is a group of Celtic oriented musicians that specialize in following the river of traditional music as it meets the contemporary world. Consisting of Collier Hyams of 50ManMachine and the Neil Anderson Group (voice, guitars, percussion); EJ Jones of Clandestine and the Willow Band (Highland, Uilleann, and small bagpipes, bombard, flutes and whistles, voice); and Rosie Shipley noted teacher and performer with Cherish the Ladies among others (fiddle) the group has a large vocabulary of Scottish, Irish, French Breton, Canadian Cape Breton and American tunes woven through their songs and improvised movements of music.

Collier Hyams, an American-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, grew up in South East Asia and Europe. A world musician in the truest sense, his practical experience ranges from spending summers with the Ga tribe in West Africa studying Ghanaian drumming to hiking the Highlands and Islands of Northwest Scotland learning ancient Gaelic musical traditions such as the Highland bagpipe piobaireach and lilting. Collier tours internationally and works with highly regarded artists in a variety of genres. He has worked with Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish (Living Colour), Sean Lennon, Duncan Sheik, Jaron Lanier, Sussan Deyhim, Shirin Neshat, noted film composer Richard Horowitz, and many others. His live performance credits include appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Collier's songs incorporate the rhythms and melodic senses of these cultures while fitting nicely into a certain world-celtic genre.

Rosie Shipley, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, has been playing the fiddle since she was three years old. She learned her first Irish tunes at the age of eight from master fiddler Brendan Mulvihill. Though she was more interested in Brendan's pets at the time, she stuck with her fiddle lessons and grew passionate about traditional music as the years went by. As a teenager, Rosie attended the Gaelic College of Arts and Crafts on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, where she became well versed in the music that came to Cape Breton from Scotland over 150 years ago. Rosie performs, conducts workshops, and participates in festivals on the East Coast and in Nova Scotia. When home in Baltimore, she runs a popular private music studio for Irish and Cape Breton music. At Home, her debut recording of Irish and Cape Breton music, features Rosie, pianist Matt Mulqueen, and Rosie's brothers Peter (fiddle) and Trevor (flute/uilleann pipes/tin whistle).

EJ Jones has played the Highland bagpipe since age eleven and has been in the prize lists of the U.S. Piping Foundation and the Nicol-Brown Chalice. He founded, writes music for and plays with the group Clandestine, from 1991 through the present. With Clandestine he has recorded four CDs, toured nationally, and won numerous awards. E.J.'s playing is the result of years spent in traditional study; his imagination and orchestration open up new avenues for the band in Celtic music.

Contact Manannan at: Manannan • 9811 Pebble Weigh Court • Burke, VA 22015 • 703.913.6143 • collier@50manmachine.com