Artist description Kim Hughes and Christa Burch, together as Lintie, have been generating quite a buzz among lovers of traditional Celtic singing along the West Coast. Their intricate a capella harmonies have delighted audiences from Alaska to California, and they have been described (by one devoted fan,) as the "Silly Sisters of San Francisco."

Music Style Celtic

Musical Influences Sheena Wellington, Jeannie Robertson, Lizzie Higgins, Anne Briggs, Belle Stewart, June Tabor, Sandy Denny, Cathie Ryan, Susan McKeown, Cathie Jordan, Kate Rusby

Similar Artists Silly Sisters, June Tabor, Maddy Prior, Sandy Denny, Sheena Wellington

Artist History Lintie is Kim Hughes and Christa Burch, a vocal duo generating a buzz along the west coast with their selection of Celtic and contemporary songs in intricate a cappella harmonies. A quick listen to any track on their new demo CD reveals why their fan base is growing fast. Lintie was born in the wee hours of a singer's session at the San Diego Highland Games in 1998 where Kim and Christa, who had been singing Celtic music independently, met and formed a fast friendship based on mutual admiration of one another's voices. Since Kim lives in northern California and Christa in the south, they spent the ensuing year traversing the state to rehearse and polish a repertory. The first fruit of their efforts is a self-titled demo CD with material ranging from Scottish ballads and Irish bawdry through Australian mining stories and a Rudyard Kipling poem, all performed a cappella in tight harmonies. Each also takes a solo track; Kim with a foot-tapping medley of mouth music from both sides of the Atlantic, and Christa with a Gaelic port a beul.

Group Members Kim Hughes - Kim was raised in Princeton, New Jersey, then moved to Scotland where she spent six years at the University of Edinburgh where she learned to sing "mouth music" as a side effect of doing a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology. She then moved to the Chicago area where she was a frequent performer in folk clubs and coffeehouses, as well as more unusual venues such as a mausoleum, a golf tournament, the Chicago Botanic Gardens and the Glasgow departure gate at O'Hare International Airport. Kim sang for many years at both the Illinois St. Andrews and the Milwaukee Highland Games, and was a familiar face at local folk festivals including the University of Illinois Chicago, and the Lake County Folk Festivals. In 1998 she released her debut CD, "Cattywampus," on the Just Folks label and shortly thereafter relocated to northern California. Kim also plays a 48-key Lachenal Edeophone concertina and (recently) the dumbeck. Check out her solo CD, "Cattywampus" at www.lintie.com. ***** Christa Burch - Christa grew up roving about Europe, thanks to her parents and the US Army. The experience left her with permanent wanderlust, a love of Things Old, and an ability to quickly adapt and integrate herself into new and strange situations. This proved useful when the family relocated to southern California, and she graduated to become an archaeologist, moving from dig to dig. At that time a friend gave her a Silly Wizard album which fired her musical imagination. When she finally succumbed to the travel bug, Scotland was her first destination in an intended 'round-the-world' trip. But the world had to wait as instead she immersed herself in music, floating from festival to festival and from pub to pub throughout Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, reveling in late-night jam sessions and song circles. Once addicted, she made repeat trips to Scotland and Ireland to feed both her musical and archaeological appetites. Returning penniless from her last walkabout, she decided she'd better cultivate her local music scene (i.e. stay home for a while), and so she began hunting up Celtic musicians and singers in California. While performing at coffee shops, pubs, folk circles and local music/art/multicultural festivals, she searched for and met her heroes — and jumped onstage with them whenever they let her. Before long, she'd met Kim, and the rest, as they say, is history. Christa also plays guitar, bodhran, whistles, and flute, and performs with the band TamLyn.

Instruments A capella vocals, bodhran, whistles, recorders, concertina, and dumbeck

Albums Lintie

Press Reviews "Clever lyrics and leaping harmonies make for engaging Celtic listening. These lovely, lilting tunes benefit from simple arrangments and the intricately interlaced female vocalists." (Sarah B., www.listen.com)

Location Irvine, CA - USA

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