Devachan Music - Mark Simos

Mark plays regularly with these great musicians!

UnBeaten Path

This year at BCMFest '06 we debuted an exciting new ensemble called UnBeaten Path, a collaboration focusing on new compositions and choreography inspired by older traditional Irish music and dance forms, and finding the unexpected and unexplored places where music and dance meet. This performance debuted a number of my own original compositions inspired by Celtic musical styles and form, most never before performed, set to new choreography by the various dancers of Unbeaten Path.

UnBeaten Path are: Darrah Carr (Irish dance, modern dance), Kieran Jordan (Irish dance, sean-nós dance, modern dance), Niall O'Leary (Irish dance, spoons), and Mark Simos (fiddle, piano), and Ben Power (sean-nós dance, flute). Joining us at BCMFest '06 a stellar cast of other musicians, including: Flynn Cohen (guitar), Shannon Heaton (flute/whistle), Laurel Martin (fiddle), and Noel Scott (accordion).

Some of you will know Kieran's great dancing from her past performances part of the annual Childsplay shows, or most recently at Brian O'Donovan's spectacular Christmas Celtic Sojourn shows. Having recently completed a year of study in Limerick, Kieran is breaking exciting new ground as a choreographer and also championing the older, less competition-oriented sean-nós (or old-style) step-dancing which preserves the intimate connection between dance and music.

Fair Play

I recently performed with Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy and Shannon Heaton in an ensemble, Fair Play, presenting Keith's music from his 2005 solo release, Bound For Canaan. We will be making more appearances this year, such as at the New World Festival in Randolph, Vermonth this September.

Childsplay consists of over 30 fiddlers from all over the United States and Europe who play in a variety of musical styles but all have one thing in common: they play on instruments made by violinmaker Bob Childs of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our concerts feature traditional and contemporary fiddle music from around the world, plus jazz and classical music.

Follow the link on the name to find out more about this "fiddlers' orchestra."

Kerry Elkin is one of my favorite contra dance fiddlers, a veteran of the New England scene who has delighted dancers for decades with his outstanding repertoire of danceable gems, mostly drawn from the Irish tradition. Laurel Martin is another outstanding Boston area Irish fiddler who learned much of her music from the great Seamus Connolly. With this ensemble, I get to play contra dance style Irish guitar accompaniment. Sometimes we are joined by our friends David Surette or Mark Roberts, when they are available.

Brian is a highly respected New York area Irish fiddler, who learned from some of the great Sligo masters including Martin Wynne, Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds.