OUR STORY
The Bow Tides is a powerhouse Celtic ensemble led by three Irish fiddlers: Ellery Klein, Jessie Burns and champion Irish dancer Katie Grennan. These dynamic women are veterans of the stage and studio, with a collective 16 years as the fiddlers with the Irish-American supergroup Gaelic Storm. Holding down the low end in the group are Grammy-nominated bassist Eric Thorin and guitarist/singer Jeff Lindblade.
The Bow Tides celebrate community and collaboration, delivering uplifting, unique Celtic music that evokes joy. Formed in 2020, the group was commissioned to produce online concerts for Spanish Peaks Irish Festival and Pittsburgh Irish Festival. Garnering rave reviews, and just one year later, they hit the main stage at Pittsburgh Irish Festival, debuting their stunning original compositions, rich harmonies and driving traditional tunes, songs and Irish dance arranged for three fiddles, guitar and double bass.
In 2023, they released their debut album Sailing On, packed full of gorgeous original compositions as well as a breadth of uniquely arranged traditional tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Galicia. 2024 has seen the Bow Tides headlining at festivals across the United States, including the nation’s largest: Milwaukee Irish Festival.
Jessie Burns
Jessie Burns grew up in England in a large and musical family, surrounded with Irish Culture and music through her Dad’s side of the family. She has been playing multiple instruments, including the violin since the age of 7. Jessie has recorded with many musicians including Gregory Allan Isakov, The Mollie O’Brien Band and The Bow Tides to name a few. She is best known for the six years she spent touring internationally with Irish-American Super-group, Gaelic Storm with whom she recorded three #1 Billboard World Music hit albums.
Jessie runs a busy music school, teaching violin/fiddle and piano and also teaches at camps and workshops nationwide such as Montana Fiddle Camp, Grand Targee Music Camp and Spanish Peaks International Celtic Festival. Jessie also co-produces the annual international fiddle school “Fiddle Frenzy” with her colleagues from The Bow Tides.
She can be heard performing with The Bonnie Paine Band, Take Down the Door and with the nationally based female Celtic fiddling trio, The Bow Tides. Jessie resides with her husband, bass player Eric Thorin, and their young daughters near Boulder, Colorado.
Katie Grennan
Katie Grennan’s traditional fiddle playing carries the articulation of a gifted classical musician tempered by the soul of a champion Irish dancer. Her wide ranging experience as an international touring performer in both live stage productions and television have given her a unique platform as an ambassador for the music of her heart.
Born and raised in Wexford, PA though residing in the Chicagoland area for over a decade, Katie has recorded a number of solo albums and is the founding member of number of cutting edge musical projects, including The Bow Tides & Chicago-based STEAM Quartet.
As a highly sought-after instructor of both traditional music and dance, she works with fiddlers of all ages and levels both in-person and virtually and is a lead instructor at the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance based in Chicago. Katie plays for Irish step dance competitions (Feiseanna) and championships around the country, and her music tailored especially for Irish dancers can be found on the Feis App.
Ellery Klein
Ellery Klein fiddles with an authentic and driving style forged from decades in Boston, MA. She lived for several years in Ireland, and earned an MA in Traditional Irish Music from the University of Limerick in 2001.
Ellery toured nationally with Gaelic Storm from 2003-2007. She currently performs with Portland, ME-Boston Irish music trio Fodhla. Ellery is passionate about conservation and nature, and along with Laurel Martin has created a program of Irish tunes focused on birds-and-agriculturally-themed tunes called “Stop and Listen: Irish Music’s Invitation to Observe.” In 2015, she traveled to Duluth, MN to perform the Celtic violin in Nickitas Demos’ “Long Journey Home, Double Concerto for Celtic Fiddler and Bluegrass Fiddler” with the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra.
Ellery loves to “give back” and currently teaches fiddle to a large studio of youth fiddlers in Medford and Belmont, MA, as well as online lessons and workshops. She taught fiddle for several years at the Boston Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann branch, has been a well-received and repeat instructor at Fiddle Hell, and in 2021 joined Katie, Jessie and Winifred Horan to launch the online winter fiddle and conversation weekend, Fiddle Frenzy.
Eric Thorin
Eric Thorin is a highly regarded musician/bassist living on the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He can be found on stage in 2022 in The Matt Flinner Trio with Ross Martin, on the road and on a new release from the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Bonnie Paine, Tony Furtado and more. Owner of Ethoriole Music, Eric was honored to be included on Grammy nominated recording Man On Fire by Danny Barnes.
Eric remains active in the studio as producer and performer, has written hundreds of compositions as a member of The Matt Flinner Trio, orchestrated songs for Elephant Revival with the Colorado Symphony and Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and mixed, mastered and produced the debut recording release of Take Down the Door, Live in Lyons.
Teaching is a big part of his presence in 2022 including the Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival and serving as adjunct faculty in the Folk and Bluegrass program at the University of Northern Colorado.
Jeff Lindblade
Jeff Lindblade is a multi-instrumental performer (guitar, uilleann pipes, Irish flute, and tin whistle) and vocalist with a passion for traditional and contemporary Irish music. Based outside of Chicago, he is known for his energetic live performances and his ability to blend traditional Irish melodies with modern influences.
Jeff took up the guitar at a young age and quickly developed a love for folk and bluegrass music. He began playing traditional Irish music as a young adult and has since traveled extensively in Ireland absorbing traditional melodies and culture. On these travels, he fell in love with the sound of the Irish bagpipes, the uilleann pipes, and then discovered the rich history of piping in Chicago from Patsy Touhey in 1893 to the modern day legendary Southside tour de force Kevin Henry.
Jeff has performed at many prestigious regional venues including the Chicago Celtic Festival, Milwaukee Irish Fest, and University of Chicago Folk festival. In addition to being a well respected member of the Chicago Irish music scene and a welcomed player at local music sessions, he has toured across the US and internationally with several Irish stage and dance productions. His current projects include The STEAM Irish Quartet and The Bow Tides.
Classes with The Bow Tides
Passionate about education and dedicated to preserving musical traditions, The Bow Tides excel not only in performance but also as teachers. Katie, Jessie, and Ellery each run thriving music studios in their respective regions, while the entire band actively engages in workshops and camps nationwide, imparting their expertise in fiddle, flute, bass, and guitar as well as in music theory and composition.
In a testament to their commitment to teaching, The Fiddlers of the band organized a highly successful online fiddle workshop called ‘Fiddle Frenzy’ in 2021 and 2022, drawing over 100 participants from five different countries annually. With a comprehensive and flexible teaching curriculum designed for all skill levels, they ensure that every musician leaves their sessions feeling accomplished and well-equipped to progress in their musical journey.
Past workshops and camps include:
Fiddle Frenzy, Spanish Peaks International Irish Festival, Grand Targhee Music Camp, Fox Cities Irish Festival, Blàs, Club Passim, Strings Traditions, Fiddle Pal Camp, Rocky Grass Academy and many more.
Please reach out to us if you are interested in booking The Bow Tides for your workshop or camp.
We can’t thank our 2022 Kickstarter supporters enough for helping us start this Bow Tides journey!
“Inspiration
exists,
but it has to
find you working.”
Pablo Picasso
Martin Grennan
Jane Sowder
Eron Johnson
Diane Klein
David Burns
Sarah Catchpole
John O’Keeffe
John McEnroe
Mairin Petrone
Patrick Morrissey