Leaping Lulu plays traditional dance and Celtic music along with a number of their own compositions. They make their music with fiddle, guitar, cittern, flute, piccolo, vocals and the bodhran (Irish drum). Leaping Lulu plays regularly for the local Contra Dance series sponsored by the Cache Valley Folk Dancers and the Bridger Folk Music Society. They also play various concerts, weddings, parties and other special events. For several years they collaborated with the Inishfre Irish Dance group for Celtic Night: A St. Patrick's Day Celebration at the Caine Lyric Theatre and the Ellen Eccles Theatre in Logan, Utah. They have been featured on KUSU - FM of Logan and played a live performance on KRCL - FM radio of Salt Lake City. Leaping Lulu has recorded three CDs, The Walk Home, High Road Low Road, and The Moving Cloud on the Fish Creek label. The recordings feature high-energy dance tunes (jigs and reels) and some of the bands favorite waltzes and airs. They are available for purchase or download at cdbaby.com. For questions regarding booking, fees, or CD purchase please call 435-213-1426.
The Band:
Sara Classically trained, Sara Gunnell has been playing violin since elementary school. She began fiddling around the turn of the 21st century, concentrating on Scottish and Irish fiddle. She has attended the Cape Breton Fiddler's Workshop, Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA, played in the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics, studied fiddling while visiting her ancestral Scotland and plays with the Utah Festival Opera. An original member of Leaping Lulu, Sara left briefly to complete her Master's Degree in music at Ohio University. After returning to Logan and to Leaping Lulu, she married the band's one and only groupie, Kevin Gunnell. She and her husband now live in Mt. Pleasant, Utah.
Kent Kent Braddy joined Lulu in 2005, adding a new dimension to the band’s music with his distinctive vocals and lively bodhran (Irish drum) playing. His background includes nearly every variety of musical style, but Irish and Celtic music are closest to his heart. "I love the genre because its mood ranges from the depressing to the elated, from the benign to the revolutionary, and from heaven to hell with all points in between," he says. Kent also has his own MySpace Music page here.
Liz Liz Fallis is originally from Vancouver, Canada and lives in North Logan, Utah. She is a classically trained flute and piccolo player and frequently plays with the Utah Festival Opera. In addition to her amazing skills as a musician, Liz is also a gourmet cook and owns a successful catering business.
Don Don Anderson of Smithfield plays guitar and mandolin. In the daytime he works at ATK as a test engineer involved in testing the space shuttle solid rocket motors. Don started playing folk and bluegrass music in high school and says, "Most of what I used to play was derivative of Irish music (although I didn’t know it at the time) so it was natural that I’d eventually get to the source. Celtic music is like a benevolent or useful addiction. Give it your hand and it will grab your arm and pull you in."