The Exuberance of Plaid Menagerie is Making People Happy in Northern California

Plaid Menagerie's great string band sound is enlivening community events throughout Northern California. Inspired by their Celtic ancestors, Nanette on fiddle, Phillip on bagpipe and Benjamin Fynan on keyboard, have been playing together as a family and as a band for 3 years. Many people have found their sound irresistible.

Celtic music lover, Lauren Ayers wrote:

"Plaid Menagerie played for our December Barn Dance, with caller Mike Fynan. The toe-tapping Irish tunes filled the room, a beautiful balance of fiddle and piano (amazing what the very young pianist could do). Everyone was in a happy mood to begin with, but dancing to such wonderful music lifted our spirits into the stratosphere."

While they have a strong Scottish dance band background, they play a wide range of Celtic styles. Is it an Irish band ye be needin' for St. Patrick's Day? Sure and Plaid Menagerie will play ye a Fynan Dandy tune. Aye, and ye need a band for your Pirate Fest? Tis a Pirate Band they be. Cape Breton music and dance like Natalie MacMaster? You betcha.

Previous appearances include:

Sonoma County Museum, Cloverdale Library, Cloverdale California; Dempsey's Restaurant and Brew Pub; Sebastopol Herb Festival, Monterey Highland Games with MacIntosh Pipe Band; San Rafael Contra Dance with Frank Ferrel; Santa Rosa Kids Mini-Makers Faire; Ukiah Contra Dance, Japan Relief Fundraiser, Sebastopol English Country Dance, Sonoma Barn Dance at Sonoma Valley Grange.

They received a grant from the Country Dance and Song Society in 2010 for the training of young dance musicians. They hosted a workshop with Frank Ferrel, whose 1991 recording, Yankee Dreams, was chosen by the Library of Congress to include on their select list of, 25 Representative Recordings of American Folk Music, in 2010 for teaching young musicians to play for dances.

It is a certainty that, whatever the event, Plaid Menagerie will send people away feeling a little bit happier.

Contact: Nanette Fynan
Phone: 707-569-0565
Email: fiddlefancier@gmail.com
Website: plaidmenagerie.com