By Cynthia Jessup
Irish music is especially popular this time of year, and Capital Celtic has taken up the challenge of spreading it around. “We have 20 performances in 17 days. On St. Patty’s Day, we have three performances booked,” lead performer of Capital Celtic, Steven Toole, says.
Toole’s band is a trio including fiddler Kaitlyn Likas and flute player Jessica Balick. Toole started his band in February 2015. For the first month, he did free performances at O’Malley’s Pub in Dulles to get his name out to the public. Within eight months, his band was so in demand that they had to limit specific times they could perform. Having day jobs in IT, computer software and as a contractor, Toole, Balick, and Likas have limited availability, which makes it harder to meet the demands of their venues. “We aim to meet and rehearse at least two hours a week,” Toole says.
Toole plays acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjitar and harmonica, some at the same time. Balick and Toole pitch in on vocals as well. “We’re two-thirds female, which you don’t find very much with other bands, so we have a wider vocal range and sound than male-only bands,” Toole says.
Likas, a professional Irish dancer, adds her own flair. “In future performances, I’m going to add my own dancing and play the fiddle at the same time,” Likas says.
They have many songs recorded and available to listen to on their website. Their creativity has increase as their popularity has grown. “For instance, we added an Irish twist to songs like “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, “Blue Sky” by the Allman Brothers and “Dead Flowers” by the Rolling Stones,” Toole says. “Music takes people to places they want to be, and we provide that ambiance.”
