In the Irish language, the word Faoileán [FWEEL-AWN] means seabird; or, one who circles or spins, or one who cries, or wild one. Inspired by the gravity and multiplicity of this word and its native language, Nathan Bishop, Connor Brogan, and Rob Helsel adopted Faoileán as the name for their New Jersey-Philadelphia based Irish folk outfit.
Faoileán challenges and experiments with the limits of modern Irish folk music, from executing tender verses in five-hundred-year-old ballads, to gliding and soaring through original and handed-down melodies, to ripping the very fabric of tunes apart through intensity and atmosphere. Nathan helms the bowed instruments and commands a tapestry of tunes, Rob solidifies rhythms through guitars and banjos, and Connor adds textures and dimension through an assortment of string and bellow instruments. Rob and Connor share and trade vocal leads and accompaniments.

Tim Ball and Mark Bickford perform a lively mix of Irish and American tunes and songs on a wide variety of instruments - between them they play fiddle, guitar, accordion, banjo, melodeon, and concertina, and sing together in fine harmony. Together, they share music from their respective solo albums Upstate Crossroads (Tim) and Steadfast in Time (Mark), as well as new collaborations. Tim and Mark play together in the band Traonach, and have hosted an Irish session together in Ithaca for more than 10 years.