...A quick taxi ride away from Tramps is a little club called Wetlands. I arrived there just in time for the end of an elf/leprechaun costume contest, in which some guy dressed as a Highlander got most of the applause. Go figure. It wasn't long before Shaman took the stage, however, and they put on a really good show. They're a Celtic trad/rock band featuring Brahm Stuart on fiddle and vocals, Deirdre Stuart on guitar and vocals, Pete Fand on electric bass, Bob Lepre on drums, and Debora Thomas on flute.

Brahm is an excellent fiddle player (he used to play with The Clan and now performs with I Giulari di Piazza) and a pretty good singer as well. He plays his fiddle in the crook of his arm instead of under his chin, so he can sing, play and dance all at the same time. Deirdre has excellent rhythm guitar, as well as singing both backup and lead vocals. Bob is one of the best percussionists on the New York scene, and his performance behind a drum kit was as great as his bodhran and doumbek playing usually is. The other members held it together really well, and three guest performers graced the stage: Tony Bloch on bones, Greg Ryan on flute and whistle, and an unaccompanied Gaelic singer named Paul. In all, they provided high-energy, high-quality music in the folk-rock tradition. We need more new bands to take up this kind of music, and I think Shaman are one to watch.