Mark Haines & Tom Leighton established themselves as a duo in 1992 with the release of their first cd, “Foot To Floor (repeat on beat)”. They perform an original and traditional repertoire influenced by their Celtic and North American folk roots. Their engaging humour and personality has made them popular performers in theatres, festivals, concerts, and clubs. These Borealis Recording Artists have rambled along Canadian highways from Ontario to the Maritimes, into the mountains of New York, and across the seas to Britain, Sweden and Taiwan.
Their Sound: Mark’s voice “is a one of a kind”. Add Tom’s superb harmony and arranging skills, and the stories and images come vividly to life. These multi-instrumentalists combine the traditional “tug at your heart strings” sounds of the fiddle, accordion, guitar, bouzouki, and bodhran, with the “turn on your ears” new technology of synthesisers, tone generators and processors. Tom sometimes plays FOUR instruments AT ONCE; left hand pumping the accordion and bass, the right hand thumping the drum, while his feet deftly work the pedals of the keyboards. These two guys can create a HUGE sound.