The name Shanveen comes from the village my mother grew up in Donegal, Ireland. Our story began
in 1999 when Theresa's music teacher asked if her family could do a
presentation of Irish dance and music for St. Patrick's Day. In those
days I was the only vocalist and guitarist. Mary played a souvenir penny
whistle, JP played a decorative Irish Bodhrán (bone drum) and Patrick played an
old keyboard on the accordion setting. Although these were very humble
beginnings, people really enjoyed the music we played. For the first
three years we mostly did old Irish Pub songs with very little variation in
style or instrumentation. We performed at Churches, preschools,
Retirement homes and any place that would have us.
But our most significant performance was in the summer of 2002 when we were invited to play at the
North Georgia Celtic Festival in Gainesville, Georgia. It was the first
time we had ever played along side other Celtic bands and we were an instant
hit! But more important we were exposed to and welcomed into the Celtic
music community in the North Georgia area. Since then we have grown and
matured in many aspects of our music, styles, and abilities. We have
played at Underground Atlanta, The Loafing Leprechaun, The North Georgia Celtic
Festival, The Atlanta Celtic Festival, Chateau Elan, Callanwolde Fine Arts
Center, Little Gardens, Dunwoody Country Club, Buford Summer in the
Streets, The Duluth Fall Festival, The Norcross Fall Festival, Snellville Days
Festival, The Wink Theatre, The Barking Legs Theatre and dozens more special
events, concerts and private parties.
Mary Elizabeth Williams
Mary is now an award-winning musician in Penny Whistle, Irish Flute, Uilleann
Pipes and voice. She also plays piano, guitar, Bodhrán and is working on
the fiddle and banjo. She has an enchanting lilting voice and an
incredible ability to instantly improvise beautiful harmonies to everything she
hears. Shanveen’s most recent and most popular songs have been composed
and arranged by Mary.
Patrick Michael Williams
Patrick has also come a long way from his early days with Shanveen. His
skills as an award-winning pianist allowed him to transition into the accordion
with great ease. He taught himself to play guitar and with some mentoring
from Michael Robins of the Border Collies, he has become an expert in the
Celtic - DADGAD guitar style. Patrick also plays the mandolin, Bodhrán
and wooden spoons and in addition is a fantastic singer. His deep mellow
tones blend perfectly with Mary to produce many awesome duets.
John Paul Williams
JP is our drummer. Over the years his simple beats have become much
more intricate and electrifying. JP plays the Irish Bodhrán, standard
drums, congas, bongos, djembes, spoons, bones and electric guitar.
Although most of the time he prefers not to sing, he also possesses an
incredible voice. Another of his talents is hooking up our sound system
and creating a mixes that capture the natural essence of Shanveen’s unique
sound.
Mickey Williams
I am JP, Patrick and Mary’s dad, the manager and the original driving
force of Shanveen. I’ve been singing Irish tunes and playing guitar since
I was a teenager. My musical style has been strongly influenced by older
Irish groups like the Clancy Brothers and The Irish Rovers. The kids keep
pushing me out of my comfort zone to develop new styles and instruments.
I now play Irish Bodhrán and am working on the Banjo.
Being a family band has many unique advantages and challenges. First of
all, JP, Patrick and Mary are all still full time students who would much
rather be playing tunes than hitting the books. We are not able to play
in many Irish Pubs because of their age. So if you are or know the owner of a
nice Irish Pub or any other family friendly live music venue, please contact us
and lets book a show!.
(770)
338-0769
info@shanveen.com
