Castlebay weaves together Maine's ageless nautical and British Isles legacies transporting their audience through time and across the Atlantic. Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee have loved and researched traditional music for most of their lives and blend history, legend and experience into their personable performances. Finely crafted ballads with evocative imagery and beautiful melodies depict Maine characters, history, and life close to the elemental beauty of the sea and shore. Their renditions of traditional and original songs are supported with Celtic harp, 12-string guitar, fiddle & woodwinds. Castlebay has toured the Eastern US, British Isles & Ireland performing at festivals, museums, schools and folk clubs. To date they have released 20 recordings which recieve international airplay.
Julia Lane studied classical and flamenco guitar at Phillips Exeter academy and used the guitar to accompany her singing until 1989 when she discovered the Celtic harp. Self-taught, she rapidly became a skilled and exciting player, winning the Senior Professional division at the New Hampshire Scottish Games Harp Competition in 1990 and 1991 and the International Folk Harp Competition at Stonehill College in 1992. She is in demand as a teacher of performance workshops for the harp throughout the east coast of the US.
Fred Gosbee has played classic and 12-string guitar for over 35 years, began playing violin and viola and Irish flute about 1995. He learned many traditional songs from his family, who worked as lumbermen in the forests of New Brunswick and Maine. His original songs have been sung and recorded by other artists.
Contact:
Castlebay, Inc.
PO Box 168
Round Pond, ME 04564-0168