User:Aaronwpowell/sandbox

Callanach is a five-piece American Celtic rock band from Rochester, NY. Started in 2010 by fiddle player Marissa Ruper, the band is currently composed of Abe Ruper, Ryan Rovito, James McGowan, and Aaron Powell. Their debut album, Walk On Up, was met with moderate success as the single "Irish Pubs" climbed to Celtic rock song of the year (CelticRadio.net). The band is popular on the Upstate festival circuit, playing at the Niagara Celtic Festival, The Great American Irish Festival, the Hunter Mountain Irish Festival, the Finger Lakes Celtic Festival, and many others. Callanach is now finishing up their second studio album, A Needle Pointing North, tentatively set to release in December 2013.

Current Members

 * Ryan Rovito (vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica)
 * Marissa Ruper (vocals, fiddle)
 * Abe Ruper (electric guitar)
 * Jim McGowan (drums)
 * Aaron Powell (vocals, bass guitar)

Former Members

 * Levi
 * Kasey Rovito (vocals)
 * Kasey Rovito (vocals)

Guest Artists

 * Mike Zamiara (vocals on "Donnie" and "The War")

Early Years
Callanach was born out of a passion for music and a desire for creative control. Marissa found herself deep in the local Celtic scene as she spent weekend after weekend playing with local groups like Kilrush and Sisters of Murphy. The deeper she got, though, the more she missed playing with her husband, Abe Ruper, and was determined to start a project where she could have more control over the lyrics and style of her music. She first approached...

Aaron, who was normally found with an acoustic guitar, was invited to play bass for Callanach soon after.

Beyond The Music
Callanach's unique chemistry, both on and off-stage, is largely thanks to the family-like nucleus they created long before the project began. Marissa first met Ryan when they took a class together at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He invited her to join his rock band, where she met—and instantly fell in love with—Abe. Soon after, they met Jim through the praise band at their local church, but Aaron didn't get involved until a couple years later when he met Abe and Marissa through a student group at RIT.

Discography

 * Callanach EP (2010)
 * Walk On Up (2012)
 * A Needle Pointing North (expected late 2013)