2008 Featured Performers

Alex Beaton

Take a great baritone voice, add a kilt and a guitar and what do you have?

Whether you are at a Highland Games in the wilds of North Carolina, or a Burns Night in California chances are you will hear Alex Beaton.

Alex is the quintessential entertainer who is at home on the concert stage as well as clubs and on the banquet circuit. His virtuoso guitar playing and engaging stage presence compliments his rich baritone voice. This winning combination has made him the most popular and successful Scottish folksinger in North America with a large and loyal following all across the continent.

Alex was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and began his professional career with the Cumberland Three, one of Britain's most popular folk singing acts of the sixties. He launched his solo career in New York in 1968 appearing in clubs and in concerts throughout the United States. During the seventies Alex displayed his versatility performing Country and Pop music to audiences nationwide.

Although he enjoyed his success as an entertainer he recognized that there was a desire among American audiences for traditional Celtic music. He knew that the natural outlet for his music was the Highland Games that can be found all over the continent, wherever there are people of Scottish heritage. He founded Glenfinnan Music and began to open a market for the traditional singer at the gatherings. Now, at every one, the folksinger is there along with the athlete and the piper.

Alex has met with international acclaim and has made numerous radio and television appearances both in America and Great Britain. His repertoire includes a wide range of musical expression from poignant ballads to rousing Celtic classics.

If you want to spend some time immersed in the sounds of Scotland, and know more about the land that gave birth to the ancestors of many Americans, sit in the audience and experience Alex Beaton.

http://www.alexbeaton.com

Blackthorn

BLACKTHORN is a Canadian-based Celtic folk group whose repertoire celebrates the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, England, as well as folk music of English and French Canada.

From lively jigs and reels to heart-wrenching airs and ballads, savour the melodies and intricately woven harmonies that bring this music to life in a new way, mixed with humour and above all else, fun.

Blackthorn is delighted to announce the release of their latest CD "Sweet Forget-Me-Not" which features a wide variety of wonderful songs and instrumentals including some great renditions of traditional Robbie Burns songs. The beautiful title track has been in the Newfoundland music tradition for the past 100 years but was actually written in 1877 by Bobby Newcomb of Cincinatti, Ohio. The CD also includes their much-requested version of Wade Hemsworth's "The Log Driver's Waltz"

Their previous recordings include:
Singing the Travels (2003)
Market Town (1996)
The Dark Island (1992)

Blackthorn are featured guest artists on SFU Pipe Band's "Do Mo Chara Maith" album and their music is featured on the Fort Langley National Historic Site's documentary "A Magical History Tour". Please visit www.blackthornband.com for information regarding this talented group.

Ed Miller

Originally from Edinburgh Scotland, ED MILLER has been based in Austin for the 2^nd half of his life. He is one of the finest singing products of the Scottish folk revival, having progressed from folk clubs and bars in Edinburgh to being in great demand throughout North America. At the University of Texas, he completed a PhD in Folklore in the 1980's; but has since graduated to taking his songs, stories and droll humor to festivals, clubs, concerts, Highland Games and schools all over the country. When in Austin, he hosts the "Folkways" show on KUT-FM, a program that has become required listening for Central Texas folk music lovers. In recent years, he has expanded his activities into leading music-oriented tours of his native land; and he has also established a reputation as a fine teacher at events like the Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, and the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp.

In his classes, Miller puts the Scottish folksong revival in perspective, following the whole process from traditional source singers to contemporary songwriters to show how this revival has been crucial in the flowering of Scottish cultural identity. "Learn about Scotland through song" is his basic theme.

In the summer of 2003, he was honored by being selected to be a presenter and performer at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington DC, where Scotland was the featured country, and where over a million people got a taste of his homeland.

If you are looking for nostalgic, Brigadoonish schlock, this is not your man; but if you like good songs sung well, with a healthy mixture of realism and humor, don't miss this wonderful singer. Miller's repertoire covers the whole spectrum of Scottish folksong, from old ballads and Robert Burns songs to the more recent compositions of 20th century songwriters, from Adam McNaughtan to Brian McNeill. He has 7 CD's to his credit, including the most recent and highly-acclaimed "Never Frae My Mind" All these recordings exemplify his skill in picking good songs, and showcase a voice "as strong and satisfying as a good single malt whisky." Be prepared to join in the choruses! Visit www.songsofscotland.com for more information regarding this talented Scot!
To learn more about Ed Miller visit: http://www.songsofscotland.com/

Highland Way

From his native homeland, Scotland, Brian Caldwell of Glasgow leads HIGHLAND WAY on a musical journey through traditional and modern Celtic melodies. Joining Brian on guitar, bodhran, and vocals, are Heloise Love, Paul Graham Castellanos on fiddle, mandolin and varied strings, and Richard Gordon Heinz on bass and vocals.

Rousing songs and haunting ballads blend with instrumental medleys and touches of whimsy in performances designed to lift spirits and captivate any audience.

Concert repertoire features traditional Celtic music from Scotland and Ireland, with some added original and contemporary Celtic melodies. Please visit www.highlandway.us to learn more about HIGHLAND WAY.

THE SEATTLE KNIGHTS

The Seattle Knights, the Northwest's premier sword fighting and jousting organization, is a theatrical troupe whose specialty is Medieval Fantasy. Their dedication to the principal of "Education through Entertainment" has made the Seattle Knights the top stage combat troupe in the country. The actor-combatants perform choreographed combat using real armor and weapons. Men and women perform on equal footing, taking up spears, pole weapons, war hammers, axes, daggers, and, of course, swords of almost every variety. For all the ferocity and excitement, it's all good, clean fun. The Seattle Knights proudly maintain the best safety record in the industry, and have performed for schools, businesses, private functions, parades, charities, festivals, and renaissance fairs around the United States.

For the Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games & Clan Gathering, the Seattle Knights swap armor and horses for kilts and comedy, displaying their skills with rapier and repartee throughout the day. Join us for music, mirth, and merry mayhem.

For more information, visit: http://www.seattleknights.com.

TEMPEST

Since forming in 1988, Tempest has delivered a globally-renowned hybrid of high-energy folk rock fusing Irish reels, Scottish ballads, Norwegian influences and other world music elements. The last 18 years have seen the San Francisco Bay Area-based act release twelve critically acclaimed CDs and play more than 2,000 gigs. It's also enjoyed an evolving line-up that's enabled its musicianship and creativity to rise with each new member-something highlighted by the group's current roster.

Hailing from Oslo, Norway, founding member and lead singer/electric mandolinist Lief Sorbye is recognized as a driving force in the modern folk-rock movement. Fiddler Michael Mullen, a favorite with the fans, is the original fiddler for the group. Bassist Damien Gonzalez, a native Californian, is also an accomplished drummer and didgeridoo player who may occasionally breathe fire. Native of Devon, England, and a former member of the UK's folk-rock band Equation, guitarist James Crocker combines a deep-rooted British folk sensibility with a life-long rock experience. Cuban-born drummer Adolfo Lazo, an original Tempest member, colors the band's sound with inventive percussion.

Tempest is regularly featured at prestigious festivals including The Philadelphia Folk Festival, Denmark's Skagen Festival, and Britain's Cropredy Festival. The band is also a mainstay at countless American Celtic festivals.

With masterful musicians and innovative arrangements of traditional and original material, Tempest's dedication to its muse and global fan base continues unabated. Please visit www.tempestmusic.com to learn more about Tempest.

WICKED TINKERS

WICKED TINKERS perform the kind of music you might have heard hundreds of years ago at a Scottish wedding, ceilidh, or around the campfire of a Highland raiding party.  Since 1995 they've brought their vitality and humor to stages across America.  They have been blending the emotion and power of the Great Highland Bagpipe with the pounding of raw tribal rhythms for over seven years and have recently added the haunting sound of the Bronze-Age Celtic Horn - a sound lost for over a millennium.  They play the music of the Scottish Highlands, spicing it with the Celtic tunes of Ireland and the many lands graced by the Gaelic people.  Touring the U.S. for most of the year, WICKED TINKERS have made friends and fans of folks from all over the world.

WICKED TINKERS performs 'Gaelic bagpipe music' - not the refined piping and drumming of a modern pipe band, rather they have been waking people up with their own version of this tribal, ethnic music.  They are a four-piece band with Aaron Shaw's award winning piping; Warren Casey's loud, warm, and earthy drumming; Keith Jones' sure, rapid-fire snare and percussion; Jay Atwood's, rich, soulful didgeridoo and the Celtic Bronze-Age Horn.  This mixture brings bag piping back to the forefront of the Scottish Highland Games entertainment circuit.  It has a way of converting all ages into fans of bagpipes and drums.  Please visit www.wickedtinkers.com to learn more about the WICKED TINKERS.