Possibly Irish
semi-traditional Irish band
BIO
HOW POSSIBLY IRISH STARTED
Possibly Irish formed in July of 2015. Susan Vaslev, director of theatre at Enchanted Forest, was late to warm-ups one morning. She asked Makaio what they had been doing to warm up and he said they had been singing Irish songs. Susan, who had just returned from Ireland, asked them to sing the Irish songs for her. She immediately said they should start a band to perform in the park. Within a few days, the band was formed with Makaio, Cabeau, Emma and Susan, all members of the theatre department at Enchanted Forest. While rehearsing one day, Makaio said, "If only we had a fiddle player!" Emma said her little sister played the fiddle, and the group became complete.
For the 2016 season at Enchanted Forest, Susan decided to create a second band to help cover the group's busy summer schedule at Enchanted Forest. Musicians auditioned for this band and the result was the talented group of musicians that came together to form Keeping It Celtic. Band members from both bands ended up substituting for each other, and not just at Enchanted Forest, but at gigs and festivals and decided it just made sense to join the bands together, which they did January 2017.
Possibly Irish can be seen not only at Enchanted Forest, but at festivals, bars, public and private events,
Who's who in the band - listed in order of joining the band
SUSAN VASLEV
Hammered Dulcimer, Accordion, Irish Whistle, Bodhran Drum, Vocals
(Original band member 2015) Susan is the oldest member of the band...much older. She is part of the family that created Enchanted Forest and composes and records all music for the park. She was the recording engineer for the band's second album, and co-engineered the band's third album with fellow band member Evan Merklin. She toured as a concert harpsichordist, has a music degree from U of O, and post graduate studies in France. She also writes and directs the musical theatre shows at Enchanted Forest.
TIM WARD
Guitar, Vocals
(joined Keeping it Celtic 2016, merged with Possibly Irish 2017) Tim started out in the theatre at Enchanted Forest, but when auditions opened for the band Keeping it Celtic, he didn't hesitate. A storyteller and poet at heart, Tim loves performing Irish music because of the elaborate stories told by the songs. He also loves performing with the other musicians in the Western Town at the Enchanted Forest any morning they can get together. He is as employed by Enchanted Forest as Susan Vaslev's executive assistant.
EVAN MERKLIN
Fiddle, Mandolin, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
(joined Keeping It Celtic 2016, merged with Possibly Irish 2017) Evan is a graduate of Corban University with a degree in music education. He has been playing fiddle for a long time and brings his signature high energy and dry humor to the band that always keeps the audience on their toes. Evan loves working as sound engineer on many projects including co-engineering the band's third album with fellow band mate Susan Vaslev. He teachers music including private guitar and violin lessons.
DEVIN DESMOND
Bodhran Drum, Mandolin, Guitar, Fiddle, Acoustic Bass, Vocals
(joined 2018) Devin is the newest member of the band and can also be found directing music at the Salem First Congregational United Church of Christ. He is a graduate of Corban University in music composition and performance for percussion instruments. He is very active as a musical director for many musical theatre productions.
On Hiatus (in order of joining the band)
(joined Keeping It Celtic 2016, merged with Possibly Irish 2017) Samantha (Sami for short) was lead female vocalist is Keeping It Celtic and plays the Celtic harp, which her father made for her. The wood was all cut from within 10 miles of her home in Aurora, so it is truly an Oregon harp. Sami is a classically trained singer who comes from a strong flute background and can also be heard playing Irish Whistle in the band. Sami is currently attending Brigham Young University in Utah, majoring in music composition, and recently married.
Celtic Harp, Irish Whistle, Bodhran Drum, Concertina, Vocals
SAMANTHA ROSE FOX (OWINGS) https://www.mistressofmelody.com/
(joined in 2018) Cameron fell in love with the bagpipes at the age of 4 after seeing them at the World Beat Festival, and after 3 years of begging, their parents finally relented. They played with the Oregon State Defense Force Pipe Band (now the Willamette Valley Pipes and Drums) for 7 years before setting aside the pipes to focus on school. After college and traveling Latin America, they have decided to give music a 2nd chance. Cameron also plays with the local afrofusion jam band Sakumuna Bless http://www.sakumuna.com/
Bagpipes, Irish Whistle, Irish Flute, Bodhran Drum, Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar, Small Pipes, Bouzouki, Vocals
CAMERON MCCOY
(joined 2019) Bex is a recent graduate of Willamette University. She is a classically trained violinist who is embracing her Irish heritage with a fiddle streak. Bex also performs under the artist name Thia Nix, incorporating her violin, guitar, singing and whistling in her genre of ambient folk. She is so excited to be a part of Possibly Irish and get in touch with her roots as well as explore the beautiful genre of traditional Celtic folk music. She is currently spending time with her family in California.
Fiddle, Bodhran Drum, Guitar, Vocals
BEX NICHOLES
(joined 2020) A self-described "Wandering Bard," Maddi is a multi-instrumentalist and stage actor. A classically-trained flautist and piccoloist, they've had the pleasure of performing and playing music on stages from Hawai'i to Chicago. Maddi also has a Master's degree in Public Health, and when they're not working their day job in data science, you'll find them playing saxophone in several Portland brass bands or performing with their musical project "Braidwood."
Irish Whistle, Flute, Bodhran Drum, Guitar, Vocals
Maddi Ruhl
Former bandmates - Where are they now? (most recent at top)
ABBY ULVELAND
Fiddle, Bodhran Drum, Vocals
(Original band member) Abby is now in Canada at University of Victoria studying engineering. She is attending the same University as her sister, former band mate Emma.
EMMA ULVELAND
Bodhran Drum, Guitar, Cello, Vocals
(Original band member 2015) Emma is studying English and Environmental Studies at University of Victoria. She is a song writer and has released several YouTube videos. You can follow her music on Instagram at emmakatesmusic. You can watch her first music video, Hollow Hearts, at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkLEgg6uxu0.
NOAH VANDERBURGH
Bodhran Drum, Vocals
(joined Keeping It Celtic 2016, merged with Possibly Irish 2017) Noah attends Oregon State University, where he is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering . He interned for an engineering company during the 2018 summer season. and hopes to someday work for NASA or Boeing to design aircrafts.
CABEAU SCHUERGER
Guitar, Vocals
(original band member) Cabeau is currently pursuing his dream by working at Disneyland. He has been acting since he was a young child and plans to pursue it as a career. He has been an actor in the theatre at Enchanted Forest and also in numerous productions in the Albany area. Cabeau is a DJ and performs as his DJ alter ego Sugar Cannon. You can follow him on his YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/1Cabeau.
MATTHEW (MAKAIO) CAUDELL
Bodhran Drum, Vocals
(original band member) Makaio is currently attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in L.A. Makaio is a voice-over artist, has his own YouTube channel, DaCatMatt, with over 35,000 followers and his Anime Impressions video has over 500,000 views. Makaio grew up in New Zealand.