2010 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

Colin Grant - Adams

Colin Grant-Adams, recording artist, Scottish/Celtic Folksinger, Guitarist, originally from Oban Scotland, presents a program of traditional, contemporary, and nationally acclaimed original folksongs about Scotland's rugged landscape, "These are My Mountains", it's turbulent history, "Ye Jacobites By Name" and the Scottish immigrants' influence on American folk and Bluegrass music, with "Scottish American" and "Kentucky in the Spring Time."

Audiences have enjoyed Colin Grant-Adams‚ performances in the famous folk clubs of Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Europe and across the United States.  Grant-Adams‚ brings new life to the traditional tunes and are delivered with a touch of humor, the telling of mystical stories and even a few sing-along songs that leave the crowds asking for more.

Weaving tales of Scotland's turbulent history and haunting beauty with his remarkable ballads, Grant-Adams takes you on a journey across the seas to Scotland and the Islands.

Colin captivates the audience's heart, mind and soul.

His repertoire ranges from the well-known classical songs: "Skye Boat Song," "Will You Go Lassie Go," and "Dark Lochnagar" to the contemporary, and traditional music of Scotland and Ireland to the Bluegrass music of Kentucky, plus his acclaimed original compositions, "Where the Rhododendrons Grow," "Blood in the Ground", "Scottish American," and "The Lone Piper."

Grant-Adams has produced nine recordings, "Come by the Hills," "Glencoe," "Old Friends Across the Sea," "Scotland - Land of My Father", "Scottish American," "Traditional and Original Songs of Scotland," "This Land Called Scotland," "Colin Grant-Adams and His Guitar", and  "A Toast To Scotland."

Grant-Adams has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, and concerts all over the United States, plus at the acclaimed Carnegie Hall, NYC.

Please visit www.colingrant-adams.com for more info.

Golden Bough

Golden Bough Celebrates 30 Years of Celtic Music, 1980-2010

"There is a love of this music by the performers that is obvious. A great example of how to do something the right way when many are just doing it, period."

Wind and Wire Magazine

"Although the instruments are superb, what really sets this group apart are the vocals - harmonies so tight that it's often hard to know who or how many are singing; but the resulting sound is enchanting and breathtaking."

Burt Meyer, Olympia Center of Folk Arts and Music

Formed in January of 1980, Golden Bough's first performances were in and around San Francisco. Soon they were touring Europe where they played the streets and small folk clubs of Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Holland and Switzerland. These simple beginnings soon led to major tours of European cities and a recording contract with the premier European folk music label, ARC Music.

Golden Bough continues to tour the United States, performing in theaters, at festivals and Highland Games. They have also performed in Canada, the Caribbean and Japan (where they were met by enthusiastic fans holding up Golden Bough's recordings, ready for autographs).

Recently Golden Bough's music was featured in the PBS documentary Visions of Scotland. Currently they are in the studio recording music for the audio book of the Scottish children's tale, The Man Who Spoke With Cats. This book, written by T.E. Watson, won the 2009 "National Readers Choice" and "American Authors Association" awards.

Rooted in the traditional music of Ireland & Scotland, Golden Bough also performs the music of the lesser known Celtic lands of Wales, Cornwall, The Isle of Man, French Brittany and Spanish Galicia. With over 25 recordings to date, Golden Bough has become a popular and in demand group on both sides of the Atlantic, gaining critical acclaim and enthusiastic support from folk fans wherever they perform.

In the recording studio, as well as on stage, Golden Bough captures the essence and joy of traditional folk music and captivates listeners with the uniqueness of their original compositions. Their music is well received and enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Please visit www.goldenboughmusic.com for more information on Golden Bough recordings and concerts.

Songs of Scotland (CD)

"Margie Butler, Paul Espinoza and Kathy Sierra have produced an eminently listenable collection of well-known Scots ballads and, although many of these have been done to death in the past, it is to Golden Bough's immense credit that their versions bring a feeling of freshness to the whole album. Recommended!" The Folk Diary, UK
You may visit www.goldenboughmusic.com for more information.

Needfire

Needfire takes traditional Celtic melodies into a modern rock context with original lyrics and hard-hitting performances as they blend the sound of soaring bagpipes, reeling Celtic fiddles, and tribal didgeridoo with modern rock guitars, bass, and drums. Since 2005 these Texas-based Celt-rockers have headlined some the nation's largest Celtic and arts festivals. Songs from their first three CD releases have been aired on radio stations and Celtic music programs throughout the U.S. and Europe. In 2009 the band will be on tour in support of their 4th and newest CD "Chasing Orion" performing at festivals coast to coast. On "Chasing Orion" the band once again takes all engineering, producing, and creative decisions into their own hands. Killer songwriting, great guitar work, a rock n' roll backbeat, catchy fiddle and bagpipe hooks and a mix of eclectic influences drawing equally from rock, folk, Texas blues, and traditional Celtic music, this CD has all the elements that make Needfire one of America's most distinctive and original bands.

Needfire's high-spirited, powerhouse live shows and original sound are praised by music fans of all ages and critics worldwide. "One of todays most popular Celtic rock bands" (WBKO TV- Bowling Green, KY); "...furious toe-tappers that owe as much to the Beatles as to Celtic music" (Ink 19); "...just at ease in the rock songs as in the ballads, Needfire is fresh and explosive!" (Highlands Magazine, France); "...uplifting, invigorating" (Shotgun Reviews).

To learn more about Needfire please visit www.myspace.com/needfiremusic

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 are a Celtic Tribal Sound Explosion!
The power and emotion of the Great Highland Bagpipe
Tribal drums, fierce and joyous
The mystical rhythms of the Australian didgeridoo
and
The ancient call of the Bronze-Age Irish Horn

Prepare yourself for a wild ride with Wicked Tinkers! Pioneers of the growing Tribal Celtic movement, the Tinkers have been playing haunting, heart-pounding bagpipes and irresistible, tribal drums as a professional touring band since 1995. With the addition, several years back, of the mesmerizing drone of the Australian didgeridoo and Bronze Age Irish horn, the magic was complete. Sit back and be transported to an earlier time in Scotland and Ireland, when battle cries filled the air and strange, unheard-of creatures roamed the night. Or better yet, get on your feet and let your body move to ancient rhythms and forgotten sounds.

Don't think this is dry, dusty music for museum shelves - the boys in the band merge the best of modern, almost rock-and-roll energy with the hypnotic, and insistent grooves of their Gaelic ancestors. Rare is the bystander who comes away without feeling a surprising, sometimes bewildering connection to long-forgotten, primal emotions ... half-memories of ages past and experiences nameless yet somehow familiar. Wicked Tinkers create music to set your jaw, put a fire in your belly, a glint in your eye and a dance in your feet.

In 1995, Aaron Shaw - piper and founding member - met bass drum player, Warren Casey at The Celtic Arts Center in Los Angeles, California. Playing together, they discovered the simple beauty and power of the music created by these two instruments. "The combination seemed to tap the very soul of Gaelic Music" Says Shaw.

It is the music you might have heard hundreds of years ago at a Scottish wedding celebration; or perhaps around the campfire at a Highland raiding party - a raw, exciting sound that touches you on a primal level. Looking for a way to express this feeling of the ancient within the modern world, WICKED TINKERS was born.

Over the years, the band has evolved to include Keith Jones on snare drum and hand percussion, and CJ Henderson on didgeridoo and the Bronze-Age Irish Horn - a sound that was lost for over three thousand years. Now this strange and unlikely combination seems to access our deepest connection to a primal place that is both hauntingly familiar and ancient. It is the music of our Celtic ancestors, recreated for the twenty-first century.

Please visit www.wickedtinkers.com to learn more about the WICKED TINKERS.