A love of Irish music brought together five musicians from America's heartland to form The Barley House Band.

Combining respect for tradition with passion for playing, the band's members have experience across a variety of styles, including everything from classical music to bluegrass.

"Our motto is 'Irish roots, American branches,' " said Michael Romkey, The Barley House Band's fiddler. ''There's some Irish ancestry in the band, but since none of us were born in Ireland, what's left for us is to interpret the music and make it our own. Ultimately, that's what you do with any kind of folk music.''

In addition to performing traditional jigs, reels and airs, the band plays original songs and a few American and Cape Breton tunes that have become popular with Celtic bands. The band aims to strike a balance between the old and the new.

The band released its first CD, "Carry the Stones Away," in 2005, and currently is assembling material for a second recording.

The Barley House Band has performed in a variety of venues, including ceili dances, the Celtic Highland Games, Erin Feis, the River Music Experience, Riverssance, and assorted pubs, clubs and festivals. For the past two years, The Barley House Band has hosted a series of enthusiastically received Celtic Christmas concerts. Band members participate in Irish sessions locally and in Chicago, and hope to reinstitute a slow session they led for two years at a local coffeehouse.

The members are:

Kristi Ruud: bodhran, whistle, low whistle, dulcimer and harp. Kristi also plays with the band Heartstrings and recently published several of her arrangements.

Tena Hess: flute. Tena has played with several symphony orchestras and has recorded for Narada records. She is a professional musician and flute teacher.

Krista Rittenhouse: vocals.

Michael Romkey: fiddle, mandolin, guitar.

Joe Nobiling: guitar, fiddle.