Peregrino Gris (Gray Pilgirm) is a Costa Rican group that plays Celtic music (kind of music influenced mostly by traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, Galicia [in Spain] and the French Britain).
Many people wonder how someone started a project like this one in Costa Rica, if in this country there is no Celtic tradition or even people that can play the rhythms and instruments of Celtic music.
Everything started as inquietude of Eduardo Oviedo. He likes traditional music of different countries; this interest took him to the ancient Europe music. He discovered some musical instruments that enclose ancestral sounds of several parts of the world. This musical trip conducted him to the bagpipe, an instrument he knew since he was a kid because he had heard it and saw it in a television show; also, he had seen some books mentioning this amazing instrument.
Eduardo felt in love with its inspirational sound and started to investigate the way to get one. He finally decided to get a Scottish highland bagpipe; this instrument was unknown in Costa Rica, but its antique magical sound and the history, the myths and the stories that surround it became a passion for Eduardo.
At the beginning, he confronted some obstacles because the bagpipe presents many particularities that make it very different from others instruments. He only had a book and video to learn how to play the bagpipe; this was a unique experience and a totally new and different challenge for him. A year later, he also started to study the uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) and the whistles.
After seven years of playing in a rock band along with his brother Rodrigo, both decided to found a group of instrumental music where they can develop the potency of the bagpipes and others instruments as the violin and the accordion. In addition, they were inspired by the J.R.R. Tolkien´s work; they worked in a deeper investigation about the culture and the traditional European music, and they wanted to provide a musical expansion and get a personal improvement.
Since he was a child, Rodrigo, has composed many songs and instrumental pieces; also, he shares many of Eduardo’s fondness for ancestral music. For these reasons, Rodrigo started to compound some pieces for his brother and his bagpipe; even he took one of his oldest songs and perfectly adapted it to the Scottish bagpipe.
The musical group was found on March 11, 2001; by then, it was conformed by the Oviedo brothers, Eduardo (bagpipes, whistles, and flutes) and Rodrigo (guitar and keyboard); and Rafael Howell (violin and viola). Its first presentation was on March 17, 2001 to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. In this appearance, the band did not have a name yet. That day, they met Connall French, an Irish young man who played the bodhrán (a type of drum used in traditional Irish music), he became another member of the group immediately.
 Through the first year, the band tried a traditional repertory, and included original compositions; some of them existed for a long time before the group was founded but they were adjusted to the Celtic music. Occasionally, the band performed live presentations in La Cajeta restaurant in Cartago as part of “Mundo Loco en Vivo” (“Crazy World live”), a radio program of the recognized Costa Rican expert in percussion and producer, Bernal Monestel, who dedicates his program to wide world music.
That year, in June, the group recorded a demo with five musical pieces to use it exclusively in promotional activities such as interviews, and to get sponsors in different media.
Parallel to this production, the name of the project was defined: “Peregrino Gris” (Gray Pilgrim), named after the myth of the trilogy The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and one of wizard Gandalf’s names.
With this demo, the band achieved a welcome in different communication media: newspapers as La Nación and Al Día published a couple of articles, SINART Channel provided two presentations in national television, Channel 15 interviewed the members of the group and prepared a special program, and National Radio and U Radio programmed several interviews.
Connall French left the band and Carlos Quesada took his place. Carlos plays the drumset, and by the time he integrated the group, he was experimenting with diverse rhythms and percussion instruments; these elements provided of more variety to the new sounds of Peregrino Gris. Besides, Rodrigo incorporated the accordion to the instruments used.
In August 2001, the band took part of the First World Music Festival. As well, that year, the group improved its repertory; its music sounded in different radio broadcastings, it performed some live presentations and composed several original masterpieces. By then, Peregrino Gris was ready to start the recording of its first CD that included 100% original music. Due numerous issues, the recording took two years. Throughout this time, Randall Nájera replaced Rafael Howell; Randall plays the violin, contrabass and electric bass. This incorporation defined the group as we know it nowadays.
These changes stopped the recording because it was necessary to restructure the musical pieces to adjust them to the new member. By then, live presentations had increased, more articles were published, and every day more and more people got interested in having knowledge of Peregrino Gris. The group started to appear in places like Jazz Café in San Pedro, the theater of the Juan Santamaría Museum in Alajuela, and others. These concerts helped to get several contracts to participate in public and private activities. 
In September and October 2003, Eduardo Oviedo and Randall Nájera got the chance to travel to Scotland and Ireland for two weeks. They visited Glasgow, Iona Island and Edinburgh in Scotland, and Dublin and Cork in Ireland. In those places, they met some musicians, played in various pubs and gave away several demos with premixes of pieces prepared for the CD. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Oviedo was in charge of mixing the finished themes; at the return of Randall and Eduardo, the last details were recorded and the material got ready; the first CD was finally completed.

The CD was published in December 2003; since then, it had accomplished a prominent success among the Costa Rican community. This work has being the most important implement to search a better promotion in the national marketplace, and to found more opportunities in foreign countries as well.
Ever since, Peregrino Gris has become more popular as much in the media as in the public; the quantity of its followers has increased, and there is a big crowd that dances in the concerts, creating an atmosphere of party and celebration. Public and private live presentations have enhanced too, sometimes the group performances 8 to 10 times in one month.
In the course of 2004 the CD is promoted countrywide, the group achieved a good volume of national sales; this fact was very satisfactory because the sales superposed the band’s expectative. That year left much more experience in a musical level; and this provided the inquietude to start a new recording project.
Throughout the first months of 2005, Peregrino Gris offered several live presentations, and took part of the Transitarte Festival 2005, and the first Mundoloco Festival 2005 in San José. Furthermore, the project of the second CD began to come about.
In June 2005, the recording commenced; it attempted to compile original material, and some of the pieces were already played in live appearances. The recording ended in November that same year, and the second CD named “Confrontación” (Confrontation) is presented in December through several concerts and some promotion in different communication media. This CD had obtained a great reception among the community and it has being programmed in some national and international broadcastings. 
During this year, Peregrino Gris has participated in a number of activities such as the Transitarte Festival 2006, the International Arts Festival 2006 and the second Mundoloco Festival 2006. Besides, the band continues its efforts searching for possible contracts to play outside Costa Rica to offer its music to a foreign audience.