Brian Miller (guitar, vocals, low and high whistles), Karl Espe (fiddle, vocals), and Eric Carlson (bodhran, vocals); began playing together in the summer of 1997 in their home town of Bemidji, Minnesota. They spent their first summer as a group as street musicians performing on the sidewalk in front of the Paul Bunyan Playhouse in downtown Bemidji. They continued to play for small events and area venues through the winter of 97-98 and recorded their first CD in May of 1998. Named for the Gaelic word for dance, Rince is an exciting collection of both traditional reels, jigs, and songs of Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany as well as some original compositions by both Brian and Eric. The Gaels spent the warm months of 98 "on tour" through the small towns of their area and in the fall of that year they made the move to the Twin Cities. The group was well received by the Twin Cities' Irish music community and their debut CD was rated the #1 new release in the Irish Gazette's November 1998 top ten list


The Gazette hails the trio as "one of the hottest new groups in the Twin Cities." The Gaels have been heard at a number of events across Minnesota including the White-Oak Rendezvous in Deer River, the Friendship Festival in Pelican Rapids, the Land of the Loon Festival in Virginia, the Headwaters Music and Arts Festival in Bemidji and Grand Old Days in St. Paul. They were one of three groups selected to entertain the giant crowds at Kieran's Irish Pub (Minneapolis) on St. Patrick's Day and in August they performed at the Minnesota Irish Heritage Fair in St. Paul. Their first CD, Rince has sold over 1000 copies through shows alone. Whack Fol La Di La, their second album, was released in the middle of August 1999.

The Gaels attack their music with a ferocity that rarely fails to cause audiences to tap their feet, clap their hands, holler, and sometimes just get up and dance. As one listener put it: "I love to see what those kids (The Gaels) do with that traditional music. Some people take that kind of music and just play through it the same way it's been played before. The Gaels kick the hell out of it!"