Mark Zeising

Mark join the band in March 2007, and is playing percussion. He was raised in Northern California and (other than a seventeen year stint in Connecticut) has been a lifelong resident. He received formal instruction relative to the drum kit and has played with rock, blues, country, and wedding (polka) bands. He met Laura at the post office, where he passed himself off as a potential percussionist. Before Morghande, he had never played drums with anything other than sticks and brushes. Mark is now playing conga and bongos with his, which took some getting used to, but he has caught on quickly and adds a new dimension to the band's sound. Mark also has a fine voice and will help with vocals. He has been married for 35 years.

Isabel Seekatz

Fourteen year old Isabel has been playing classical and Irish fiddle since age six. She has played in many orchestras and small ensembles, and is currently playing with the Simpson University Sinfonia. Isabel became hooked on Celtic music after attending the Sebastopol Celtic Festival for several years. She is one of the founding members of Morghande, which she began to play with when she was eleven. She also enjoys singing with the band.

Laura Seekatz

Laura has been an active musician her entire life. She studied music at Humboldt and Sonoma State Universities, and has also participated in many orchestras and chamber music ensembles. For Morghande, she mostly plays silver flute, Irish flute, whistle and also contributes vocals, keyboard and guitar. She particularly enjoys helping to create original tunes and arrangements for the band. Laura, as with Isabel, became addicted to Celtic music after attending the Sebastopol Celtic Festival. After hearing the music for several years, and buying numerous CD's, she and Isabel started playing the music and haven't been able to stop.

JR Stoner

BIO TO FOLLOW

Derek Newell

Derek is our newest member, having just officially joined the band the first of November, 2007. He is originally from Redding, but moved away to Southern California in 1997. He moved back to Redding in 2006. Derek has been playing guitar for almost twenty years and enjoys a wide variety of musical styles, including folk, jazz, classical, Celtic and rock. Derek has played in many venues in Los Angeles, Chico, Stockton, Davis and Sacramento. Some of the bands he has played with are: Taylor's Room and Sinclair. He has played at weddings, funerals and done many classical guitar recitals at CSU, Sacramento, where he studied guitar with Richard Savino (a student of the late Andre Segovia). Some of his influences include Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Andre Segovia, John Williams, John Scofield, Kenny Burrell, Danu, and his new favorite band, Dervish. Derek is currently working as a primary music teacher at Redding School of the Arts, and as a private guitar instructor at night. He currently lives in Redding with his dog, Uma.