In one corner of the studio is Lance Pedigo on the Bodhran, a Celtic drum.

In another is Thomas DeRose on the Irish flute; and in the center is Stewart Pittman on the tin whistle.  Together they get our feet tapping and heads nodding to the Celtic tunes they play so well as Poisoned Dwarf.

Poisoned Dwarf is an eclectic group of Colonial Williamsburg employees who all love Celtic music. They'll put executive chef Rhys Lewis’ pairings of fine foods and cold ales  to music this Friday evening at the CW Lodge in a special event called Pints, Pairings and Poisoned Dwarf.

During the regular work day Thomas works in military programs.

"Basically any time the cannons go boom, I'm there," he says.

Lance is the Drum Major with Colonial Williamsburg's Fife and Drums and is in charge of the music department at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  Stewart is the Supervisor of Drums for the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drums.

"We all deal with some sort of noise," says Lance.

Missing from the studio were the other two members, Eric Hunter and Wayne Hill. Despite their absence, the band kept us entertained with their unique Irish beats.

Thomas and the missing Eric Hunter (a CW employee in Coach and Livestock), were the foundation for Poisoned Dwarf.

"I played Clash tunes with a toy accordion and guitar. Our first performance was for Eric's Russian wife and her Russian friends at New Year's. We got much applause," Thomas says.

They play at different venues around Williamsburg and every Saint Patrick's Day at The Corner Pocket. They’ve got a few guests up their sleeves for Friday night at the Lodge.

“We are bringing along some special guests. Two world-class championship dancers will be joining us on stage.  We also have a guest singer who is part of the Air Combat Command Air Force band and part of their subgroup Celtic Air. "

If they are half as entertaining as they were in the studio, then we are bound to have a great time.

Check out Chef Rhys' Hometown interview to learn more about this event.

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