Nelson: Dad
Instrument: Guitar
Favorites: canoeing, playing guitar, Phil Keaggy, carrom, painting, Poor Man’s Steak, reading ‘The Biggest Bear’ to his children, Larry Carlton, camping, James Herriot books, coffee, dark chocolate, house parties, and bushwhacking.
Elaine: Mom
Instrument: bass guitar
Favorites: playing bass guitar, homeschooling the kids, canoeing, camping, gardening, reading, Scrabble, going out on dates with Nelson, scrapbooking, and hanging out with my goofy family.
Emily: 18 years old.
Instruments: fiddle, bagpipes, banjo, concertina
Favorites: Chocolate, scrapbooking, cooking and baking, crotcheing, flying, summer, playing bagpipes with J and the Quittapahilla Highlanders, Proverbs, hoedowns, lame jokes, being a webmaster, Nancy Drew, playing Reuben on the banjo, Dutch Blitz, going on long walks with mom, performing..........
Zach: 9 years old. 3rd grade.
Instrument: fiddle
Favorites: playing in the sandbox, reading, cowboys, pizza, red, playing with Phillip and Nathan, Christmas, Kutztown Folk Festival, wrestling with Brian, bb guns, roasting hotdogs, Twin Grove, camping, playing in the cabin in our backyard, 'Old Joe Clark', vegetable soup, Adirondacks, and Andy Griffith.
Melissa: 16 years old. 12th grade.
Instruments: fiddle, Irish whistles, accordian, mandolin, guitar
Favorites: teaching fiddle, crocheting, reading, pesting Alex, potato bread, camping in the cabin, writing mysteries, going to southern gospel concerts with Jenny, puzzles, Suzuki, shopping, I'd like to be a pirate so that I can go in the crow's nest, playing with Celeste, polka, chocolate milk, Reese’s shirts, quilting, parfait pie, playing games with Zach, taco salad, and 'Little Women'.
Christy: 11 years old. 6th grade.
Instruments: fiddle, piano, djembe
Favorites: Irish dance, riding bike, crocheting, playing doll, e-mailing her favorite cousin Arvilla, green, yellow, orange, baked corn, Leahy, pizza, camping, Back to School with Betsy, canoeing, swimming, sleeping, playing with Faith, Emme, and Lydia, ice skating, sledding, 'Pioneer Day', speed reading, salsa and chips, paper dolls, blinking toothbrush, cooking with mom, Tallahassee, Emily, and Celtic Spring.
Earl Pyles, a.k.a. Gramps, enjoys all styles of music and plays guitar and drums. A drummer since the age of 10, he prefers playing Roland TD-20 digital drum kits for their versatility and he brings a wide variety of musical styles from rock, jazz, folk, and blues to the band's performances. Earl lives with and cares for his Father in Lebanon County and volunteers with On-Fire Youth Ministries, a local ministry outreach program in Myerstown, PA. In his spare time, Earl's other interest is trying to eat Brian's chickens (YUM!!!!!)
Brian: 13 years old. 8th grade.
Instruments: guitar, drums, fiddle,
Favorites: the outdoors, playing his drum kit, chickens, woodworking, painting, flying, Eileen Ivers, Irish dance, bbq chicken, dance class, hunting, 'Trip to Killavil', dark blue, spring, djembe, inventing stuff, Thanksgiving, and wrestling with Zach.
Alex: 4 years old.
Instrument: None so far!
Favorites: eating, coloring, running, bubbles, trying to play the fiddle, Grandma Harnley's fudge, Thomas the Tank Engine, Mrs. Fisher's fudge, puppies, chocolate, singing, "Mooey", playing outside, and reading books.
Promotional Pictures:
Photo by Matt Wlasniewski
Photo by Matt Wlasniewski
Photo by Matt Wlasniewski
Photo by Matt Wlasniewski
Photo by Matt Wlasniewski
Photo by Matt Wlasniewski
The Martin Family Band, from south-eastern Pennsylvania is an exciting, energetic group that features traditional Celtic music as well as Irish step dancing.
A performance by the Martin Family Band will feature the musical ability of five of the Martin children, ranging in age from 18 to 9, accompanied by their parents on guitar and bass, and drummer, Earl Pyles. Although the fiddle is the dominant instrument in a performance by the Martin Family Band, shows also include several other instruments such as the Irish whistles, concertina, mandolin, bagpipes, and percussion. Their shows also feature some Irish step dancing by the Martin sisters, which is always a crowd favorite.
The family has been performing music since 2004 and has quickly become a musical sensation, performing throughout the region at various fairs, festivals, and other venues such as Bethlehem Musikfest, McLain Celtic Festival, Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival, Kutztown Folk Festival, Southern Maryland Celtic Festival, and at theaters such as the Miller Center in Reading PA, and the Kirkland Arts Center in Clinton, New York.
The Martin Family Band is:
Nelson- guitar
Elaine- bass guitar
Emily-fiddle/concertina/bagpipes/Irish dance
Melissa- fiddle/mandolin/Irish whistles/Irish dance
Brian- guitar/percussion
Christy- fiddle/Irish dance
Zach- fiddle
Earl Pyles- drums
Nelson
Elaine
Emily
Melissa
Brian
Christy
Zach
Alex
Earl
Click on a name to read bio
The Drum Dance
Morrison's Jig performed at Crave Coffee House
Click on the magazine to read Kelly Watson's
article on the Martin Family Band
