HOW IT ALL BEGAN.......

The origin of The Angels’ Share, formed in 2000, sprouted from band members Lisa McIntyre (right) and Gerry Wolfson-Grande (left) through their love of Celtic music, which they have been playing together since 1990.  The band received its name as a result of Lisa’s travels through Scotland’s whiskey distilleries.  After testing more than a few wee drams of single malt, Lisa learned that there is a phrase in the whiskey business, "the Angel’s Share," which is used to describe the percentage of whiskey that vaporizes in the air while the whisky is maturing in the casks.  In the minds of the proud distillers, obviously this evaporation meant that even the angels appreciated good whiskey, and the phrase stuck.  Lisa thought, "This would be a cool name for the band!" and, after an indecently short amount of time to convince Gerry of its appropriateness, and of course with the proper grammatical changes i.e. the apostrophe is after the s in Angels since there is more than one Angel band member, the band began performing at several Central Florida venues, including Celtic and Renaissance festivals, weddings, pubs, and parties.  Since the band’s incarnation, as in most bands, several members have come and gone, but Lisa and Gerry have remained and have enhanced their performances both as a duo as well as a trio with Gerry’s husband Mark. 

Unfortunately, as with many bands, The Angels’ Share recently experienced the death of a beloved and talented band member.  Our keyboard and percussion player, Mark Grande, passed away on December 29, 2007.  Mark’s professional musical experience spanned over thirty years and several types of music including R & B, jazz, pop, and rock.  Mark performed with well known bands such as Joey D and the Starlighters.  Through marriage to Gerry, Mark was roped in to perform with the band for shows where his keyboard and percussion talents provided a full rich sound.  He was also the featured instrumentalist during the band’s forays into Celtic swing, giving Lisa and Gerry the opportunity to ”jump, jive and wail with a Celtic flair.”   Losing Mark as a band member is only one part of our loss.  Most importantly, Mark was a wonderful husband to Gerry, a loving father to son Nick and stepson Christopher, and a great friend to so many of us.  Mark’s spirit will always be in our hearts and in our music!

Mark

LISA MCINTYRE:   vocals, guitar, mandolin.  Lisa’s musical career can be traced back to singing folk songs, Christmas carols, and big band music with her mother in the kitchen while preparing dinner or washing up afterwards.  She then added formal study in classical and jazz guitar, branching out into songwriting along the way.  Her resume includes the critically acclaimed Celtic Fringe as well as several years with the Rollins College Chapel Choir, from which then co-worker Gerry Wolfson-Grande plucked her and asked her the immortal question:  "Wanna play in a band?"  Lisa combines her formal training with her love of the western Scottish home of her ancestors to produce a unique musical style, including her own original songs.  Also, Lisa has branched out with solo performances in addition to those with The Angels' Share.

GERRY WOLFSON-GRANDE:  vocals, guitar, violin.  Although any possible Celtic roots are lost in the mists of time, Gerry has managed to involve herself in Celtic music for over twenty two years, including competive Scottish fiddling as well as Celtic Fringe and A Bevie of Scots.  Raised on the classics with liberal doses of early 60’s folk music, Gerry has been playing classical violin off and on for most of her life, and suddenly found herself singing in the Rollins College Chapel Choir after playing in the college’s baroque ensemble.  Along the way, she has managed to purvey her desire to own and play as many guitars as possible into picking up classical, six-string, and twelve string accoustic guitars.  Gerry cheerfully admits her inability to produce original compositions with any regularity, but is primarly responsible for the majority of the group’s arrangements, and occassionally manages an original tune or two.

GEORGE HOUSTON:  sound engineer and band jester.  Through George’s marriage to Lisa, he was enlisted run the band’s sound equipment for amplified performances.  George’s prior experience as a drummer and his appreciation for all types of music has assisted the band in developing and maintaining polished and tight performances.  George is also known for keeping the audience awake with his humor, hand clapping, and pet gryphon, Gill.

George and Gill