2011 New Hampshire Highland Games, part two, The Music

When I first started listening to “Celtic Rock” music, there were two bands that made up most of my “must have” list – Seven Nations and Brother.  Just as I discovered Seven Nations, Neil Anderson was leaving to do his own thing and I while I have always considered him a top-shelf piper, I never cared for his singing voice and sometimes felt he really couldn’t carry a tune.  So, I pretty much ignored him until the first time I heard his current band,
Rathkeltair.  Drummer, Nick Watson, and lead guitarist/vocalist, Trevor Tanner, flesh out (in Trevor’s case, quite nicely!) the missing pieces that Neil’s pipes and whistles lay a solid foundation for.  The danger of seeing the same band repeatedly over a three-day period is that you begin to know the set list unless they have the foresight to make a few minor changes.  Unfortunately, Rathkeltair didn’t see the need, so by the last set of the last day, I was more than bored.  No harm done; I only see them once every couple of years at best.  Favorite out of all the sets I watched, seeing Neil playing two whistles at the same time; a talent I’ve only witnessed with Neil.  In short, nobody blows like Neil.  Nobody.  Find them at:
http://www.rathkeltair.com/

My first experience with Brother goes back to 1999 when Hamish and Angus Richardson first brought their Australian sound to the stage at the Texas Scottish Festival.  I was waiting for Seven Nations to play and only half-heartedly listening.  Then Hamish starts playing this long tube-looking thing and I was mesmerized.  I later found out the tube thing is a didgeridoo, an Australian wind instrument, and is an integral part of what makes Brother’s music so extraordinary.  Since my first experiences with Brother, I’ve heard many Celtic bands trying to incorporate the didge into their music.  Most are mediocre and the instrument is left as just one of many as opposed to a stand out.  I give them credit for trying, but leave the top honors for Brother, because they have limited their music to a handful of instruments where the didge shares center stage instead of hanging in the wings as an “also ran”.

The current band mates are Angus Richardson, lead guitar/vocals/pipes, Drew “Didgeridrew” Reid, didgeridoo master and looping engineer, and Dave “Dalbo” Allen, percussion.  And, if possible, the current sound is even more tribal and incredible than ever it was before.  Drew Reid has made the didgeridoo his instrument; creating a sound that surpasses the original Brother sound and puts it on an entirely new level.  You’ll even hear a bit of Tibetan throat-music, something I never expected to hear in the New Hampshire hills!  Find them at: http://www.brothermusic.com/

This was my first view of the Red Hot Chili Pipers and I’m still not sure what to make of them.  They’re entertaining, in a show-band sort of way, and they certainly draw a huge crowd.  Their website claims the shows are so hot they carry their own health warning.  I’m not really sure about that.  They do play music I never expected to hear played on bagpipes – “Smoke On The Water”, “Voodoo Child”, “Hellbound Train” – they make the music fun and I’m all for taking the pipes where they’ve never been before, but the Chillis are just a bit over the top for my old bones.  Find them at: http://www.redhotchillipipers.co.uk/
(I didn't take a photo of the Chillis, my bad!!)

Albannach most likely should come with a warning label!!  As Scottish as Scottish gets on stage in America, Albannach, or The Mighty Nach, as they are lovingly called by fans, dress in traditional kilts (not the pre-pleated, uniformly hemmed, skirt-looking kilts worn by your favorite pipe band, and certainly not Utilikilts!!) and, with the exception of the one very talented piper, play drums.  The sound is HUGE!  My first experience with Albannach was inside a very large and acoustically challenging hall, where they literally filled every possible nook and cranny with sound.  My chest was pounding and my ears rang for half an hour after.  I was so hooked!!  The effect is a bit less exciting outdoors but the showmanship makes up for what the elements take away.  Bass drummers Jacquie (the lone female) and Jamesie are joined by Collin on drum kit and Aya on bodhran with Donnie providing the melodies on pipes.  Find them at: http://www.albannachmusic.com/index.html

(Horrible photo, sorry!)

At the totally opposite end of the spectrum stand The Brigadoons.  Founded in 1971, they are the easy-listening band you search out when your ears are numb and your head’s begun to ache.  Their music is soothing like a boat on smooth water.  Just don’t get too relaxed or lead-singer, Denis Carr, will point you out and accuse you of nodding off!!  My great fondness for Denis aside, my delight in the Brigadoons comes as much from their unexpected set lists as from their flawless harmonies.  The first time I heard them, I began singing along to a song I knew well, but had never heard at a Celtic festival.  It took another couple of tunes for me to realize they’d played “Trouble In The Fields” by Texas native, Nanci Griffith.  Since then, I’ve caught them including at least one of Nanci’s songs every time I’ve heard them.  At Loon they played “Roseville Fair” and it was all I could do not to find a partner and waltz the afternoon away.  The line-up has changed frequently since I’ve been listening to them, but their website lists the current members as Rob Taylor, Denis Carr, Jackie Smith, and Luane Doyle.  Find them at:  http://www.thebrigadoons.com/welcome.php#
(There actually are other people on stage with him, but Denis seems to be the only one I ever take pictures of!!)