The Elders promise to deliver "arse-kickin' music from the heartland." Take a group of Kansas City musicians with a passion for Celtic music, add an Irishman with a love of all things American, and you get a cross-pollination of elements that is high-octane and progressive, yet rooted in tradition. What they have come to discover is something unaffected by fads, trends and commercialism. Robert Oermann of Music Row magazine calls The Elders “a band to shout from the rooftops about." The Elders are fronted by the charismatic Irishman Ian Byrne, from County Wicklow, and backed by a group of fine Kansas City musicians. The band now includes former Ann Arborite Diana Ladio on fiddle.