Heartwood Celts

Some musicians are focused on their craft, quiet and keep to themselves, they need their music just so, prepped and decided days beforehand - they just want to come in and do their thing, and leave.

We are not those kinds of musicians!!

We are rowdy, we are social, we love the music we do and we love talking about it, and we enjoy "calling a Rogue tune" as session musicians say (a random tune not in the set list). We can do quiet instrumentals, background music, and so on - but we excel at boisterous toasts, telling the story behind the music, and being a more loud part of any event.

We come as a solo act, a duo (Josh & Elias, or Josh & Sean) or a Trio (all three). We also have a variety of other musicians that sometimes step in when needed, but we always excel at Celtic Music and putting guests at ease. We have our own P.A. system if needed, but it is neither huge nor is it weather proof. We can play unplugged for smaller events.

We do Irish music for St. Patrick's Day style events, Irish cultural festivals, or Irish weddings.
We do blistering old time and celtic fiddle instrumentals thanks to Elias' impressive skill.
We do Scottish music for Robert Burns Suppers and other Scottish culture events.
We do Sea Shanties, in the style made popular by Tik Tok and other bands.
We do Jokes, Comedy Songs, and even Dirty Songs popular at Renaissance Faires when needed as well - We will never throw in blue humor or dirty songs unless requested.
We do character interaction / interactive theater as Scottish or Irish characters, if needed, as well - think Disney or Renaissance Faire.

We need around an hour to set up and sound test before the event, and usually an hour to pack up afterward when using our PA system - if not, we only need a room to keep our instrument cases in and 15 minutes to prep. If outdoor, we run the risk of losing nyckelharpa unless there is a covered area to play - it does not function in the rain - the keys get stuck.

Heartwood Celts was founded by Elias Schwartzman and Josh Arnold after leaving his former band, The Rowdy Bardlings. A variety of other performers accompany these two core members.

Josh Arnolde is based in Philadelphia, sings and plays Auxiliary Strings - that is Irish Bouzouki, Mandolin, Tenor Banjo and sometimes doubling on percussion when a drummer isn't available. He retired from Bartending after the pandemic to focus exclusively on travel and gig life, picking up Irish Bouzouki as his lead instrument, and never looking back. He has maintained a lively acting career throughout his life as well, appearing on MTV, regional TV and in the Philadelphia Theater and Indie Film Scene.

Elias Schwartzman is a DC based violinist, fiddler and nyckelharpa luthier - having built his own swedish key fiddle somewhat recently.

We need one outlet, pretty much, for our P.A. system, if you need it, and a room to stash our gear in / change.

Other than that, we're good to go.

If it rains, we will need a covering for our Nyckelharpa guy, though, that instrument does not function in the rain.