Emerald BT
Hi, I'm Ger from Holland. I live in Edam (yes, the Cheese Capital of the world), a little town near Amsterdam, which by the way has a lively folk-scene, ITM-wise.
I play the piano-accordion, tin and low whistles and bodhran, in two bands.
One is called Emerald (www.emeraldmusic.nl). We've been around since 1980, trying to combine the true ITM-feel with a kind of bluesy/jazzy way of accompaniment. I can tell you that reconciling these two very different approaches to ITM is rather time-consuming, but does occasionally produce some rather nice music (if I say so myself...).Our singer Wendy Seager is of part Scottish origin, the rest of us are Dutch.
The other band I'm with (since 1994) is called Coracle. We like to think it's a pub-band with a difference, meaning we do the pub-repertoire alright but try to make it interesting to listen to, throwing in the odd tune now and then. The singer, name of Jim Spiers, is a native of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, and I really do think he's one of the best singers around, and no kidding.
O, and I've compiled a Celtic linkspage you guys might be interested in: www.lnqs.com/chqlinks.
Tunes in Emerald BT's tunebook: 36