The “Aran Band” is a group of seven good friends who enjoy performing Irish,
Scottish and other Celtic music. The name Aran comes from the Aran Islands,
located near Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland, and the last Irish land
seen by most emigrants who sailed to America. We enjoy playing fast
instrumental numbers, slow aires, and singing traditional ballads, drinking
songs and shanties. We have members from a wide area, but are centered around
Johnstown, in Western Pennsylvania. The band’s roots go back more than
twenty-five years, when Ron Hamilton (pennywhistles, button boxes, bouzouki,
percussion) began performing with Gary Noll (lead singer, guitar, bodhran,
pennywhistle). Next came the two “Seamuses,” Jim Brett (lead singer, guitar,
bouzouki), and “Banjo” Jim Kupchella, (lead singer, banjo, guitar). Joining
soon thereafter were Jerry Clark (mandolin, bouzouki, pennywhistles, low
pennywhistles), Carl Rahkonen (fiddle, bass, bodhran), and Matt Willen
(mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, uilleann pipes). We gather for a dozen or so
public performances every year, and many more private get-togethers to enjoy the
music we all love.
L to R: Jerry Clark, Carl Rahkonen, Gary Noll, Ron
Hamilton, Jim
Brett, and Jim Kupchella, at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic
Site, June 21, 2008.
Performances in 2011
February 19th Irish Pub Night at Our Mother of
Sorrows, Johnstown. 7:00--10:00 pm
March 11th Mac's Irish Bash,
Altoona, PA.
March 12th Knights of Equity Party following St Patrick’s Day
Parade at Mullen's in Pittsburgh (North Shore), 1:00 – 4:00 pm
March 17th Murphy’s in Johnstown about 6:00 pm--
July 24th Dillweed
Herb Garden Concert Series, Dilltown, PA 4-6 pm
Sept. 9th Philly
Street Cafe Friday Concert Series, 732 Philadelphia St., Indiana, PA
7-9 pm
Sept. 16th Mt. Aloysius
College, Cresson, PA 7-9 pm
October 1st The Thistle and Pine Celtic
Festival, 7570 Rt. 119 N. Marion Center, PA 11am-2 pm
other performances TBA
To see our Photo Gallery click here.
Web-site created and maintained by
Carl Rahkonen.
©
2000- Last modified 7/24/11
Comments and/or suggestions may be e-mailed to:
rahkonen@.iup.edu.
Space is provided for this site by
Indiana University of Pennsylvania,
which assumes no responsibility for its contents.
URL=http://www.people.iup.edu/rahkonen/Bands/Aran.htm