Just The Facts:

The Sandcarvers deliver some of the best Celtic rock on the planet.
The Sandcarvers combine strong solo voices and vocal harmonies with equally strong instrumental skill.
The Sandcarvers stay crunchy, even in milk.
The Sandcarvers' original songs brilliantly tell stories from real life.
The Sandcarvers are sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey. (Contact us on how we can bring a Jameson promotional event to your venue!)
The Sandcarvers turn traditional tunes from o'er the Pond inside-out and upside-down.
The Sandcarvers are "One of the best live Celtic Rock acts in the nation." - John Bowles, PaddyRock Radio.
The Sandcarvers are why The Abbey in Chicago sold out of every drop of Guinness during each of their last three appearances there.
The Sandcarvers can make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
The Sandcarvers are: A.J. Laird - lead vocals, bodhran, harmonica Jason Dove - lead guitars Chris Trotier - bass, vocals Jeffrey Miller - acoustic guitar, vocals Raven - recorders, keyboards, bassoon, bodhran, flute, vocals Aaron Fasting - drums
The Sandcarvers will leave you wanting a whole lot more of the Sandcarvers. It's Celtic. It's Rock.'Nuff said.

A.J. Laird

Lead singer and percussionist, was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He started studying and performing music at a very young age, mostly due to hanging out with his father, a great vocalist in his own right. A.J. studied music and theatre all through high school and college. In 1992, he received a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Penn State University, where he was also very active in the local music scene. After moving to Wisconsin in 1994 he wasted no time getting engrained in the midwest music scene, playing in several bands, including the long-running Strawberry Square. He got the call to join the Sandcarvers in 2004 and never looked back. A.J. uses Shure microphones, Rhythm Tech percussion instruments and is always on the lookout for the perfect bodhran

Jeffrey Miller

Acoustic guitarist and vocalist, was born and raised in Burt, Michigan. He moved to Milwaukee in 2001, and joined the ‘Carvers in early 2004. Previously, he played out with Foggy Dew while attending Michigan State University, and until his career in the Sandcarvers, could be heard soloing on the Celtic coffeehouse/Irish pub circuit in and around Milwaukee, where you still might catch him when not on tour. Jeffrey plays a Taylor T5, Washburn 12-string, and an Alvarez AD60. He also plays Hohner harmonicas when no one’s around to stop him, and of late has been threatening to add his Rogue mandolin into the mix. He uses Shure microphones, a LOT of D’Addario strings, and rides Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Jason Dove

Lead guitarist, was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At the age of 11, after receiving Led Zeppelin’s BBC Sessions from his father, he decided to pick up guitar and hasn’t put it down since. He was self taught for many years, through an inertial high school band and jazz ensemble, and later studied Music Performance in classical guitar at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. After a brief stint building guitars at the Galloup School of Lutherie in Big Rapids, Michigan, he wandered about the country through Chicago and California, but eventually landed back in Wisconsin where he joined the Sandcarvers. Jason plays a Gibson Les Paul, an Ibanez Jem, and other various electrics and acoustics through a Marshall half stack, but has recently been seen with a Vox AC30.

Raven

Hails from Chicago and began playing piano at age six. In grade school she began studying clarinet, but later switched to bassoon because it was so much cooler. Along the way, she taught herself recorder, saxophone and flute, majored in bassoon and orchestral conducting at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and spent many seasons as a symphony musician. Since joining The Sandcarvers, her mission has been to widen the scope of both the Celtic and rock genres by way of not-so-traditional instruments and arrangements. No one has yet figured out how to stop the madness. Raven plays Moek and Yamaha recorders, Yamaha Motif keyboard, Fox Renard bassoon (aka “Bruiser”) with BasSonic custom reeds, Roundstone bodhran, and garage sale accordion. She uses Finale on a Mac for music transcription unless it’s a day when she’s in touch with her inner Luddite, in which case she uses staff paper and a Black Warrior #1 lead pencil.

Christopher J. Trotier

Bass playin’ guy and world-renowned singing shark, was born on his birthday. He began studying piano when he was four in utero. He spent 13 years bouncing around among piano, trombone, washboard, kazoo, ‘shine jug and mandolin before finally settling on comb & wax paper. After a debilitating papercut, he moved to bass, honing his skills with such local bands as Meddling Kids, Cleveland Steamers, Hot Sauce, The Nobody’s and The Rabid Aardvarks. Always looking for new challenges, Chris came to The Sandcarvers in an effort to improve his free-style mike skillz and lyrical flow. Chris plays a bunch of stuff, including Warwick, Spector & MusicMan fretted & fretless basses, and Aguilar amps (or a beer-soaked Ampeg Tube DI). He rides Harley-Davidson motorcycles just like Jeffrey, with whom he will be attending the 19th annual David Hasselhoff Charity Bike Rally and Souffle Cook-Off.

Aaron Fasting

Drummer, was born and raised on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After many years of banging on pots and pans, he discovered actual drums and percussion. After learning the fundamentals in middle school, he went on to spend the next few years in his high school band, including their percussion and jazz ensembles, playing both drums and bass. His friends and instructors inspired him to always strive to be a better musician so he continued independent practice and the occasional sit-in for various groups while attending UW-Milwaukee. While continually studying under Jim Kube at the Academy of Music, Aaron randomly decided to go on a hitchhiking trip towards Indianapolis where the Sandcarvers picked him up - the rest is history. Aaron plays PDP drums with Gibraltar hardware, Pro-Mark drumsticks, and an ever expanding array of Zildjian cymbals.