Rawlins Cross, one of Canada’s most accomplished Celtic bands,
rekindles the magic with the national release of Anthology (Ground Swell/Warner Music), collecting a dozen of its
best-known songs along with four brand new tracks into one beautiful new
package. The band is again touring and selling out concert venues
and thrilling festival audiences from coast to coast.
The band was formed in St. John's in the late
1980s by songwriting brothers Dave Panting (guitar and mandolin) and Geoff
Panting (keyboards and accordion) and Ian McKinnon (highland pipes and tin
whistle). Since then, Rawlins
Cross has been at the vanguard of the fusion of Celtic traditional music with
the rhythms of rock, pop and worldbeat music. Equally at ease with a soulful
Highland Air (MacPherson's Lament) or
a raucous party song (Colleen, Wild Rose,
Reel 'n' Roll), Rawlins Cross never fails to electrify its faithful
fans. Rawlins Cross is always a “fan
favorite”
on the
North American and European music festival circuit consistently
earning return engagements.
The band burst onto the East Coast recording scene in late '89 with its first indie
recording, A Turn of the Wheel and a
video for the single Colleen. Just
weeks after its release, Colleen
scored a top ten radio slot on Toronto's influential CFNY s …
Rawlins Cross, one of Canada’s most accomplished Celtic bands,
rekindles the magic with the national release of Anthology (Ground Swell/Warner Music), collecting a dozen of its
best-known songs along with four brand new tracks into one beautiful new
package. The band is again touring and selling out concert venues
and thrilling festival audiences from coast to coast.
The band was formed in St. John's in the late
1980s by songwriting brothers Dave Panting (guitar and mandolin) and Geoff
Panting (keyboards and accordion) and Ian McKinnon (highland pipes and tin
whistle). Since then, Rawlins
Cross has been at the vanguard of the fusion of Celtic traditional music with
the rhythms of rock, pop and worldbeat music. Equally at ease with a soulful
Highland Air (MacPherson's Lament) or
a raucous party song (Colleen, Wild Rose,
Reel 'n' Roll), Rawlins Cross never fails to electrify its faithful
fans. Rawlins Cross is always a “fan
favorite”
on the
North American and European music festival circuit consistently
earning return engagements.
The band burst onto the East Coast recording scene in late '89 with its first indie
recording, A Turn of the Wheel and a
video for the single Colleen. Just
weeks after its release, Colleen
scored a top ten radio slot on Toronto's influential CFNY station and Rawlins
Cross was on its way.
In 1992, the band released Crossing The Border, which further developed the ground-breaking
fusion of highland bagpipes, mandolin and accordion with a rocking rhythm
section. A year later the band
recorded Reel 'n' Roll, which would
prove to be its best-selling commercial success and launch a national radio hit
with the title track. With the solid rhythm section of Halifax bassist Brian
Bourne and Ontario-based drummer Howie Southwood, Rawlins Cross enlisted PEI
singer Joey Kitson to complete its signature sound.
Already one of the top concert draws in the region, and
with a growing fanbase across Canada and in Europe, Rawlins Cross released Living River in 1995, which garnered
two Juno Award nominations. The band toured Canada three times that year and
signed a licencing deal for its music in Europe.
Rawlins Cross performed live on the nationally-televised
East Coast Music Awards before an audience of two million viewers. The band
expanded its international audience by headlining
the 9th Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration Festival in Germany and also
representing Canada at the Expo Cumbre de las Americas in Santiago, Chile.
Two more albums followed: Celtic Instrumentals in 1997, a retrospective collection and the
studio album Make It On Time, which
would prove to be the band's last album for more than a decade. With total
album sales topping 100,000 units, Rawlins Cross has been one of the region's
most successful bands.
Now the band is back with Anthology and is booking concert and festival performances for 2010
and beyond.
