XANDRU REGUERA: STRUMMING “NA FIANNA” CHORDS

Once BRAN’s co-founder in the past, he presently lines-up NA FIANNA, a local irish traditional folk trio rendering the pulse of the celtic rush with his lead guitar up beats.

Xandru at Keem Bay Achill Island, Co. Mayo

His first approach to music began when he was 13 years old. It was the year 1973 when a bulk of music was composed by bands over the world, specially the launching of great english bands responsible of the Symphonic Rock movement, influenced me a lot. Since he couldn´t afford to purchase a Keyboard (which he loved most), began to study guitar. Rehearsing, composing, and improving techniques of rock, jazz, blues, and lately folk, specially after his first audition of the famous british band “Jethro Tull”. At that time he lined up some rock bands and also wrote some songs for Children music.

Aware of his asturian heritage it was not until 1989 when Xandru first had contact with Celtic music. By those those days he had a job at a local book store where chanced to look upon a tape of the scottish band “Ossian” which impressed him most. On 1990 he came across the album “Dulaman” of the Irish band “Clannad”, which finally led him into the world of celtic music, managing afterwards to get all their albums and of other celtic based bands too.

By the year 1995 he bought the book “Celtic Legacy” bardic contemporary poems which I published as co-author along with Manuel Castro, and months later had the chance to attend at a local show of my celtic folk band “Duir” where he could not only listen celtic music alive in Buenos Aires, but also meet the lad whose poems loved most... Since then a musical bondage began, and when I left “Duir” in October ’97, we both founded “Bran” weaving an everlasting musical experience, getting envolved day by day on my asturian legacy and composing over celtic musical moods and lore.

In 2001 began his meetings with Alejandro Sganga a local violinist who had the chance to play with Bran too, surging later "Na Fianna." From that joint-venture. Their music is based on the folk rhythms of Ireland, and spans from air, hornpipes, Jigs, polkas, songs and sea shanties, to wild reels. In August 2004, toured for a month by the West Coast of Ireland visiting the Counties of Antrim, Mayo, Galway and Clare sharing "sessions" with musicians from the height of Frankie Gavin and Sharon Shannon with a great impact on the Irish media and being interviewed by RTE (Radio & Television Ireland), the tour brought the arrival in December of that same year of a team of the TG4 (Irish language TV in Ireland) who filmed a show of the band for the "Féilte" which was issued for all of Ireland in January 2005.

In March 2005, made the presentation of his 1st CD "Music and Songs from Ireland "published in a bilingual version for South America and Europe.

In February 2006 after the return from a new trip to Ireland recorded their second album "Flaming 'Tunes" which was issued in March 2006 while still appearing on stages
Buenos Aires and other places from Argentina।

In the meanwhile Xandru recorded along with Gabriel Irisarri (former member of Na Fianna) the lively "Within a Mile of Dublin" album. Presently Na Fianna is recording their third album.