Taking top honors for “Best Celtic Rock Band” of 2006 in the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine Annual Audience Poll, RATHKELTAÍR (pronounced rath-KELT-ur) enjoys a loyal and growing international fan base. RATHKELTAÍR consists of bagpiper Neil Anderson and drummer Nick Watson, two original members of America’s ground-breaking Celtic rock supergroup 7 Nations, and guitarist Trevor Tanner, front-man/lead guitarist/songwriter for The Bolshoi, one of the most influential UK rock bands of the late ’80’s. RATHKELTAÍR can tailor its show to any venue, appearing as a power trio, or as a four-piece (bass guitar) or five-piece (bass guitar & fiddle). 2006 was a crazy year for RATHKELTAÍR, with ‘piper Neil Anderson being called up for a tour of duty in Iraq. The band down-shifted temporarily while Neil went off to serve his country. Neil’s recent return home has kicked the band into high gear again, with a new CD and lots of new dates in the works. The name RATHKELTAÍR comes from drummer Nick Watson, a native of County Down, Northern Ireland. It means “hill of the Celts” and is an ancient archeaological site near the village where Nick grew up. The band has just released its second CD, “Big White Van,” available now at CD BABY.

http://www.myspace.com/rathkeltair