The Sunday Drivers

The Sunday Drivers are a phenomenal band of traditional Irish musicians, among the best in all of Southern California. With Nicolas Buckmelter on Irish flute, whistle and mandolin, joined by Allison Buck-melter on fiddle and Dave Ogden on guitar, they perform the tunes with great drive and feeling. Save yourself a plane ticket to Ireland and just go hear them perform any Sunday night from 5:30 to 8:00 at Dargan's Irish Pub and Restaurant on Main St. in downtown Ventura.  Or better yet, come enjoy their music at this year's Music in the Mountains festival. To learn more about them and order their CD, go to: sundaydriversmusic.net. 

Looney's Fortune

Looney's Fortune derives its name from a pub, Looney's Tavern, in Torrance, CA where the band members all met in the 1980's. The sessions there were every Wednesday night and would run into the wee hours of the morning.  Tons of tunes were learned there, friendships made, bands launched, loads of laughs and great times.  Looney’s Fortune chose its name to honor the memory of that.  Here's a little about each of the band members:
Georgiana Hennessy has been playing fiddle, piano and accordion for many years and she also is a terrific singer.   She has played with many groups over the years including Atlantic Crossing and Reel to Reel.  Georgiana's energy, personality and sheer enjoyment of the music shine through her playing and make her a joy to listen to.
Matt Tonge is an extraordinary guitarist.  He accompanies using both 6 and 12 string guitars and manages to make them sound like a bass and guitar in one!  He and Georgiana have made several recordings together.
Patti Amelotte became interested in the hammered dulcimer and in Irish music after attaining a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Chapman University.  She has performed throughout Southern California as a soloist, with several duos, and with the bands Blackthorne, Granuaile, Better than One, and Crannog.  In 1990 she won the State Hammered Dulcimer Championship.  Patti has performed on many television and movie soundtracks as well as releasing a well received recording with Granuaile. She teaches private and group lessons in Southern California.

Looney's Fortune (under different names) has performed most often at the Ooodles of Noodles Festival in Torrance, CA and at the Summer Solstice Festival.   They also play at the Irish session on Sundays in the Auld Dubliner pub in Long Beach.  To hear samples from their CD, go to: looneysfortune.com
 

Jim Cope

Jim Cope began his music training at a young age on trumpet, then on guitar. He was part of the folk music scene in the early 60s and hung out with singer/songwriters in Orange County through 1966. He moved to Appalachia for the next 2 ½ years as a VISTA volunteer where he worked closely with the people to help improve their economic prospects through increasing farm production, through developing arts and crafts cooperatives, and by promoting local Appalachian musicians and music festivals focusing on traditional Appalachian music. Immersed in this culture, he picked up many songs which continue to be a part of him today. Upon returning to California, he moved to Claremont and teamed up with David Millard. Three years later he became part of the bluegrass group, "Occurrence at Owl Creek," which became locally very popular. Later he began playing with the Irish Pub band, "Paddy Doyle's Boots." He also plays with the bands "When Pigs Fly" and "Old Grey Cats." In addition to being very accomplished on vocals and guitar, Jim also plays the fiddle, banjo and mandolin. In 2008, Jim completed his first solo CD project, "Never Better Than Later." For more on Jim, go to www.jpcope.com and www.cdbaby.com/cd/jimcope

Leo Kretzner -- Mountain Dulcimer Workshop

Leo and the mountain dulcimer met in 1975 and neither has been the same ever since. He has been a major innovator of the instrument, playing everything from traditional Appalachian styles of music to Celtic jigs and reels to blues and rock. He is known for his user-friendly yet highly informative teaching style in workshops, and rounds out his concert performances with vocals and guitar playing added to rollicking mountain dulcimer instrumentals. Leo has performed and taught for over thirty-five years at folk festivals and coffee houses all over the country. He has four recordings and another in the planning stage, including Not So Still Life and Bold Orion. The first two vinyl albums, Dulcimer Fair and Pigtown Fling have been digitally re-mastered as an all-traditional, all-instrumental CD compilation called Dulcimer Fling!  No longer a biomedical researcher, he’s now self-employed as a freelance musician, writer and actor, with a video, commercial, and cable television episode of "America’s Court" to his credit.
 

"Bookends" -Monika White & Roger Goodman

Monika White has been playing old timey music since the mid 1970s.  She was the founder and banjo player for Old Mother Logo, an old-time, all women string band that performed regularly on the West Coast from 1978 - 1988.  Their 1986 album, “Mother Logo Branching Out,” has been re-issued as a CD and is available through Old Topanga Music.  Monika also plays guitar, bass, mandolin, and banjo, but is best known for her spoons playing.  When not playing music with family and friends, she teaches graduate students at USC.  She lives with her husband, Roger Goodman who plays the fiddle and harmonica.  He teaches a wonderful class on how to play by ear.

MICHAEL BALLARD - Bodhran Workshop

Michael Ballard's musical career began at an early age with the study of dance and violin.  Since then he has specialized in many different percussion instruments and has performed at the Renaissance Faire for twenty-five years, especially with the group, The Clan MacColin of Glenderry.  He has taught at the annual Summer Solstice Folk Music Festival for at least another twenty years and was their "Artistic Director - Small Instruments/Percussion".   He has performed in orchestras and bands all over Southern California