Fifty Great Celtic Jigs (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781468129991)

Gregory fell in love with the tinwhistle the first time he heard one. Driven to recreate the sound, he got his first whistle in 1995, and has been playing obsessively ever since. He originally earned his chops in Houston, Texas, known for its large Celtic music scene featuring such bands as Clandestine and Instanpitta, as well as a 20+ year old Irish Session tradition. With the Texas Renaissance Festival close by, and being one of the largest Renaissance festivals in the country, Greg had exposure to more top notch musical talent, such as The Rogues (6 time Grammy award winners), the Gypsy Guerilla Band and more. Greg formed his first band, Echoes of Ireland, in Houston in the year 2000. EoI featured a traditional sound with the tinwhistle as the lead instrument, accompanied guitar and bodhran (a type of Irish drum). The band quickly gained success and recognition in Houston, performing regularly in Irish pubs across the city, and was one of only two bands chosen to perform for Charles Sheehan, Consul General of Northern Ireland, on his visit to Houston for a Special Olympics Benefit in 2003. The band was also featured on KPFT's Irish Airs program. After moving to Dallas, Greg formed the band Scotch-Irish to perform at the Texas Rennaisance Festival, as well as performing alongside artist EJ Jones during festival events. The band featured Greg on whistle and low whistle, accompanied by bodhran and fiddle. This dynamic trio cranked out high-energy dance music for 10 hours a day on the grounds of the Festival, and selling their self-titled CD. Greg began performing weekly with the O'Dwyer Session Players, and was quickly recruited to play for F-Troupe, later to be known as Paddy Gone Wild. Paddy Gone Wild is a large c駟lidh-style band featuring a revolving retinue of musicians. Paddy Gone Wild released their first CD, The Greatest Hits, in 2008, prominently showcasing Greg's playing on much of the CD. Greg can currently be found playing occasionally at Irish sessions in Northern Virginia.