Colm Ó Riain Born in Ireland, Colm threw himself into western Classical music winning a slew of awards along the way, including the Czech Government Prize for Advanced Violin Performance. With various orchestras, he has played in concert halls across Europe - from Dublin to Nicosia - including a spell as leader (Concertmaster) of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. He played with a variety of ensembles and bands in Ireland including briefly with In Tua Nua and harp quintet, Suantraí, with harpist/film composer Patrick Cassidy before fleeing to the United States to study Artificial Intelligence. Since then, Colm has become a well-known performer of Irish traditional music not just in San Francisco but across the country and increasingly in Europe. As well as hosting one of San Francisco's longest running and most vibrant Irish sessiúns, he has successfully brought his fascination with other musics into his playing to complement and energize that of his native country. This is nowhere more apparent than when he performs with Geoff, Tim & Wade bringing exhilarating energy and technique to his fiery combination of reels, jigs, slow airs, sambas and blues, to name but a few. Geoff van Lienden Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Geoff comes to the world of Celtic music from the other side of the Irish Sea. For reasons of health, (not Geoff’s), his parents left the land of long, wet winters and haggis when he was only two to come and live in San Francisco, where they could enjoy long, wet winters and sourdough bread. Geoff’s musical career began in earnest when he was thirteen. Geoff followed in the footsteps of many guitar greats who knew that playing the guitar was a fantastic way to meet girls. Hours of diligent practice led to passable renditions of Peter, Paul and Mary songs, but his one octave vocal range convinced him that if he wanted to have a chance with the girls, he had to give up singing and learn to play lead. Geoff’s first professional gigs were with an R&B band called The People that backed up a stable of local and touring singers, such as Bobby Freeman and The Coasters. It took time, but eventually he learned to play R&B less like a white boy from Scotland and more like a kid from the hood. Subsequent bands included The Music Bag, Sunstone, Blue Heron (bell bottom days), Innocent Bystander, Shrink Fleud and several other groups whose names are best forgotten. Geoff most recently performed with the rock and roll band, Soft Touch, voted best party band by the East Bay Express in 1990, and the Susan Brand Quintet, a jazz ensemble. Geoff’s current musical interests include studying jazz at the Jazz School in Berkeley (where he met Colm) and playing festivals with Colm and the rest of the band. Tim Kelly Tim is a super hero bass player with tons of experience Wade Peterson Wade is a noted musician and teacher with over 25 years of experience and a degree in music from UC Santa Cruz. He has studied West and Central African percussion with Mamady Keita, Fred Simpson, Mabiba Baegne, Arthur Hull, Titos Sompa, and Karamba Diabate, among others. As a percussionist, he has accompanied West African, Congolese, Haitian, Cuban, Brazilian, and modern dance classes in the Bay Area. Over the last 16 years, his percussion studies include West and Central African styles and the many diverse aspects of the African Diaspora (Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, and Trinidad). Formerly principal drummer and musical director for Mabiba Baegne’s Lokole Foundation, he has worked with San Francisco State University, Marin Learning Center, Turtle Rock Institute, Beyond Borders, and throughout the Mill Valley School District. Wade actively performs, records, and teaches in the Bay Area and has worked as a teacher and accompanist for SF Ballet’s DISC program (since 2000) and the esteemed Berkeley Jazz School.