Irish Traditional Music 

Blake Ritter & Alina Larson

Driving rhythms and intricate textural soundscapes are the hallmarks of Ceo's musical style. Blake & Alina are both dance musicians at heart, playing lively tunes in tight synchrony, while not shying away from spontaneous variations.

Ceo (pronounced "kYOH" & meaning fog/mist in Irish Gaelic) describes the atmospheric conditions shared between Ireland and the Northern California coastline. Irish traditional musicians Blake Ritter and Alina Larson both grew up within walking distance of redwood forests, which thrive in foggier climates. 

Ceol sa Cheo (pronounced "kYOL suh hYO" & meaning "music in the fog") is a name we often go by when hosting sessions and playing for set and céilí dances with friends.

Upcoming Gig Schedule

  MARCH 2026:

    3/6 (3-4:30pm) - Alina & Blake host a session @SHO on Zoom*

    3/6 (~8pm) - Alina & Blake perform live @SHO on Zoom*

    3/7 (6-9pm) - Ceo Trio performs for Arts Alive! @Schlueter Gallery in Eureka

3/11 (7:30-11pm) - CEO IRISH BAND @NORTH OF FOURTH IN EUREKA

    3/15 (11am-3pm) - Ceo Trio performs @Scotia Lodge in Rio Dell

3/15 (4-6PM) - HOUSE CEILI @RESIDENCE IN MCKINLEYVILLE

    3/17 (11:30am-2:30pm) - Ceo Quartet performs @Cheeseboard in Berkeley

    3/17 (6-8pm) - Ceo Trio performs @Tasting House in Los Gatos

    3/22 (6:30-9:30pm) - CEOL SA CHEO PLAYS FOR CEILI @UICC in SF

    3/26 (8:30-10:30pm) - Ceo Trio plays for Set Dancing @Plough & Stars in SF

    3/28 (2-5pm) - Alina & Blake host 4th Saturday Session @O’Reilly’s Pub in SF

    APRIL 2026:

    4/3 (7-10pm) - Ceo Trio performs @Cafe Mokka in Arcata

    4/4 (6-9pm) - Ceo performs for Arts Alive! @Schlueter Gallery in Eureka 

* = Advanced Registration Required ; Times in PST

Check back regularly for updates! ^__^

Blake & Alina Bios

Blake Ritter is an accomplished Irish traditional musician & teacher based in Humboldt County. He started playing traditional and classical music in early childhood, with performances that took him across the country & abroad to England & Ireland through his teens and early 20s. As an All-Ireland fiddle champion in traditional slow airs, it comes as no surprise that Blake Ritter is able to pull an incredible, sometimes other-worldly tone out of his instrument!

Alina Larson is a musician, singer, dancer, and a scholar. She performs Irish traditional music on uilleann pipes & whistles around the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond... After completing her PhD, Alina decided to take a solo trip to Scotland and Ireland in January 2020, and was in Galway on St Patrick's Day when she booked a flight back home with the start of the global pandemic. Fortunately, it wasn't long before she received her set of Michael Hubbert pipes and started practicing every day, keeping her plenty busy during the lockdown!

In 2024, Alina got a job at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh Scotland. While there, Alina & Blake attended and often hosted sessions at Sandy Bell's and The Long Drop on a regular basis for the better part of a year. They managed to sneak away to Ireland for several week-long visits, stopping in for sessions wherever they went. Now that they're back in California, they're excited to bring their energy and love for the music to a wider audience as Ceo – joined by musical friends up and down the California Coast!