It was March 2013 when CHARMAS drummer Russ discovered a Gaelic word on the Internet whose definitions included family, love, and being charmed or lucky. Later Russ could not find the link, but the name “Charmas” stuck, and now we define it as the magical process by which musicians seem to find each other just at the right time, almost as if we were meant to come together.

Meet CHARMAS Core Members

ELISE MACGREGOR FERRELL – Band Manager, Songwriter, Fiddle, Great Highland Bagpipes

Elise’s musical journey began at age 5, with piano lessons, playing flute in her middle-school’s marching band, and listening to classical music every night at dinner. She fell in love with folk music at Yosemite’s first Strawberry Music Festival and regularly attended both the Spring and Fall festivals, while also working as a handheld camera operator and video director for the Concord Pavilion’s live rock and jazz concerts. Later, Elise spent countless evenings fiddling in traditional Irish and Scottish tune sessions, old-time sessions, and bluegrass jams. Then a crazy thing happened. She started playing bagpipes for private events, competing with the Silicon Valley Pipe Band and Monterey Bay Pipe Band, and marching seasonally with Canada’s 100-year-old Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band. All these diverse interests caught fire when Elise co-founded Charmas with Celtic banjo-and-whistle player Matt Johnson, and from that year forward Charmas has continually evolved, thanks to essential contributions from each new member and guest performer.

 

AARON CLEGG – SHanty Singer, Lead Vocalist, flute, whistles, saxophone

At age 13, Aaron first went to a traditional Celtic music session with his musician father, and his life changed forever. He returned to that session in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for the next 15 years off and on, learning to play Celtic flute and tin whistle, singing Irish songs and sea chanties, and eventually taking classes and playing in sessions with many famous Irish musicians. Meanwhile, he played saxophone in high school and college jazz bands. Rounding out his versatility in instruments and genres, Aaron became part of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir for two years, performing at major concerts and sporting events and on national television. In 2013 he sang at the San Francisco Sea Music Festival. Aaron teaches private lessons in classical and wooden flute, tin whistle, saxophone, and voice technique, performs at weddings and memorials, and earns the balance of his living teaching at schools in the Santa Cruz area.

 

PHIL JOHNSTON – Lead Vocalist, Guitar

Phil’s musical family started him on the piano at age 6 -which  only lasted for a year, before the “great Folk scare” and the arrival of the Beatles inspired him to switch to guitar and never look back. Phil was 11 years old when he landed a lead singing role in a production of the Gian Carlo Menotti operetta, “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” Seven succeeding years of learning how to play the Blues and Psychedelic Rock music (with a particular focus on the music of Jimi Hendrix) may have helped  Phil to earn a degree in Music Composition and Theory from the University of California Santa Cruz. “Between jobs” after college, he answered a want-ad for a guitarist/vocalist to join the Celtic-American folk group, Shanachie, and subsequently spent three years touring the U.S. and Europe, performing Celtic and American folk music. One highlight of this touring which Phil fondly recalls was representing the U.S. at the Dublin, Ireland Millennium Folk Festival in 1989. Nowadays, Phil uses his combined talents as a guitar player and vocalist to cross between genres and creatively explore the Celtic and American Roots music catalogs, developing ideas that bring fresh character to the Charmas musical family.

DAVE SMITH – ELECTRIC BASS, STANDUP BASS

Our newest member! Dave is a jazz bass instructor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a ferocious multi-instrumentalist, whose resume includes an M.A. in classical music. Full bio coming soon…

 Dave Clarke – kit and hand drums

Dave speaks the language of prehistoric man. Late-night, high-energy rock, funk, and blues keep this versatile drummer happy as a clam, but it turns out he’s also a natural for playing jigs and polkas! Just beware Dave’s dry sense of humor. You can miss it if you blink, but there is always more coming when you least expect it. Which is why we don’t usually give him a mic. Just the drums, two sticks, and a bottle of hard cider. Requests are welcome. This man can play anything!

HISTORY Of THE BAND

CHARMAS made its official debut on St. Patrick’s Day 2013, when a collection of Irish session friends, spearheaded by fiddler Elise MacGregor Ferrell and banjo player Matt Johnson, decided to perform their favorite tune sets in a more organized fashion.

Jeff Werner, a friend of drummer Russ, recorded the band’s first live appearance on KPIG radio in Freedom, CA.

When lead vocalist/flutist Aaron joined CHARMAS, its emphasis began to shift from straight Irish session music and toward more expressive songs and instrumental harmonies.

In 2014, CHARMAS recorded its first YouTube video, based upon an original song about their first performance venue, Sir Froggy’s Pub.

Over time, CHARMAS started mixing American classic rock with Celtic rock, to create some unique dance sets for weddings and various night clubs in Santa Cruz and Monterey.

Always retaining its love of silly humor, in 2015 CHARMAS turned a live performance at St. Andrews Church into another YouTube Christmas-music video.

In 2016, CHARMAS launched its annual Valentine’s Rebellion Comedy Singalong, featuring lots of smutty old Celtic songs, some original comedy, and guest singer Jeremy doing costume changes.

Promotions for show included live performances on KKUP and KPIG, including this recording of Aaron singing Raglan Road.

2016 was also the year fiddler Elise started juicing up CHARMAS with her new Great Highland Bagpipes.

And still, CHARMAS kept performing anything and everything at local night clubs, including some original songs that never got published.

Acquiring new members always takes CHARMAS in new directions, and it happened again in 2017, when Aaron and Phil started trying out new folk songs.

Some of CHARMAS original Irish session friends who were never formally in the band have made recordings with us, and here Elise captured longtime friend Jamie giving viewers a lesson in how to play spoons.

Recording CHARMAS two albums, Songs of the Sea and Stark Raving Celtic, involved participation from many past members and friends of the band, shown here on our CD jackets.

All singles and albums recorded by Charmas can be streamed on i-tunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, IHeartRadio, and Apple Music

A FEW SHOUT-OUTS

CHARMAS co-founder Matt Johnson began with playing trumpet and baritone horn in his high school’s symphonic, marching, and jazz bands. He claims to have learned to play old time banjo from a dubious relative in Aptolachia (south of Sokewell and Capittola), but, then again, he also claims to know someone who is his own grandpa. We do have proof that Matt took up playing pennywhistle, guitar, and banjo during the 1980’s, and that he became a regular fixture at Santa Cruz’s legendary Britannia Arms Irish sessions. Matt spent a subsequent decade playing rock and blues by night, while running his business, T&M Concrete, during the daytime. As soon as he returned to playing in local Celtic sessions, he got swept up by Charmas and playfully admitted that he might finally be “getting serious” about music. His lingering childhood dream was to someday play Celtic tuba, so we should probably check in with him about that.

Tireless bodhran drummer Russ Bennet played drum set as a teenager, and at 20 years old, he went to work overseas, playing concerts and entertaining military personnel. During a long career of operating a construction-based business in the SF Bay Area, he studied various styles of percussion with experts John Santos, Michael Spiro, Brian Rice, and Jim Griener. A decision to move to Santa Cruz got him involved with Cabrillo College’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, and inspired him to specialize in playing hand drums. Russ plays the Brazilian Pandiero, Middle Eastern Darbuka (for belly dancers), Tar, Conga, Cajon, Bongo, as well as full drum set. Russ fell in love with Celtic music and started playing the Bodhran Irish frame drum. He has studied Celtic percussion with David Brewer and some the very best teachers from Ireland such as Colm Phelan and Eamon Murray.

Understated hero Mike Long is best known as the author of Santa Cruz’s own “bible” of traditional Irish and Scottish tunes – the King Street Tune Book. Mike claims to have known every tune in his giant book at one time or another. He plays guitar for Santa Cruz band Dance Around Molly, and keeps the beat playing both guitar and tenor banjo for local Celtic sessions and dances.

CHARMAS first guitarist, Josh Reilly, usually changes the subject when asked about his musical background.  Best to broach the subject after a shot of 12 year old single malt, especially if you are buying.  He does know something about Irish history and music, earning him the nickname of “The Professor.” His guitar style was developed playing in “various garage bands,” and studying with Santa Cruz’s own Celtic guitar master, Bill Coulter.  Josh counts John Doyle, Joe Pass and Jesse Ed Davis among his heroes.

CHARMAS second guitarist, Jim Powell, started playing guitar at 14. His first job was taken solely to be able to buy a Fender Stratocaster and an amplifier – the guitar is now considered “vintage” – Jim is not sure how he feels about being the original owner of a vintage guitar. He discovered Celtic music by hearing Alisdair Fraser and the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers playing in the late 1980s.

Born in County Santa Cruz, and working as a plumber by day and a musician by night, Devin spent a decade playing guitar/bass for bands whose styles ranged from stoner metal and jazz, to blues, heavier metal and everything else in between. Stale coolers filled with warm, cheap beer in San Francisco’s late-night clubs might not have motivated Devin’s switch to drums, but since then he developed a passion for percussion that swerved dramatically during his years playing for Charmas–which seemed prophetic, since (we kid you not) Devin was born on St. Patrick’s Day!

 R.I.P. Mick Breen

CHARMAS fondly remembers our longtime bassist, lead vocalist, and creative collaborator, whose expressive performances can be heard on many CHARMAS singles and especially on our album Stark Raving Celtic. We are so glad Mick got to perform with us one last time on St. Patrick’s Day 2025, and we will always miss his enthusiasm, talent, and true friendship.