Fire in the Glen doesn't hold back at its performances, where audiences can't seem to help tapping their toes, clapping and singing along and even trying their hand (foot?) at step-dancing!!

These dedicated musicians are making a bold effort to bring Irish, Scottish and Maritimes music, as well as their own brand of "Celtic eclectic" accents, to southcentral Pennsylvania. A Fire in the Glen performance means a lively presentation of blistering fiddle tunes, mug-thumping pub songs and soulful ballads and airs. Now with a loyal following in their native Lancaster County, bandmates Tom Knapp (fiddle, bodhran), Jason Mundok (guitar, harmonica) and Aaron Gagne (vocals, percussion) are expanding to new horizons.

It was a stroke of fortune (OK, an accident -- ask Tom to tell you about it sometime) that brought Fire in the Glen together, with John Varner serving the first two years as singer/guitarist and Chet Williamson helping to redefine the band's sound over the next six years. Since the band's professional debut in March 1999, the group has opened for the likes of Lunasa, Great Big Sea, Tarras and bagpiper Kieran O'Hare. They've performed at the Festival Club at Cape Breton's highly esteemed Celtic Colours International Festival, the Celtic Fling in Mount Hope, Pa., and at countless pubs, festivals, wedding receptions, retirement homes and other social occasions.

The band's first CD, On the Road to Lisdoonvarna, is sold out after receiving lots of positive feedback for its lively appeal. Also gone is the band's EP, Aaargh! The Susquehanna Pirates!, which featured some of the band's original work, and Pirates, Wakes & Whiskey, the band's second full-length CD that boasted 70 minutes of music, including several tracks recorded live at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy, Pa. Still available is recording, Let the Wind Blow High, which was released in March 2005. Their most recent CD, Shout 'til the Break of Day, was released in 2010.

If you're interested in a band which blends traditional Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton styles with its own "Celtic eclectic" approach, check out Fire in the Glen. You can reach the band by calling Tom at 717-396-9293 or by e-mailing him at tom@fireintheglen.com. Visit their website at http://fireintheglen.com.



So, who are these guys, anyway?

Tom Knapp studied classical violin during his formative years but locked it away in a dusty closet immediately after graduating from high school. Years later he released it from captivity, dubbed it "fiddle" and began a wild love affair with Irish music. He co-founded Fire in the Glen in March 1999.

Tom has played bodhran on albums by Harmony Hill and Varner Lynch, and he has performed on stage with Maggie Drennon, the Rogues, Enter the Haggis, Clannamore, Laune Rangers, Knotwork Band, Woad Women and Arcona Reel Band. When he's not performing, Tom is a reporter with the Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster County's daily newspaper. He is founder and editor of Rambles.NET, a prominent online review magazine.

 Jason Mundok has been performing, writing and recording music since the late 1980s. He spent over six years during the 1990s in Nashville, TN, where he played in a variety of rock, folk and country bands.

Jason relocated in 1999 to Lancaster, where he continued to perform acoustic gigs both solo and with a number of local bands.

When not playing with Fire in the Glen, Jason continues to write and record contemporary folk music under his own name. He also hosts a house concert series called Wood Stove House concerts and operates a recording studio for local acts at his home in Lancaster.

 Aaron Gagne, a native Vermonter, grew up singing and acting in his hometown of Highgate.

After relocating to Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s, he began touring and recording with several bands familiar to the Lancaster scene, such as Rainchildren and Reveal (percussion and vocals) and most recently Kheris (drums and vocals).

In between gigging with bands, Aaron acted full-time for six years at Sight & Sound Theaters in Lancaster County, Pa. Joining Fire in the Glen, Aaron now comes full circle getting back to his roots in singing, which started him on his creative journey.

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