Oakland, California-based Celtic rock band AVALON RISING is known for its unique sound -- a blend of psychedelic original rock, Celtic, and Medieval music. Their rich acoustic/electric sound features brilliant male and female vocals over intricate instrumental arrangements, supported by a vibrant rhythmic background. Their line-up includes electric and acoustic guitars, electric violin, Celtic harp, flute, bass, mandocello, drums, and vocals.

Avalon Rising enchants and excites with their repertoire of both original and traditional songs which ranges in feel from driving Celtic tunes to haunting harp-based ballads. Their music has been compared to Tempest, Loreena McKennitt, and Dead Can Dance with touches of rhythm and blues, and some Jethro Tull and Grateful Dead.

Avalon Rising has been performing in the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest for twenty years at clubs, festivals, pubs, benefits, and conventions. Festival performances include being cultural representatives of the United States at the Euro-American Festival in Jinan, China, the Sonora Celtic Faire, the All Hallows Fantasy Faire, Livermore Scottish Games, the Modesto Scottish Games, the Fresno Scottish Games, the Northern California Renaissance Faire, the Sonoma County Fair, the Harmony Festival, the High Sierra Music Festival, and many more.

They headlined at the Oscar Party for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Return of the King. Their music has been used in a Boston Globe commercial, and can be heard in several movies, including Cost of a Soul, Valley of Fear, and Far From the Sea.


Vocals * Electric and 12-string Guitar * Octave Mandolin * Oboe
is leader, lead guitarist, and a lead vocalist of Avalon Rising and writes most of the original music performed in the band. His guitar style is rooted in the guitar playing of Jerry Garcia, and Doc Watson. Primarily self taught, he has developed his own style of play, which is distinctive, and beautiful. After studying vocal technique with James Schwabacher and Edwin Barlow and appearing with the Marin Opera, Kristoph co-led the bands Belltaine and Magic Fire, where he sang and played lead guitar. Kristoph's original music has been recorded on the albums Magic Fire, The Starlit Jewel, and Avalon Rising, and he has worked with women's music artist Cynthia McQuillin as co-producer, arranger, and performer on her album This Heavy Heart. Kristoph has appeared as guest musician on a total of 20 albums by various artists. He performs with acoustic Celtic/Renaissance band Broceliande, and in the band Axis of Blues as well as with Avalon Rising and operates his own recording studio, Flowinglass Music, with his wife Margaret.
Vocals * Flute * Celtic Harp * Recorders
Margaret grew up in Illinois, where she was classically trained as a singer, flutist, and recorder player and received her degree in Music from Knox College. She performed for six years as lead vocalist and harper with the Medieval band Gai Saber and appeared as vocal soloist with the Renaissance music ensemble The Brass Menagerie. A life-long interest in the music of her Scots Celtic ancestry led to her work with the Celtic bands Belltaine, Magic Fire, and Four Shillings Short, with whom she recorded several albums, including Gifts of Joy, Magic Fire, and Now. She has lent her vocal and instrumental talents to over a dozen recordings in all. Margaret leads acoustic Celtic/Early Music group Broceliande and co-runs Flowinglass Music in addition to her work with Avalon Rising.
He's been playing drums a long time. He was head percussionist at his high school! He currently plays with Avalon Rising, and Axis of Blues, and frequently with Li'l Ricky Blues Band. He is an avid collector of working Star Trek stuff from the original series.
Robert Hill
Electric Violin * Mandolin * Vocals
Robert A. Hill (Papa Rah) – Robert picked up his father’s abandoned guitar at the age of six and taught himself to play and write songs, determined to follow in the footsteps of the Monkees, the Beatles and Willy Dixon. Later, during L.A.’s Big Hair wars, Robert fronted several hard rock bands as lead vocalist, including the Zeppelinesque Blackjack Tailor and power-pop quintet Tomorrow’s Reign. After moving to Northern California in the 90s, Robert dove deeply into folk music, playing dance music for English country, Morris, Irish and Scottish dance troupes. He brings fresh energy to Avalon Rising abundant sounds-cape.
Bass * Mandocello * Vocals
Multi-instrumentalist Mark Ungar specializes in acoustic and electric guitars, mandocello and vocals, also playing mandola, violin, electric bass, percussion and drums. A versatile accompanist, composer, and songwriter, Mark explores the idioms of rock, folk, blues, psychedelia and Celtic traditional music, with frequent excursions into the realm of the unclassifiable. Equally at home on stage or in the studio, Mark and his compositions have appeared on several albums. He was a member of legendary San Francisco Celtic rock band Phoenyx and techno-pagan-sci-fi band Annwn, and toured Germany with super-corn folk group Shanachie. Mark has performed with Shana Morrison, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy (of Hot Tuna) and at the wedding of Jerry Garcia.

BOOKING: Kristoph Klover, stoph at flowinglass dot com, phone (510) 219-9836