Ian Hepher
Vocals, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, whistles, harmonica, kazoo
Ian is the band's chief organizer and music researcher. He's also a talented musician who seems to add a new instrument to his repertoire every two or three years. He plays guitar, 12-string guitar, walkabout dulcimer, octave mandolin and a score of different whistles. He hasn't indicated what his next instrument will be, but he hasn't ruled out the uillean pipes or the bouzouki.
Ian's first instrument, though, was the guitar which he started playing during high school in the 1960s. That was also when Ian first fell in love with Celtic music. Back then, he followed Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers, followed by the Irish Rovers and Silly Wizard.
Born in Vancouver, B.C., Ian also lived in Ottawa, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and Lac La Biche in northern Alberta before moving to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1977. Throughout his journeys, he kept playing music, usually just jamming with friends and family in the basement or at campfires.
In 1987, Ian joined a local bluegrass band, Dry Coulee String Band. For a decade, the group played at music festivals, cafes and parties, establishing a quality reputation among bluegrass enthusiasts.
When Dry Coulee String Band folded in 1998, Ian started jamming with D'Arcy Kavanagh. Soon, they and another ex-Dry Coulee String Band member, Bob Innes, had formed a Celtic group - Glencoulee.
For Ian, the current threesome who make up Glencoulee is a perfect combination "because the sum is greater than the parts. The three of us have a great time and we marvel at what we create together.
"Being on stage making music and seeing the audience respond whether with applause, or by dancing or singing along....well, life doesn't get much better," Ian says.
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Glencoulee
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
403-329-0179 darcy@wowcommunications.ca
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