( Colm O'Riain ) "He knows how to dance you!" Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow exclaimed on hearing Colm perform. Both violinist and composer, Colm likes to sit on borders. In the name of bringing more beauty into the world and thrilling his audiences while he's at it, Colm and his band explore the links between the music of Ireland and a dazzling profusion of other musical genres. Where else would you hear Irish rhythms and melodies seamlessly blended with influences from Jazz, Blues, Brazil, Cuba, India, the Roma and Africa? 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 arriving in the Bay Area, Colm has revelled in the opportunity to not only study with some great musicians (including North Indian Classical Music with Ali Akbar Khan and Jazz at the Berkeley JazzSchool) but also play with a host of superb musicians from numerous genres including composer Marcus Shelby, the Hot Club of San Francisco, Nik Phelps & the Sprocket Ensemble, Oliver Rajamani, the Venusians, accordionist Tony McMahon, Orla & the Gasmen, and a host of other open-minded musicans. During all this time, 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 his new band bringing exhilarating energy and technique to his fiery combination of reels, jigs, slow airs, sambas and blues. With San Francisco as his base, he has performed in numerous countries including Argentina, Brazil, Sweden, Croatia, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom while in the States, Colm has thrilled audiences at festivals and venues all across the country from Los Angeles to Anchorage to New York. In San Francisco itself, he has performed at many city venues including the Fillmore, the Great American Hall and Slims. As Word & Violin, Colm composes and performs with partner-in-crime, Sri Lankan poet Pireeni Sundaralingam, at festivals and other venues around the world. This summer (2008), they have been invited to appear at festivals in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Their CD, Bridge Across the Blue, featuring a dazzling array of musicians and poets, was recently cited by About.com as 'one of the Top 7 recordings of poetry and music of all time'. Colm has been asked to write soundtracks for a number of films including the eco-animation 'Energy Rangers in Soot City' while both his compositions and playing can be heard on others including the 'Irish noir' feature, 'Black Eyed Dog'. All of this is to say that Colm finds true beauty where the borders blend - where the beats collide and the melodies merge. To prove it, Colm is busy at work on his debut CD 'Hy Brassyl' with jazz guitarist Geoff van Lienden, bass player Tim Kelly and James Greenfield on percussion. It will be released in late 2008. Watch out for it: It will dance you!