Roger Drawdy & The Firestarters Celtic Band from Covington, KY

Biography Roger Drawdy of County Cork Ireland, and his band the Firestarters play a mix of Traditional and original Irish music with a distinctive sound. Called 'air punching acoustic rockers' by Irish music magizine; they deliver the goods. Thought provoking lyrics, haunting melodies, and thunderous live performances are the keys to their success. The Firestarters formed in 2000 and have played in numerous venues around the U.S. Their new cd Open Seas, Empty Skies released July 2005 promises to take them to the top of the Irish music scene. Before forming the Firestarters, Roger released two solo albums, 'Longing for Home' and 'Dance in the Heather.' He gained international attention with the release of his track 'For Erin's Sake' on the Trees are Life' Cd produced in Dublin, Ireland by the Earth Wisdom Foundation. Together with the Firestarters he has released four Cds, 'The Emancipated Hostage' in 2000, 'Touched by the Sun' in 2001, 'Live Fire' in 2003, and their latest release 'Open Seas, Empty Skies.' The band is traveling more in 2006. In February The Firestarters performed on two stages each day for the Savannah Irish Festival, which was a rich experience to be sure with beautiful weather and wonderful people. Early in March the band traveled to Dallas to perform both Saturday and Sunday on the main stage at the North Texas Irish Festival. Again, warm crowds and beautiful weather illustrated why that festival has become so enormous. The month of March also included a very important event in Indianapolis (Leopalooza) through which money was raised in the name of Bobby Sands to help aid St. Mary's Primary School, Ballymena in the north of Ireland, which has been the target of violence. People often ask why 'The Firestarters?' It's very simple really. 'We were playing at my 'Dance in the Heather' CD release party at Jack Quinn's Irish Pub, I thought it would be cool to have a fog machine. A girl I had playing the harp for me got cold; She closed the window I had opened for ventilation and set off the flipin' fire alarm. It did not take long for the Fire department to show up. People thought it was part of the act. But the Fire department did not quite share their enthusiam. We were fined $50. After that the Firestarters just stuck.'