Dance to the rollicking music of Floating Crowbar at the next KPBX Kids' Concert, Saturday, March 12 at 1 pm. Celtic fans and dancers of all ages can frolic to the sounds of western Ireland with music from Floating Crowbar. Relive the magic of years past with a medley of performances hosted by Verne Windham. Move the furniture and prepare to dance like a leprechaun or your favorite step dancer. Floating Crowbar plays authentic jigs, reels and horn pipes that serve as the soundtrack for this wicked annual dance party!
Thanks to Event Donors STCU, Harvard Park Children's Learning Center North and Rocket Bakeries.
About the Performers
Multi instrumentalists Don Thomsen and James Hunter have joined forces with guitarist Rick Rubin and fiddler Morgan Andersen. Their use of uilleann pipes, flute, whistle, banjo and mandolin as well as fiddle and guitar is sure to get you dancing a jig at this free concert. Coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and musical interests, they bring together their common passion for Irish music, good humor, mutual respect and friendship into a show that will be enjoyed by any Celtic music fan.
Morgan took up the fiddle while attending the Violin Making School of America in the mid ’70s. He then moved to San Francisco to study bow making in 1978-79. The inspiration to focus on tradition Irish music came from playing in Sunday sessions at The Plow and the Stars lead by Kevin Keegan and hearing many fine players play in the same establishment on Fridays and Saturday nights during those years.
James was born in London and grew up all over the world, mostly in southeast Asia. He has explored many musical paths, from reggae to jazz to classical Japanese music. He is a deshi of Tsurugi Kodo and also of Yoshimura Komei, shakuhachi masters in the Kinko Ryu.
Rick was born in Oceanside, California and lived all over the USA because his father was a Marine Corps officer. From a young age he showed a musical curiosity. He has a photo of himself holding a broom as if it were a guitar in his chaps and cowboy hat. His parents finally gave in and got him his first guitar when he was 12 and since then he’s continually had his hands on one fretted instrument or another.
Don comes from Michigan. He grew up in a musical family: his mother played violin, his father was an instrumental music teacher, and his older brother played tuba. His first instrument was a small melody flute, followed with piano, then trombone in school band. The early 70’s brought the first exposure to Irish Music, and a move to Washington State, and the seed planted then has grown into a real passion for the Music of Ireland. The current group started with Don and Rick playing as a duo, then adding Morgan, and finally James, to become the lineup for Floating Crowbar.