Members
Gigs
Skidu is a young, electrifying new musical group from the D.C. area in search of original, vibrant ways to expand the Celtic music tradition. All three members of the band share a passionate interest in this tradition.
The most recent member of Skidu, Zan McLeod is one of the most talented accompanists and arrangers in the world of Irish music today. Not only is he known for his guitar and bouzouki playing but he is rapidly becoming known for his engineering and producing talents.
Originally from North Carolina of Scots-Irish descent he was the co-founder of the group TOUCHSTONE, which recorded two award winning, memorable albums in the l980's. Zan has since moved to the Washington, DC area where he now performs as a freelance artist.
He combines great musical skills and technical knowledge with a rare sensitivity and delicacy, which enhances every musical situation he participates in.
Zan's solo project HIGHLAND SOUL, won the Washington Area Music Association award for Album of the Year in l993, while at the same time Zan captured the Best Instrumentalist award. While in Ireland he recorded THE RING SESSIONS with fiddler James Kelly, which received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.
A 1997 graduate of the Omega School of Recording Arts & Sciences, Zan is now producing and engineering from his own project studio TONEHOUSE, where he is working on his next solo release.
(For more information, see http://www.celticmusic.com/zan/)David Knight qualified to compete at the U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Championships in 1997 and composed and performed the score for Quantum Theatre's production of David Harrower's
http://www.geocities.com/dakwho
Matty Metcalfe won the Washington Area Guild Award for Classical Piano before taking up the accordion and banjo to become a balladeer for Colonial Williamsburg.
Pat Cavanaugh has played in various lineups around the Washington and Richmond areas for years. He runs an Irish sessiun with Dennis Botzer every Tuesday night at Sean Donlon's in Annapolis, Maryland.
After their respective college careers, Matty and Patrick Cavanagh founded the Irish band Echolalia, a professional touring band based in southern Virginia.
In July 1999, after reuniting again in Washington D.C., Matty and Patrick met David and imediately found a shared interest in writing original music, improvising on Celtic melodies, interweaving other musical styles (Cajun, Eastern European, Latin, Jazz, etc.) and playing their hearts out, whether the tunes were lightning quick reels or emotive slow airs.
The result is a unique blend of old and new styles, rooted in tradition, yet given new life with revolutionary arrangements, contagious original melodies, and fierce collective energy.
We think you will agree that it is hard to keep your toes from tapping their way straight through your shoes when you hear the explosive musical energy of Skidu.
For more information, contact:
Matty Metcalfe at +703.527.8650 or msmetc@netscape.net
Pat Cavanagh at +301.891.7867
David Knight at +202.234.0638 or dak@who.net
