Ceili Rain is a Christian band based in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
that is influenced by Celtic music. It is led by
Bob Halligan, Jr. and was founded in May 1995. As the group's founder, Bob Halligan, Jr. explains, in Gaelic, the word "
Céili" (pronounced kay-lee) means "party", specifically one with live musicians, dancing, and general merriment for an all-ages crowd. "Coeli" is a form of the Latin word for "heaven".
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
is English, meaning downpour. Thus, according to Halligan, Ceili Rain is a "downpour of heavenly partiness."
Personnel
Current members
*
Bob Halligan, Jr. (May 1995–present) — lead vocals, guitar
*
Joe Davoli (2007–present) — violin, vocals
*
Raymond Arias (1997–present) — guitar, vocals
*
Bill Bleistine (2003–present) — drums, percussion, vocals
*
Kevin de Souza (2008–present) — bass, vocals
*
Buddy Connolly (May 1996–present) — accordion, keyboards, vocals
*
Burt Mitchell (2000–present) — pipes, whistles
Former and occasional members
*
Matt Mason (full-time 2005–2012) — bass, vocals
*
Skip Cleavinger (Dec 1997-occasional) — pipes, whistles
*
John Dreibelbis (2005-occasional) — pipes, whistles
*
Tyler Duncan
Tyler Duncan (born July 13, 1989) is an American professional golfer.
Amateur career
Duncan played his college golf for the Purdue Boilermakers.
Professional career
Duncan played on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2014 where his best finish was ...
(2005-occasional)- pipes, whistles
*
Dan Meyer (entertainer)
Dan Meyer (born April 7, 1957) is an American sword swallower, multiple Guinness World record holder in sword swallowing, global TEDx speaker, finalist on America's Got Talent, Golden Buzzer finalist on Sweden's Talang, and recipient of the 2007 ...
(2005-occasional) - whistles, swords
*
Phil Madeira
Philip Kamm Madeira (born 1952) is an American songwriter, producer, musician and singer. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island, and attended Taylor University, graduating in 1975. His songs have been recorded by The Civil Wars, Buddy Mill ...
(Jan 1996-May 1996) — accordion, keyboards, vocals
*
Tim Lauer (May 1995 - Jan 1996) — accordion, keyboards, vocals
*
John McGillian (occasional) — accordion, keyboards, vocals
*
Susie Monick (occasional) — accordion, keyboards, vocals
*
Gretchen Priest (?) — violin, vocals
*
Chris Carmichael (May 1995 - May 1996) — violin, cello
*
Rick Cua
Rick Cua (born December 3, 1948) is an American Christian rock singer, songwriter, bassist, author and ordained minister. He is a former member of the Southern rock band, Outlaws, whom he joined in 1980, but left in 1983 to pursue a full-time ca ...
(1995-1997) — bass
*
Bob Harmon
Robert Green Harmon (October 15, 1887 – November 27, 1961) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played nine seasons in the majors, between 1909 and 1918, for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an ...
(1998-200?) — bass, vocals
*
Andrew Lamb (1998-2000) — bass, vocals
*
Lance Hoppen (1997-?) — bass, vocals
*
Daniel Grimsland (Sep 2002–2005) — Bass, Vocals
*
Paul Grimsland (?) — Guitar, Vocals
*
Naoise Sheridan (?) — Guitar, Vocals
*Bruce Wallace (?) — Guitar, Vocals
*
Tony Hooper
Anthony Hooper (14 September 1939 – 18 November 2020) was an English folk singer-songwriter and musician. He was best known as a founder-member of Strawbs together with Dave Cousins and double bassist Ron Chesterman. He left The Strawbs ...
(May 1995 – 1997) — guitar, vocals
*
Rocky Marvel (?) — drums, percussion
*
Mark Hagan (?) — drums, percussion
*
Nick Buda (?) — drums, percussion
*
Lang Bliss (?) — drums, percussion
*
Nick Distefano (1995) — drums, percussion
*
John Daneluk (2003) — drums, percussion
*
Chris Eddy (2000) — drums, percussion
*
Robbie Spangnolitti (2004) — drums, percussion
*
Jim Hoke (May 1995) — pipes, whistles
*
Diane Davitch (1995) — pipes, whistles
*
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
(1995) — pipes, whistles
*
Diane Davitch (1995) — pipes, whistles
*
Hunter Lee (?-1997) — pipes, whistles
*
Matt Fisher (1997) — pipes, whistles
*
Sarah Hart (?) — pipes, whistles
Patrick Ross fiddle (2003 ?)
Discography
Albums
*''"Say Kay-lee"'' (Punch Records) — (1997)
*''We're Makin' A Party LIVE!'' — (1999) Recorded July 30, 1999 at Schouler Park, North Conway, NH directly to D.A.T. from house mixing console.
*''Erasers On Pencils''— (2000)
*''No You, No Me'' (Cross Driven Records) — (2002)
*''Change In Your Pocket'' — (2004)
*''Anthology: 1995-2005'' (Tag Artist Group) — (2005)
*''Whatever Makes You Dance'' — (2006)
*''I Made Lemonade'' - (2009)
*''Manuka Honey'' - (2011)
*''Hymns & Hers'' - (2014)
Video
*''Anthology: 1995-2005'' (DVD) (Balance Studios) — (2005)
*''Like A Train: 2005'' (Music Video) (Music Video of the Year UCMVA Awards)— (Balance Studios)(2005)
*''Hallways of Always: 2006'' (Music Video) (Music Video of the Year UCMVA Awards)— (Balance Studios)(2005-2006)
*''STOMP: 2005'' (Music Video) — (Balance Studios)(2005)
External links
The official Ceili Rain WebsiteCeili Rain MYSPACE
Celtic music groups
American Christian musical groups
Culture of Syracuse, New York
Musical groups established in 1995
{{US-folk-band-stub