GlasgowBliss
Christopher Bliss - Irish banjo, guitar, mandolin
Donna Jean Glasgow - Hammered dulcimer, Irish flute, pennywhistle, vocals
Jess Westover - Guitar
Jennifer Lindsey - Vocals
Jon Westover - Violin, vocals
Alan Daniel - Vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
GlasgowBliss is a Celtic/American Folk ensemble featuring Jennifer Lindsey as lead vocalist, Jess Westover on guitar, Chris Bliss on guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo and harmonica, and Donna Jean Glasgow on hammered dulcimer, flutes and pennywhistles.
The band began as a husband/wife duo performing at living history events, often as not joining friends at the Historic Arkansas Museum, fellow members of the Rackensack Folklore Society or as regulars with the Arkansas Country Dance Society band. Before relocating to Arkansas, Chris had been a frequent actor and musician at the Rawhide Western Theme Park in Scottsdale Arizona, where he owned the blacksmith shop. He can be heard playing the harmonica on the soundtracks of Gettysburg and Glory. Donna Jean is a Suzuki piano teacher by profession and teaches at the UCA Community School of Music and at Adventures in the Arts in Little Rock.
As an ensemble, GlasgowBliss grew with the addition of guitarist Jess Westover of Wisconsin, a newcomer to Arkansas. Jess has an impressive musical resume including a tour with the group, Up With People. Jess’s tasteful and authoritative guitar style both underscores and complements the other musicians while allowing them the flexibility and freedom to explore and showcase their various instruments. Jess and his wife, Cindy (also a musician) are the proprietors of The Pickin’ Porch, a music store in Pickles Gap Village east of Conway.
Finally, the group’s dream of finding a talented vocalist to front the band was realized in the amazing voice of Jennifer Lindsey, a native Arkansan who has recently moved back to the central Arkansas area. Jennifer’s clear mezzo-soprano voice and confident easy style are perfect for the Celtic Folk genre.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
We play live in our home town of Conway, Arkansas (a three-college town) as well as in Little Rock. Our band frequently performs live at the Historic Arkansas Museum and in other historical settings, as we specialize in authentic American Folk Music as well as Celtic. We play at special events where Celtic music as well as historic American music is requested, such as colonial or Civil War reenactments. Most recently we played at the Advent Arts and Acoustic cafe in Conway, Arkansas.
