Wake the Bard
Pat Huckaby is one of those born musicians. He's had a guitar in his hands ever since anyone can remember. In high school it was rock and roll bands and this continued for the next 20 years. Since those early beginnings, he's branched out into other types of music, such as Bluegrass and Celtic. Besides guitar, he also plays the mandolin and bass, and switches between harmony vocals and lead vocals. Pat also doubles as the sound engineer on all the CDs. Without a doubt, music is his life.
Sandi Huckaby is married to Pat and is the one responsible for luring him away from rock and roll and into Celtic music. She took up the hammered dulcimer 23 years ago because she liked its soft gentle sound on slow tunes and its rousing excitement on the fast dance tunes. She also enjoys playing American traditional music and loves nothing better than jamming in sessions with other like-minded folks. Her joy and enthusiasm are contagious, so she has no trouble convincing people to join in the fun.
Michael Adams has been an avid guitarist for over 35 years. Early in his career, Mike and his partner Greg opened for noted performers. Mike’s direction changed when he and new singing partner Stephanie got married and started a family. A move to the mountains several years ago exposed them to a form of music they had only heard in movies--Irish jigs and reels. Their musical interest changed from folk to Celtic, and playing with Irish musicians Pat and Sandi Huckaby led to the formation of Wake the Bard.
Stephanie Adams was trained as a concert pianist, but after numerous guild performances and recitals, she became dissatisfied with the classical music concert world. Meeting and performing with future husband Michael changed her musical interests forever. Stephanie’s love of Celtic music has solidified that new musical direction. She currently plays the harmonium, autoharp, and lends her beautiful singing voice to Wake the Bard’s vocals.
Meaning of Wake the Bard
“Wake the Bard” --- What does it mean?
Many people have asked us why we chose the name “Wake the Bard” and what does it mean. So here is the shortest explanation we can come up with: “Bard” (in this instance) doesn’t refer to Shakespeare, but instead to the “Bardic Tradition” in Irish history. In ancient times in Ireland, the bard was one of the most highly revered members of the clan, just under the king or chieftain in importance. Back then it was an oral tradition and nothing was written down, so it took about twenty years for the bards to study and memorize the genealogies, history and mythology of the people. They were the keepers of tribal experience and knowledge passed on through the oral tradition and down to the next generations. They accompanied themselves on the harp and their poetry was rich and evocative. Their poems of praise could uplift a king or chieftain in stature and reputation, or they could destroy the leader with their biting satire. To this day, the harp is the symbol of Ireland; and music and the power of language, whether it be in poetry or in other forms of literature, is still the hallmark of Irish culture, thanks to the ancient bardic tradition and the esteemed role the bards played in Irish society and tradition.
This was nearly destroyed, however, when England took control in Ireland and enforced strict penalties on Irish music, dance and story telling. The Irish language was forbidden, bards were killed and harps were destroyed in their efforts to wipe out resistance to English rule. These harsh laws kept the Irish impoverished for centuries, and it’s a wonder the Irish were able to keep any of their culture and traditions alive at all.
Therefore, the term “Wake the Bard” has two meanings. One, to wake, or mourn, all that was lost due to the oppressive English rule over Ireland. And two, to wake-up the tradition, the music and the poetry of the song lyrics in the spirit of the ancient bards who gave the world so much beauty and a profound respect for language and song.