REVIEWS
		Bio Recordings:     Hand To Hand   Optimist's Jig Audio Sample Upcoming Gigs Reviews Buy Online Artist's Homepage "Together, the two musicians played a red-hot and glowing version of the Orange Blossom Special, driving the crowd insane with pleasure."
	Haines & Leighton "After the intermission, Tom Leighton and Mark Haines blazed their way to glory, working the crowd up with their extremely polished set. They are both multi-instrumentalists. Leighton, amazingly, plays as many as three at the same time, adroitly manipulating his DX7 synthesizer to produce sounds he and Haines lack fingers enough to play themselves, such as bass lines and percussion embellishments. Their act seamlessly integrated synthesized and acoustic sounds. Leighton brought down the house with a solo bodhran break. Haines, who sang most of the solos, also plays a mean fiddle. Together, the two musicians played a red-hot and glowing version of the Orange Blossom Special, driving the crowd insane with pleasure." -The Chronicle-Herald Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, 2000 "Mark Haines and Tom Leighton always exude a great joie de vivre in their performances and tonight was no exception. Tom is a powerhouse one man band (if he wanted to be); he sings and plays bodhran, keyboards/synthesizer and some kind of souped up accordion which I think was supplying a good backup bass sound; Mark is excellent on the fiddle and the majority of the lead vocals. Bill Usher joined them to provide some solid and complimentary percussion. Tony Burns played a Cabasa shaker which gave a nice sound on a couple of numbers. Their music almost defies description but with some interesting props and music ranging from many unusual originals to celtic, gospel, contemporary, bluegrass, vaudeville and swing influences - and great exciting polkas! - their music is in a class all it's own. Their phenomenal energy, vivacity, charm, breadth of vision and consummate musicality results in one of the most exciting and mesmerizing shows you'll ever hope to see and hear. Their enthusiasm and love of music is so encompassing and pervasive that the audience is swept up in a contagion of joy - many in the packed house had never heard them before and there were constant looks of incredulity on peoples' faces and exclamations of wonder and amazement. With standing ovations and double encores, Tom & Mark invited Aengus back on stage and finished off the evening with the gospel song "I'll Fly Away" and a rousing rendition of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", with everyone standing, singing along and being thoroughly transported. We got back to Toronto at 2am, but who could go to sleep, when you're so pumped and high! On the other hand, one might argue, you're exhausted by their overwhelming energy! However you react, this music courses through your veins and sure makes you feel alive." -Lillian Wauthier
HOME | ARTISTS | RECORDINGS | TOUR SCHEDULES | ONLINE STORE MEDIA ROOM | WHAT'S NEW | LINKS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US