Artist description Cianan draw their strength from both traditional folk training, and modern live performance technology, offering a vibrant slant on Celtic music. Featuring instruments such as the uilleann pipes, the appalachian dulcimer, mandolin, low and high whistles, recorders, cittern, fiddle, and guitar, the four-piece manage to balance their traditional folk music origins with their modern edge - drum loops, samples and sequencing. Playing a mix of Irish, Scottish and original songs and tunes - along with some better known radio fare - Cianan view traditional music as the source of their inspiration, rather than their ultimate destination.

Music Style Modern celtic

Artist History Just after they picked up their first instruments at 13 years of age, Dean and Justin started recording original songs on a four-track recording setup Dean had. At the time, they were influenced by the likes of The Cure, The Smiths, and Scottish folk-rock outfit Big Country (who, in particular, would influence Justin's songwriting later). Eventually, their musical directions diverged. Dean delved into production songwriting and the hardware side of music, and Justin joined a funk-metal outfit for several years as bass player and vocalist.Tiring of the rock scene, Justin quit, and began playing guitar with his younger brother Matt (who was at that time a grunge devotee), who had picked up bass. Enlisting Matt's high school friend Sergio Patuto (preferring funk and jazz) on drums, they began playing rock covers as a hobby. One night after a jam at a rehearsal room, Matt, Justin and Sergio went down to a nearby pub for a beer. They heard an Irish band that impressed them so much with their perfect mix of melody and rhythm that it inspired all of them to take up folk music. Soon, this new influence came through in the folk-rock songs Justin began to write. Eventually, the three eschewed their rock influence and formed a traditional folk band, enlisting the help of local fiddle legend Dave Clarke, and adopted the name Raven. Raven's first paid gig, with Dave, Justin on guitar, Matt on bass and Sergio on bodhran, was on the 22nd of August 1997. Guest performers during that time included Ormonde Waters and Sue Harris of the Fling. After Dave's departure some months later, several other fiddle players filled the vacancy, including Eleanor Firth and Xena Coffey. A brief hiatus ensued after both Eleanor and Xena departed, and a couple of months after that (mid-1998), Raven reemerged as Cianan with Justin on fiddle, whistles and mandolin, Sergio on bodhran and concertina, and Matt on guitar. Wanting a fuller sound, Cianan recruited Joe Dallison as the second guitarist - and the band achieved it's most stable line-up to date; this lasted until late 1999, when Joe left, followed in fairly quick succession by Sergio. Matt and Justin were left with something of a dilemma. How were they going to replace the gap left in their sound, since both concertina and bodhran players are rare? This apparent dilemma turned into an opportunity to grow when Dean Usher and Isabella Jennings agreed to join. Isabella had met the band at various traditional sessions (where folk musicians get together and play tunes and songs they know in common, in a very laissez - faire atmosphere), and Justin and Dean had still been recording together off and on over the years. This final line-up change allowed Matt and Justin to develop a sound they had long wanted to experiment with - a hybrid of modern and traditional, with an almost Riverdance sound. Which brings us to the present.

Group Members Justin Pickford, 26 years old, sings (harmonies and lead), plays mandolin, low whistle, cittern and fiddle, as well as the uilleann pipes and the appalachian dulcimer. Justin is responsible for the majority of the songwriting.Isabella Jennings, 32 years old, harmonizes, plays the recorder and bass recorder, as well as tin whistles. Many of the tune arrangements are hers.Matthew Pickford, 22 years old, sings (harmonies and lead), and plays guitar and cittern. Matt is responsible for arranging many of the traditional songs.Dean Usher, 26 years old, is the 'modern' face of Cianan, being responsible for programming, keyboards and percussion - which give Cianan their unique sound.

Location Perth, Western Australia - Australia

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