Fortunate Strangers combines the experience of Celtic performers from the Bay Area and the High Sierra. Celia Ramsay’s haunting voice and extensive experience in Scottish folk music combined with Joe and Kathy Bly’s long history of Irish music, blend to create a musical experience that is both lush and full, or spare and angular, depending on what the music calls for. The stories within the songs leap out in stark relief, unmasked and fully present.
The West Coast Celtic Band’s members met at music camp, but their name reflects a chance meeting in Ireland.
In 2010, Celia and her husband were touring the Irish town of Dingle. One evening, they decided to visit O’Flaherty’s pub, known for its music sessions, and across the room, Celia saw familiar faces. She wasn’t sure how she knew these people, but headed across the room to figure it out. Joe was thinking the same thing, and after a moment’s conversation, they put it together: Joe, Kathy and Celia were all denizens of Lark Music Camp in Mendocino, California. Over a couple of rounds of beer, Kathy and Joe explained that they were hiking the Dingle Way. It was a fortunate small-world meeting of folks who didn’t know each other, but are now fast friends.
Celia Ramsay
In childhood she sang such kindergarten hits as “Here We Go Loopty-Loo”, but Celia’s passion for Scottish songs surfaced when she was a teenager and continues to dominate her music life. Her sweet, supple voice beautifully navigates the sometimes sad, often humorous ballads from the land of her heritage. She has performed with the Black Brothers several times as a guest artist, and has three recordings to her name: Songs of My Father’s People – Mostly Scottish Songs About Love, Singer’s Request (a duo album with Shay Black that Celia produced) and I’ll Just Lie About It (Celia as jazz chanteuse and songwriter.)
Joe Bly
Traditional Irish and Appalachian music were woven into the fabric of Joe’s youth in North Carolina, and he has learned to play a variety of instruments over the years. He got his start playing gigs in old-time string bands and blues bands from high school through college, but quickly learned that playing banjo in a dorm stairwell was a terrible way to meet girls. Over the last two decades, he has dived deeply into Irish traditional music, learning from diverse masters that include Mary Flower, Shay Black, Cathie Ryan and Kevin Crawford. Joe has released two CDs with his band, Cíana: Cíana and Loneliest Road.
Kathy Bly
Although she discovered that stringed instruments are her true calling, Kathy boasts a long musical career as a jazz and classical woodwind player. She has performed professionally with the Colorado Springs Symphony, the Tucson Symphony, and the Virginia Symphony, as well as several jazz combos. For the last ten years, she has turned her attention and skill to playing Irish music, and has crafted her skills listening to other extraordinary Irish accompanists with her keen ear. She and husband, Joe are key players in the Nevada’s high desert Celtic band, Cíana.
“Kathy’s guitar and mandolin playing provides a rhythmic center, and the whistle and flute lines provide catchy, intertwining melodies.”
—Brad Bynum, Reno News and Review 6/21/12
“…Ramsay’s voice is captivating and convincing.” —Paul Freeman
