Fire in the Glen





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) and Jason Mundok (vocals, guitar) 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 duo 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 duo's original work. Better still (and still available) is Pirates, Wakes & Whiskey, the band's second full-length CD that boasts 70 minutes of music, including several tracks recorded live at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy, Pa. Their latest recording, Let the Wind Blow High, was released in March 2005.

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 them at fitg@rambles.net. Visit their website at http://www.rambles.net/fitg/.



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, the Knotwork Band and Arcona Reel Band. When he's not performing, Tom is a newspaper reporter with the Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster County's leading daily newspaper. He also 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 and country bands. Jason relocated to Lancaster in 1999 where he continued to perform solo acoustic gigs and gigs with such bands as the J Mundok Band, Squeeze Play and Woodsong.

When not playing with Fire in the Glen, Jason plays bass in the Lancaster folk and country band Living Fables. Jason has recently completed CD projects for Living Fables and Jordan Rast in his Oil Tank recording studio. A new Fire in the Glen CD is currently in the works at the Oil Tank.

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