|  - Billy
Hickey
It seems as if Bill Hickey was born playing the accordion. He never took
lessons, just learned to play by listening to others. His talent in playing
the accordion, especially traditional Irish songs, is known throughout
New York.
Bill was born
and raised in Glenpatrick, Waterford, Ireland and credits much of his
ear for music to listening to his family members playing and singing traditional
Irish songs.
Bill played
in many Irish pubs, numerous weddings and for just about anyone who would
listen, while he lived in his native Ireland. When he came to America
in 1969 with his young family, he supplemented his income by playing in
many venues with many accomplished Irish musicians and singers.
Some of the
many places he played and with many truly talented musicians are:
- Beginning
in 1965 doing numerous broadcasts on Radio Erin.
- The John
Barleycorn (NYC), New York Towerview Ballroom and Jaegerhouse during
the years 1969- 1975.
- Became
the Champion All Ireland Player during the 1960's.
- Carnegie
Hall with the Irish All Stars in 1971.
- Lincoln
Center with the Irish Emerald Concert in 1978.
Once you listen
to Bill, either live or on CD, you will quickly come to appreciate his
unique talent, as much as his family, friends and fellow musicians have
come to appreciate his music.
 - Rich Micallef
Born and raised in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, New York. Rich
was born with musical roots. His grandfather, played flute and piccolo
with Brooklyn Symphony, while his uncle Raymond was 1st Violinist with
"The Navy Band."
Rich began
taking classical piano lessons at the age of five and by the time he was
eight, he started teaching himself the guitar. Growing up in an Irish
neighborhood and attending St. Agatha, Rich was introduced and taught
traditional Irish Music by his music teacher Sr. Mary Beata Gerrity. It
would be 25 years later when Rich finally started playing on the Irish
scene and playing Irish festivals in cities like: Fort Myers, Cleveland,
Buffalo and of course, all across the New York Metropolitan area.
Rich got into
his first garage rock and roll band at the age of fourteen. When he was
eighteen, he was asked to join, by his good friend John Tracey, the rock
'n' roll band "Storm watch," which later was better known as "Nasty Habits."
They enjoyed playing together across the metropolitan area for five years.
With college graduation looming, the band went their separate ways. "It
was a great experience and we made good and lasting friendships" says
Rich.
Rich also
plays numerous private parties and venues each year and has appeared on
Local Television and Radio, along with a recent appearance at "The Rainbow
Room" in Manhattan.
Being influenced
by artists such as: Billy Joel, Elton John, and James Taylor to name a
few, Rich brings a contemporary flare to the traditional Irish sounds
which he learned as a child.
 - Marek Dykta
Marek had begun his musical career at the age of ten. He was faithful
to his first instrument: classical guitar, until he discovered that there
are other styles of music where one could utilize his musicality in a
less predictable way. Fascinated with the idea of improvisation, he picked
up his first, Czech made electric and began his jazz career by joining
his high school blues band. Soon after, he joined a local blues hero,
Irek Dudek and started touring with his band. The next step was the only
place in Eastern Europe to polish jazz vocabulary and hook up with other
young talents: the Jazz Department of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of
Music in Katowice, which he completed with honors four years later. The
success of Marek's first band "Staff Only" which took the second prize
at the Jazz Juniors festival in Krakow, Poland and captured seventh prize
among 178 contenders in Belgian European Jazz Contest bred the idea of
continuing the pursuit of jazz completeness. The only place to go now
was Berklee College of Music in Boston. A scholarship that Marek received
from Berklee after submitting a recording of his band helped him to launch
the next step in his career. The studies at Berklee have definitely broadened
his musical horizons: the performances with some of the big names in the
business like Ben Riley, Mike Gibbs or Dennis Chambers, helped as well.
The move to New York, after graduating from Berklee summa cum laude, was
the next logical step. Here Marek has met and performed with Tommy Campbell,
Mark Soskin and Harvie Swartz. He produced arranged and played on Urszula
Dudziak's "Christmas Carols" record and did numerous recordings with his
own band. After being introduced to Irish music by his fellow band mates
while sitting in with the band on couple of occasions, he was invited
to join the "Emigrant Eyes" in 2003.
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