RAWLINS CROSS

Canadian Celtic-rock group Rawlins Cross is a legendary East Coast act. Since forming in the late 80s, the band has been fusing Celtic traditional music with rock, pop and worldbeat music. With 11 commercial recordings, including the gold-selling Reel ‘n’ Roll (1993), the band has earned multiple JUNO nominations and won nine East Coast Music Awards. Marking their 33rd anniversary as a band this year, Rawlins Cross was formed in St. John’s, Newfoundland by songwriting brothers Dave Panting (guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals) and Geoff Panting (keyboards, accordion) and Ian McKinnon (highland pipes, tin whistle, bodhran). Soon after, the band burst onto the East Coast music scene with their first indie recording, A Turn of the Wheel. After a few line-up changes in the early 90s, the band eventually solidified with the addition of bandmates, Brian Bourne (bass, Chapman stick, vocals), Howie Southwood (drums, percussion), and Joey Kitson (lead vocals, harmonica). Over the years, Rawlins Cross has toured extensively on three continents, including a performance representing Canada at the Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile, a nationally-televised Canada Day performance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and a command performance for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in Halifax. Equally at ease with a soulful Highland Air (“MacPherson’s Lament“) or a raucous party song (“Colleen“, “Wild Rose“, “Reel ‘n’ Roll“), Rawlins Cross look forward to hitting stages once again to promote the latest release, Sunrise.