who had to keep his ren performances secret from his piping teacher; hence the name.
	Corsairs A bunch of smelly pirates that sing pretty good. Bards' Comments: Check out these guys' amazing harmonies on Songs of the Faire Folk.
	Craig of Farrington Songs of love, faith, and mirth... Songs of heaven, and of earth Bards' Comments: Craig is a musician and wit of epic stature, a minstrel who not only makes the lute a powerful working instrument, but also brings an air of courteous authority to any faire he plays. We're proud to have worked with him many times.
	Dream Plane Out of a dream emerges a sound for the new millennium Bards' Comments: If not for Geoff Ricketts of Dream Plane, Hawke very well might not be playing music today.
	Ed Miller Austin's favorite resident Scot, Ed Miller has reached nearly legendary status with his performances. Whether a song is one he wrote, an old traditional, or a new one he borrowed, he makes every song his own and every show magical. As if his skills weren't impressive enough, many of his albums feature the stylings of Rich Brotherton, a multi-instrumentalist virtuoso who more than once has been called Austin's finest guitar player. Fiddler-extraordinaire John Taylor enhances several of his albums. Bards' Comments: We opened for Ed Miller when we hosted the Dog & Duck's 2004 Saint Paddy's Day party. The stage backdrop was a large banner provided by the Miller Brewing Company; it featured a red-headed supermodel in a green sequined dress and the slogan, "You're in luck! It's Miller!" When introducing Austin's resident Scot, I pointed out the slogan and commented that I'd never seen such a great picture of Ed Miller. --Cedric
	Forgotton Celts The Forgotton Celts are the band that time forgot. The members are mostly lost and wandering through the world looking for nothing in particular but planning on throwing one huge party when they find it. Bards' Comments: Forgot what I was going to say... *Hawke!*
	Gabriel's Gate These veterans of the Celtic music scene have honed their skills by playing festivals, bars, and even bookstores. Recently they were asked to anchor the folk music pavilion at the Kansas City Spirit Festival where they received an enthusiastic response. Bards' Comments: We enjoyed hearing these hard-rocking musicians when they played some of the Saturday night concerts back at Hawkwood.
	The Ghosts Project A mystical exploration of electric violin. Beautiful, dreamy music. Bards' Comments: Cedric and Paul jammed at DragonCon and had an awesome time. Fans of Vitulari will love* The Ghosts Project!
	Gibbon the Troubadour A twenty-first century caricature of a sixteenth-century minstrel Bards' Comments: A renfaire legend who inspired Hawke to get started in music, Gibbon also engineered Hawke's first album (back in the Amberhawke days) and put harmony vocals on the original recording of "Where Are You Going, Johnny?"
	Ian O'Donnell This solo performer uses a variety of instruments to conjure performances reminiscent of the bards of old. Bards' Comments: Bedheads everywhere owe Ian O'Donnell a debt of gratitude: He wrote "Black Leather Band." Clap, clap, clap!
	Jim Hancock A veteran accompanist, having played for a wide range of soloists, actors and bands, he studied classical music at the University of Texas at Austin, has played in combos from Rock to Reggae, and spent ten years with the Gypsy Guerrilla Band, as well as making several solo albums and collaborative projects. Bards' Comments: Jim contributed bass lines to "Campbell's Farewell to Red Gap/Newcastle" on Furious Fancies, and his mandolin virtuosity adorns several of the tracks on Hawke's upcoming solo album, Out of the Nest.
	Killdares The DFW metroplex answer to Tempest, the Killdares play an exciting brand of Celtic music backed up by rock'n'roll bass, drums, and electric guitar. Check out Linda Relph's killer fiddling and the band's "Wild Colonial Blues." Bards' Comments: Linda Relph is the first fiddler Hawke ever jammed with.
	Rob Kuhlman Rob Kuhlman is an amazingly talented Southern Rock singer, songwriter, musician and performer, taking Browncoat music in some fantastic directions. Bards' Comments: Rob was kind enough to let the bards crash in his studio in Atlanta, where we sang and played all night.
	The Great Luke Ski LukeSki creates filk-comedy-rap like no one in the biz. One of the most played performers on the Dr. Demento show, Luke always delights his audiences. Bards' Comments: Luke's "The Man Called Jayne" is one of the funniest Firefilk songs ever written.
	Minstrels Of Mayhem When the Minstrels get on stage with their own brand of mayhem (AHEM), you can be sure there will be a few laughs, a few tears, and a bunch of good music. This band is a renfolk legend. Bards' Comments: Minstrels Ty Billings and Jerry Barry co-wrote Bedhead favorite "Amarillis' Secret."
	Red McWilliams A Celt of high regard with a warped sense of humor, this Scots singer / balladeer will give you charming ballads, whimsical songs, and bawdy humor. He's totally insane. ENTERTAINING --- DEFINITELY!!! Bards' Comments: What can we say that hasn't been said about Red? When Hawke first hit the Celtic music scene in Dallas, Red helped with lyrics, chords, advice, and encouragement. Humble guy that he is, Red claims to have learned Renfaire stagecraft from the Bedlam Bards, but we're pretty sure he's just stroking our egos. Hawke is disappointed that Red won't be playing on Out of the Nest.
	Owl Morrison Here's something different: a string-playing singer-songwriter. Viola, Mandola, Vocals. Bards' Comments: Cedric and Hawke are always happy for a chance to stop by, jam, and swap "Nonesuch" verses with Owl. Nobody wields a viola like Owl, so her fiery fiddling will show up on a number of tracks on Hawke's solo album.
	Passing Measures Jan Jackson leads Passing Measures, the ultimate Renaissance pickup band. For a taste of authentic Renaissance music at the faire (or in the annual Midwinter Music Festival in Austin), be sure to catch a performance of Passing Measures. Bards' Comments: Tree, the official recording engineer of the Bedlam Bards, has spent several seasons playing percussion for Passing Measures.
	Rafferty the Piper Celtic Wind Instruments, Songs and Stories Bards' Comments: Besides being Hawke and Cedric's roommate during King Richard's Faire, Rafferty contributed two tracks to Songs of the Faire Folk. His show features four (count 'em!) different kinds of bagpipes, all of which he plays with amazing skill and musicality.
	Six Mile Bridge Calling themselves "the edge of Celtic folk" and featuring former members of Ceili's Muse, this band serves up an intriguing blend of rock drums, guitar, and bass with bagpipes, fiddle, bouzouki, and righteous vocals. Many of their songs will give you goosebumps.
	Shenanigans Celtic, Bluegrass & Folk <> Music & Dance Bards' Comments: These are the musicians who inspired Hawke to learn "Saint Brendan's Fair Isle."
	Tom Smith He's here! The silliest man in filk, with yet another barrage of godawful puns, wicked folk-rock, and more fun than should probably be legal. Bards' Comments: Tom Smith is a filker's filker. He can write better songs in half an hour than most people write in their entire lifetime.
	The Bilge Pumps This is a group that has to been seen to be believed. Bards' Comments: What do you do with some drunken sailors? Put 'em on stage and call 'em Bilge Pumps! --Hawke
	The Shantyman Sea shanties, nautical tunes & piratical ditties. Bards' Comments: The Shantyman is responsible for naming all of the Excalibur bards for birds. Gee, Albatross, thanks for naming me after the emu, a bird that has great taste but is low in fat.--Emu (the Bard formerly known as Cedric)
	Three Hams on Rye Rye--it's not just for bread, after all. Drinking songs are among this duo's favorites. (Yeah, Three Hams is a duo; if you're only hearing / seeing two of them, you haven't had enough to drink.) This is the band Hawke first got his start with. Bards' Comments: "There's a lot of fond memories there . . . " --Hawke
	Thryce Wycked Wenches Acapella Vocal Arrangements of a Dubious Nature Bards' Comments: It's always a treat to see these lovely damsels each summer in Washington. Isabelle has a secret tendency to sneak over to our stage to sing "Dark Lady" with us whenever she can.
	Tudor Tarts This pair of saucy wenches entertains in a great renfaire tradition. Original and traditional bawdy songs are this acapella duo's specialty. Tart Kathryn has been known to join the Bedlam Bards on stage during an Underhill benefit concert. Bards' Comments: Elizabeth's voice can be heard providing background vocals on Furious Fancies. Alas, after many years of fun, the Tarts have hung up their bodices and moved far away from us. We miss them!
	Tullamore Traditional music from Ireland and Scotland Bards' Comments: Their music is so beautiful it hurts. Cedric says that if you don't have their album, you should sell your clothes to buy one.
	Two O'Clock Courage "Traditional music played by non-traditional musicians" is what their card says. It neglects to mention how difficult it is to sit still during their performances, which feature three-part harmony, Uillean pipes, flute, guitar, and weirdolin.
	Carla Ulbrich A fan favorite on the long-running, nationally syndicated Dr. Demento show, award-winning songwriter and Professional Smart Aleck Carla Ulbrich has been compared to the likes of Weird Al, Chet Atkins and a bologna sandwich. Bards' Comments: Wow! We got to open for Carla at Dragon*Con 2007, and she amazed us with the hilarity of her lyrics, her impeccable comedic timing, and the sheer virtuosity of her performance. We're not worthy!
	3 Pints Gone (formerly Wild Mountain Thyme) Since 1993, 3 Pints Gone has been performing traditional Celtic music at festivals and events around the United States. They are known for their beautiful harmonies and high energy performances. Bards' Comments: We had a great time sharing the stage with 3 Pints Gone while visiting KCRF. Our music fits well with theirs because they rock like we do!