Celtic Chaos
Celtic Chaos is band of traditional musicians from Qualicum Beach area. The group consists of Dave Barta on accordion, Emma Beaton on cello, Joyce Beaton on fiddle and les pieds, Jane Good on percussion, Gordon Lafleur on Irish wooden flute and penny whistle, Jayne Lapper on guitar and Thea Stavroff on percussion and vocals.
The band plays energetic reels and jigs from Scotland, Ireland and Cape Breton, mournful Gaelic airs, French-Canadian dance tunes, and Swedish and Appalachian tunes. Vocalist Thea Stavroff, with her powerful vocals, delivers traditional songs from Scotland and Ireland.
Their recently released debut cd, Chaos in the Kitchen, has been well received.
“The cd sounds great and hats off to Emma (Beaton) for some stellar cello work. Very nice fiddling from Joyce (Beaton) and Trent (Freeman) and……..love Gordon (Lafleur)'s flute playing.” January, 2004.
Rodney Miller, renowned fiddler, composer and violin maker from New England.
"Nice to see a mix of ages...exceptional and unique use of cello with an authentic flavour. The group has a good, rhythmic catchy feel..... in music, "Groove" is everything, and Celtic Chaos has it!"
~ John Capon, Freelance Musician and Conductor from Gabriola Island, B.C. , Jan 26, 2004.
“Fine fiddling…..hauntingly beautiful flute playing….rich, dark vocals.…highly expressive….a mostly kick-up-your-heels program of music.”
Richard De Candole, Editor, Qualicum Totem, March 2004.
The cd has 10 tracks of Celtic music....reels from Cape Breton, Irish jigs, a slow Gaelic air, French-Canadian tunes, a track featuring BC fiddle champ, Trent Freeman, percussive cello playing by Emma Beaton, the song Raglan Road and more, and all proceeds are for the BC Cancer Foundation.
INFO ABOUT BAND MEMBERS
Dave Barta is a multi-talented musician who has played keyboards most of his life. He particularly enjoys sharing traditional celtic music. His pleasure in playing with the band is obvious to audiences, who can't help but respond to his infectious joy in the music.
Emma Beaton (14) has been playing traditional cello for 3 years now, having listened to various members of her family playing traditional music at home over the years. She has a distinctive rhythmic style. She has studied in California with well-known cellist, Natalie Haas, has performed with the San Francisco Fiddlers in their concert series, in May 2004, and has been invited to join them on their Pacific Northwest Tour in Spring 2005. She is also a member on the Vancouver Island Youth Group, Twisted String, under the direction of Oliver Schroer.
Joyce Beaton has been playing traditional fiddle for 8 years although, having grown up in Scotland, traditional music has been very much part of her life. She has travelled extensively with her fiddle and has performed in Nashville (Tennessee), Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Port Townsend, Lake Tahoe (with the San Francisco fiddlers), Aberdeen (Scotland) and this past summer, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. She loves to play on Vancouver Island in a variety of different settings. She is described as having "the gift of the gab" and is the spokesperson for the band.
Trent Freeman (15) is a special guest on this CD. He is a BC Old Time fiddle champion who lives in Courtenay, and is lots of fun to jam and perform with. He is also a prolific composer and we have included on the CD,one of his tunes,a reel he composed and dedicated to his dad (Chef Supreme).
Jane Good learned bodhran playing at the Gaelic college on the Isle of Skye, and has been playing traditional music for a few years, most notably in St. Lucia for a year, with the band, Celtic Wind.
Gordon Lafleur is a skilled player of the wooden Irish flute. His playing has been described as "haunting". He is a student of Chris Norman's having attended his Boxwood flute camp in Nova Scotia on several occasions. He adds a smooth melodic quality to the Celtic Chaos sound.
Jayne Lapper is the guitarist with the band. She enjoys performing in a variety of settings but loves to play for dances. She is orginally from Yorkshire and has a strong background in traditional music.
Thea Stavroff is an experienced singer, actress and percussionist. She has performed with Bard to Broadway and has created children's plays and musicals which she directed. She runs her own children's theatre company in the summer. She started her singing career with a blues band and has most recently developed her love for traditional ballads.
