Dennis Doyle
Celtic Harp & Song
Teton Skye formed in early 2017 and have been sharing a wide mix of antique and modern music with a Scottish-American twist. They released their first album, Teton Skye. in 2019, and their second, Hearts in the Highlands, in 2020. Teton Skye delights all ages with heart-tugging ballads, toe-tapping folk rhythms, and tunes that become your new favorite each time you listen.
Slainte! At the Gathering this year, come experience a traditional Irish music session. Both the music and the gathering itself are "Traditional". The legacy and lore of Irish music has been passed down for generations in just such a setting. Historically, sessions are open to anyone who wants to play, learn, or listen to this rich tapestry of music and song. Western Montana is fortunate to have a lively, vibrant community of musicians playing this music in weekly sessions for more than twenty years. Players come together from the Bitterroot, Missoula, and north as far as Kalispell to play, socialize and generally carry on! We are also fortunate in Western Montana to have a strong connection with Ireland through the Irish Studies Program at the U of M. Over the years, many of the young women and men who have come to teach the Irish Language at the University have brought along their instruments and enriched our local traditional music scene. Stop by to enjoy a sampling of what we are lucky to have here in Western Montana!
Spreading Joy through Musical Performance.
The Katie Jane Band is all about spreading the joy of Celtic music to their listeners. The talented group has a fiery energy that is only rivaled by their unmistakable on-stage chemistry. Not only do these talented musicians perform original arrangements of high-speed AmeriCeltic fiddle tunes and heart-warming original songs, but their dynamic performance gets toes tapping and dancers dancing in every venue they attend. Katie Jane Lubiens is exploding with pure joy while she plays, and her sweet dulcet voice could melt an ice cap. Alongside her is Adam Easley's multi-instrumental accompaniment, whose unique rhythmic melodies blend to create a perfectly balanced musical counterpart. The Katie Jane Band brings to life the Celtic melodies that remind us of home, with a fiery twist that ignites the fires of a deepened love for fiddle music.
Swagger has been honing their original brand of Celtic music at festivals and concert halls across the United States since 2007. Well known for their high-energy stage performances and catchy original songs, Swagger’s music is the expected Irish celebration of drink, mischief, and music, which also dares to explore oppression and take an emigrant’s perspective on the virtues and vices of the Irish-American culture.
Swagger has released 4 studio albums, Trouble on the Green (2008), The Grave (2010), America Land (2013), and Gypsy Road (2017). The band has shared stages with The Young Dubliners, Brother, Albannach, Carlos Jones, The English Beat, Andy Frasco, Eric Dodge, and Howard Jones, just to name a few.
Swagger’s line up is as varied in their influences as they are in their origins. Calling on their musical backgrounds in rock, ska, funk, jazz, classical, bluegrass, and country, the band is constantly writing new material and changing up their offerings from festival to festival. Their musicianship and live performances give their audiences a truly complete entertainment experience to remember.
Again - back by popular demand - these guys make the BCGG what it is!!
Prepare yourself for a wild ride with WICKED TINKERS. Pioneers of the growing Tribal Celtic movement, Wicked Tinkers have been playing haunting, heart-pounding bagpipes and irresistable, tribal drums as a professional band since 1995 and for many years before that at parties, renaissance faires and on various street corners. With the addition several years back of the mesmerizing drone of the australian didgeridoo and bronze-age Irish horn the magic was complete. Sit back and be transported to an earlier time in Scotland and Ireland when battle cries filled the air and strange, unheard-of creatures roamed the night. Or better yet, get on your feet and let your body move to ancient rhythms and forgotten sounds. Don’t think that this is dry, dusty music for museum shelves- the boys in the band merge the best of modern, almost rock and roll energy with the hypnotic, insistent grooves of their gaelic ancestors. Rare is the bystander who comes away without feeling a surprising, sometimes bewildering connection with long-forgotten, primal emotions and half- memories of ages past and experiences unknown and yet somehow familiar. This is music to set your jaw, put a fire in your belly, a glint in your eye and a dance in your feet.
The WICKED TINKERS bring their vitality and humor to stages across America. They were on national television: THE GONG SHOW, THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON. Touring the U.S. for most of the year, they have made friends and fans from all over the world at some of the largest Highland Games, including: Pleasanton in California; the Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games in Enumclaw, Washington; the Texas Highland Games in Arlington, Texas; festivals in Estes Park, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada; as far east as the Oklahoma Highland Games; the Kentucky Scottish Weekend; the Rhode Island Celtic Festival; and the Mid-Winter Scottish-Irish Festival and Fair in Pennsylvania.
Cootehill Session Junkies
Bitterroot Celtic Games & Gathering
2024 Entertainment Line-up
2025 Entertainment Will be Announced Soon
Identical twin harpists Camille and Kennerly Kitt, known as the HARP TWINS, have achieved extraordinary success by taking Electric Harps and Concert Grand Harps to unprecedented levels and smashing boundaries between different genres of music. The twins’ ability to reinvent the harp has given them the opportunity to represent the United States at four World Harp Festivals, tour worldwide as a duo, and be featured guests on the 2020 nationwide PBS special, Celtic Heart. The duo has amassed over 2.5 million fans across their social media sites and over 155 million views on their YouTube music videos, making Camille and Kennerly the most followed and recognizable harp duo in the world. The Harp Twins have headlined countless concert series, festivals, fairs, comic-cons, and conventions – with audiences that include former U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents, tech titans, fashion moguls, dignitaries, and world leaders. Mixing their virtuoso harp skills with their stunningly complex arrangements of classic rock, metal, Celtic, and soundtrack hits - as well as Nordic inspired original songs - the Harp Twins deliver exciting, comedic, and interactive family-friendly performances that audiences
WICKED TINKERS
Bitterroot Celtic Games & Gathering
PO Box 1774 Hamilton MT 59840 US
406-274-8886
bitterrootcelticsociety@outlook.com
A 501(c)(3) non-profit # 46-5321460
Katie Jane Band
Dennis Doyle is a Celtic harpist, singer and storyteller.
His delightful program of traditional Irish harp music, stories, songs, bits of history and jokes have been performed all over North America, Japan and Ireland. Teachers and musicians run in his family which originally hails from County Wicklow.
His published material includes 12 recordings, 4 books and contributions to several other artist's recordings. His television work includes performances on the series Murder, She Wrote, and research and artwork material for programs on the History Channel. Over the years, he has served as the opening act for Clannad, the Dixie Chicks, and DeDannan.
Currently a professor emeritus, Dennis taught at Glendale Community College in Southern California lecturing in English, Humanities and Irish History & Literature and lead biannual Study Abroad tours to Ireland.
Dennis has also been affiliated with Conradh na Gaeilge for many years and holds a gold fainne showing proficiency in the Irish language. He also serves on the board of the Los Angeles branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
Hunter Koss
Jade Merriman is a Montana raised musician currently residing in Missoula. Growing up she sang in the family band with her mother and sister, music has always been a big part of who she is. After leaving the family band, RiverRose, she went on to college at the University of Montana where she got her degree in theater and Irish Studies. Jade has always been proud of her Irish background and currently expresses that pride through music and voice. This proud member of the Boyd Clan is always overjoyed to share her love of Irish song with anyone willing to listen.
Hunter Koss is a solo harpist who primarily enjoys performing Celtic, folk, and traditional tunes. Since the age of eleven, Hunter has been bringing the musical strings of a Celtic lever harp to life and nourishing a love for rearranging old Celtic folk tunes. Even more than arranging she loves to compose contemporary Celtic songs to share alongside her learned repertoire. Her original compositions, arrangements, and song selections are inspired by deep connections with family, friends, life experiences, and the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest region.
Hunter has been honored to perform at many locations in the region she calls home; this includes hospitals, professional offices, conferences, schools, private gatherings, and other special events. It is always a guess to say who enjoys her performances more: Hunter or her captivated listeners.
Jade Merriman