A native of Cape Breton, who began playing fiddle at the age of nine and has since become a local legend, Ashley MacIsaac is flagrantly challenging tradition to re-create, messing it up until it's unclear, then forging ahead with his own version—a new-age fusion of Celtic soundscapes interwoven on a symbiotic tapestry with contemporary forms.

Ashley MacIsaac has a somewhat daunting presence for a fiddle player. Wearing a kilt and a pair of scruffy army boots, his image and aura are such that he would not be out of place as an extra on the movie Braveheart. His look and his music are barbaric and devilish, stubborn and proud, tawdry and threatening. When the fiddle players from the old country played in the sitting room they didn't sound too polite. MacIsaac offers little to alter this Celtic custom. His music sounds at times like voodoo fiddle carrying down a tradition of hundreds of years of Celtic suppression, oppression and rage. This truly is heart music.

Shooglenifty   (Scotland)

Born from the ashes of legendary Edinburgh psycho-bluegrass combo Swamp Trash, plus further firebrand talent from the likes of Mouth Musin and Capercaillie, Shooglenifty fuse the feverish energies of the current Scottish roots revival with the upfront attitude of today's clubland grooves in a dynamic new dance sound for the 90's. With a lineup of fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass and percussion playing a heady, fast and furious, "hypnofolkedelic" mix of traditional and original material, the band have been winning a fast-growing following around Scotland and Europe since they formed out of a series of pub jam sessions in early 1993.

Named for an ancient Irish goddess linked to prosperity and the land, Danú perform Irish traditional music with a skill and a sizzle that have captured the imagination and loyalty of fans worldwide. Tom Doorlay, Eamon Doorlay, Brendan McCarthy, Jessie Smith, Nell Ryan, Donnchadh Gough, and Ciaràn O Gealbhain blend the fiddle, guitar, button accordian, flute, pipes, mandola, and voice to create Irish traditional music with a skill and sizzle guaranteed to capture the imagination and loyalty of countless fans. All under 30, the Waterford-based septet "make a most exciting and highly musical sound that stirs the blood and lifts the heeart," according to Dublin's Irish Music Magazine, which named Danú the "best Overall Traditional Act" of 1999.

Website : www.danu.net

Jerry is one of the world's best musicians and composers of Celtic music. Prominent musicians around the world play his tunes - Altan, Solas, De Danann, Nomos, Capercaille and many others. This is powerful music from one of Canada's true masters of the bow. He has been featured on nine recordings, been a guest on twenty-three more, and produced a book of tunes. His CD's to date include the newly released "Fiddler's Choice", and the 1986's "The Fiddlesticks Collection". As well, Jerry has recorded with other musicians for labels on both sides of the Atlantic such as Maire O'Keefe, and Rita and Mary Rankin.

Website : www.cranfordpub.com/jerry

From Prince Edward Island comes fiddling dynamo Richard Wood. He has won countless championships as a step dancer and a fiddler. Twice he earned the Don Messer Memorial Trophy for top Maritime fiddler. In 1998 he won Instrumental Artist and Roots/Traditional Artist at the East Coast Music Awards in Halifax.

Richard has performed for audiences at concerts and festivals across Canada, in the United States and in the United Kingdom. He has made guest appearances with Shania Twain on David Letterman and Good Morning America, in Ottawa on Parliament Hill, with Rita McNeil and friends (CBC), and was part of the Team Canada delegation to Japan where he played for the Emperor, Prince, and the Japanese and Canadian Prime Ministers.

Richard’s high-energy show is a combination of fiddling virtuosity and stunning showmanship. He continues to evolve an innovative approach to traditional Celtic jigs, reels, and strathspeys. Tempering the mix are sweet airs and lively polkas.

ANDRÉ MARCHAND, singer, guitarist and foot-tapper, is a pillar of Québécois traditional music. He was a founding member of La Bottine Souriante, having played and recorded with them from 1976-1990. André is known the world over for his unique guitar style, both as a backup musician and on his own compositions.

LISA ORNSTEIN, an American "fiddler" and with a classical violin background, is recognized in Québec for her profound research on Québécois musical living traditions and for her exceptional fiddle style. She came to Québec in 1978 to study Québécois fiddlers firsthand, staying for 14 years and, in the process, refining not only her own musicological efforts, but that of the entire traditional genre at the University of Laval. Lisa can be heard on several of La Bottine Souriante's albums and elsewhere. Since 1980, she has participated in hundreds of workshops throughout Québec, Canada, the U.S. and France, sharing her knowledge of the unique music of Québécois fiddlers and their old-fashioned ways of playing it.

NORMAND MIRON, accordionist, singer and harmonica player, comes from a family where he was steeped in the music and songs of his heritage. Normand's mind is a storehouse of highly personable, seemingly inexhaustible traditional material.

Around the world the name Anao Atao has become synonymous with Cornish Music; such has been the unparalled success of this pioneering family group in bringing their indigenous culture to the Celtic mainstream.

"Their playing of various instruments is accomplished. The music is excellent" Dirty Linen

Tüna is a progressive Celtic outfit with a high level of musicianship, a brand new album called "Montreal Urban Celtic", and an extremely dubious collective hairstyle. The CD has been eagerly anticipated by Montreal's Celtic community since their first performance which dates over a year ago, on March 13th 1999. Other gigs have included the "Festival de Folklore de Drummondville," in the summer of 1999.

After many late nights of playing pub music in various bands and many pints of fine Tartan Special Ale, Guinness stout and single malt whiskies, this accomplished line-up decided to get together to play a more concert-oriented blend of Celtic music focusing primarily on instrumental aspects of the tradition. Tüna arguably contains some of the city's—if not the country's—finest Celtic musicians: a Montréal super-group if you will. Their new CD captures not only their incredible musicianship but also the exciting energy of their live performances.

Dave Gossage has written many original instrumentals that this band showcases. As the primary musical leader of the band, he has woven a wealth of musical styles into these original melodies. Tüna's sets include traditional Irish and Scottish, slow airs, fast reels, and jigs, as well as other influences such as African, Macedonian, Blues, and Jazz.

In the years since its creation, Orealis has established a reputation as one of Canada's most exciting and innovative Celtic bands. Their fresh, evocative music, a magical blend of traditional and original material, has delighted concert and festival audiences across the country and in the U.S. Their varied repertoire ranges from haunting ballads and slow airs to driving instrumentals and songs performed with energy and enthusiasm. It is not surprising that this versatile group has shared the bill with such diverse acts as the Pogues, The Waterboys, the Gypsy Kings, Runrig, Luka Bloom and Richard Thompson. Their most recent album "Night Visions" captures the magic and excitement of their live shows and is essential listening for all fans of Celtic/World music.