Celtic Rock Series at The Northern California Renaissance Faire

Bring a Celtic spirit as you immerse in the modern sounds of folk music traditions at the Celtic Rock Concert Series, September 15 through October 14, 2012 at the Northern California Renaissance Faire. The arena that hosts the championship jousting by day is transformed into an open forum for dancing and reveling to the live bands at twilight.

Each week a new band will take the stage starting with Tempest, and subsequent Saturday nights will include: The Mighty Regis, Culann's Hounds, Wicked Tinkers,… Show more and finally Needfire.

Irish reels, Scottish ballads and Norwegian influences are a hybrid of high-energy folk rock created by Tempest. Over the past 23 years, the San Francisco Bay Area based act released 15 critically acclaimed CDs and played more than 2,000 gigs. The band performs folk music of Celtic traditions with rock-steady instruments and inventive rhythms.

Next by combining punk, folk and Celtic influences, The Mighty Regis creates an original and floor-stomping gut punch of a good time. The six member musical assault mixes traditional instruments of mandolin, accordion and tin whistle with a do-it-yourself punk philosophy. Since 2007, the band continues to deliver fiery guitar playing, rocking percussions and awe-inspiring vocals.
Fierce like their namesake, Culann’s Hounds have built a reputation for stage shows filled with high-energy and a ruthless dedication to rocking their audiences. Folk melodies, sensibilities, and stories permeate their music with origins in Ireland, France, and early America. The Hounds' original material is a mirror of their lives, tales of distant lands, love, elation and loss.

Pioneers of the growing Tribal Celtic movement, Wicked Tinkers play haunting, heart-pounding bagpipes and tribal drums since 1995. The band transports their audiences to an earlier time in Scotland and Ireland, when battle cries filled the air and strange, unheard-of creatures roamed the night. Their music is composed of ancient rhythms and primal sounds.

By blending soaring bagpipes and reeling Celtic fiddle with rock guitars, bass and drums, a fresh alternative rock sound of Irish and Scottish traditional and folk music is composed by Needfire. Headlining festivals coast to coast, the Texas-based band invigorates traditional and vintage Celtic music with the heart of Rock & Roll. The band’s modern signature sound of original and traditional material alike reveals surprising twists and turns around every musical corner.

View live, untamed performances from these popular bands throughout the Bay Area and beyond. The Celtic Rock Concert Series, with sound provided by DT3 Soundwerks, runs every Saturday for five weekends, starting September 15 through October 13 at the Northern California Renaissance Faire in Casa de Fruta near Hollister. For tickets and more info go to www.norcalrenfaire.com. All rock series are free with general admission to the Faire. The experience is truly a fantasy come true.

Concerts are free with ticket purchase!

September 15th: Tempest

September 22nd: The Mighty Regis

September 29th: Culann's Hounds

October 6th: Wicked Tinkers

October 13th: Needfire

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