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Beltana
Born on a magickal Beltane (Mayday Eve) in 1968, Bernadette grew quickly to love and play music somewhere around her fifth year, or even sooner. Her mother noticed her first pounding out songs on her little toy piano, much to her surprise. At age fourteen,
she decided that she wanted a musical career after attending her first concert in St. Louis. Active in high school Madrigal and Concert choirs, she went to state competitions for vocals, and did well. She took music theory and theatre, and went on to study music in College for a time. After attending Southeast Missouri State University for a year, she decided that school was not the place to learn to become a rock singer. She quit to join a local band called the
Killer Tomatoes. Her very first time on stage with her group was opening for Ronnie Montrose.
It terrified her so much she threw up the night before the performance! They played together for a number of years in and around the St. Louis circuit, which led to other projects and studio work for her, including working in a Dixieland jazz band,
the RKO Radio Band, Several cover bands
including the Doc Rockers, and a few original projects.
She also jammed with Chuck Berry's
daughter and son-in-law's band, singing blues tunes. In April of 1998, Bernadette decided to follow her pagan spirituality and move onto a piece of property with her family, a place they would call Wolvenwold. She took the name Beltana as an honor to her birthdate
on Beltane, the sacred fertility festival. Now known to
most as simply "Bel," she plays with SONA when she has
the chance, and does other
solo
projects as well. She doesn't get stagefright like she used to.
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"Papa" Joe
Joe Credit has been involved in music since the age of seven. ( longer ago than you might think. ) He learned to play and sing at that time, honed his skills in a variety of rock and roll bands through the sixties, then actually got serious about music, leaving rock behind and taking classical training in voice, theory, and composition. He had his hopes of becoming a music teacher, but never found a position in the teaching field. He went on to musical comedy dinner theater and summer stock, either on stage or in the pit. For a while, he felt his gift was idle, but he became inspired anew by his pagan friends he met, and started to get back into the real groove of the music. He really got involved when his son, Joe, showed up on his doorstep with a mandolin in hand, asking him to teach him how to play.
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"Little" Joe
Born in 1975, Joe Credit III is the youngest member of SONA.Joe's mandolin style is raw, direct, and from the heart. His father exposed him to a wide variety of music when he was younger; focusing mainly on music from the sixties- and of course-The Beatles. His mother is an accomplished pianist and is currently the director of a small theatre company in Virginia called Cherry Tree Players. Joe started on the guitar when he was a teenager, jamming with the local bluegrass and blues players in Central Virginia. From there, he learned his sense of timing and rhythm. He really didn't think that he would go anywhere with music until he was in his twenties when he began to play a solo act in clubs around Virginia and on the streets of Washington DC. He played with intensity and with careful attention to details. As with most mandolinists he was kind of forced into it. After the turn of the millenium his guitar was stolen from him by urban blight. His mother gave him a mandolin, so that he could keep his fingers strong. Little did either of them know that he would take to it with a feverish passion that has carried him to where he is today in a few short months. He credits his father with teaching him musical theory and traditional timing and style. He was introduced to the pagan community at Heartland near Kansas City. He is known to the community as the guy who walks everywhere with the mandolin. He fell in love rather quickly. The community is full of hugs and reassurance. That is what Joe is all about, love and respect for every being.
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