Treacherous Orchestra at Celtic Connections
What a fantastic gig last night – The ABC was packed, and by the end of the night, the floor was bouncing like a trampoline. I didn’t take my camera, so here’s a couple of pics taken on my phone.
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Mairearad Green at Ceol Cholasa
I love getting out to events and festivals around Scotland to take photos. I was invited to go to Colonsay in September, to take photos for the Poozies, and for the festival.
Here’s Mairearad Green, accordionist, playing at Ceol Cholasa.
Duncan Chisholm, Scottish fiddler
The Friday night concert at the Scots Fiddle Festival was rounded off by Duncan Chisholm (fiddle) and Tony Byrne (guitar). It was a superb set, with many of the slow airs and beautiful tunes that Duncan is renowned for playing.
And the staff at the Queen’s Hall were impressed at the number of encores.
Duncan Chisholm
Duncan Chisholm and Tony Byrne
Tony Byrne
Solitude
Alone, or maybe not, with a fiddle and bow for company.
Hand holding a bow and fiddle
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Thanks to Kim for suggesting the photo title for the gallery this week!
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Orkney band ‘Broken Strings’ at the Scots Fiddle Festival
The young Orcadian band ‘Broken Strings’ played a cracking set at the Scots Fiddle Festival a couple of weeks ago.
‘Broken Strings’ playing at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas
The California-based Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser was involved in the very first Scots Fiddle festival in 1996, and has been a great supporter of the event over its history. He returned to play at the Saturday evening concert this year, along with cellist Natalie Haas.
Alasdair Fraser at the Scots Fiddle Festival
Natalie Haas, cellist
Alasdair and Natalie
Natalie
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Vamm at the Scots Fiddle Festival in Edinburgh
The final Saturday recital at the Scots Fiddle Festival in Edinburgh was the first gig for Vamm, a new band formed by fiddlers Catriona Macdonald and Patsy Reid, with Marit Falt on mandola.
Catriona Macdonald, fiddler
Patsy Reid, fiddler
Vamm playing their first gig
Scots Fiddle Festival – opening concert 2011
What a cracking night that was! First on were Tyde, and band of young musicians from the Newcastle Traditional Music Course.
Andrew Waite, accordionist with the band Tyde
The remainder of the night shot by when Duncan Chisholm and Tony Byrne came on stage.
Duncan Chisholm, playing a slow air at the Scots Fiddle Festival concert
Tony Byrne, guitarist
Duncan & Tony onstage
And behind the big performance, there’s the sound and lighting engineers
Together
There’s just one day to go before the start of the Scots Fiddle Festival 2011. From early on Friday evening, if you stray into the Newington area of Edinburgh, expect to see every 2nd person on the street carrying a fiddle-shaped case, as they head into the Queen’s Hall and King’s Hall to join in with the frenzy of fiddle-related events that will be packing both venues for the weekend.
Once it’s all over for another year, there might be a few fiddles taking up a more peaceful pose!
The Little Biggar Band
We had a lot of fun taking photos for the band’s new website.
The Little Biggar Band from the Scottish Borders
There was some playing around with variations on a band name – how about this one?
…or this?
But this was my favourite version…it took a while to get them all strung up for this shot! 
See more photos of this band shoot on Flickr
Lau at Colonsay festival
Ceol Cholasa
Lau were in great form at last night’s concert
Aiden O’Rourke, fiddle player
Martin Green, accordionist
Kris Drever, singer and guitarist
Photos commissioned by the band Corran Raa
Scottish Traditional Music
So a couple of weekends ago I was up in Ballachulish for a lovely gig from Corran Raa. The following morning’s photoshoot for their new website was slotted neatly in between showers (of the weather variety…nothing to do with cleanliness!)
Here are some of my favourites from those ‘morning after’ shots:
Jenny Smith, fiddler
Kath Bruce, keyboard player and singer
Janet Lees, fiddler
Robbie Leask, guitarist
Something old, something new
There’s a peculiar thing about playing an instrument – it’s seems to be hard to stop at owning just one. I started off with a single tin whistle, bought so I could go to a night class and dabble in learning to play. My first fiddle came to me by chance when friends were clearing out their basement. I come from a family with no discernible track record with music, so it was a surprise to everyone when the fiddle started a whole new musical chapter in my life.
Since then I’ve accumulated a guitar, various percussion instruments, and more whistles and fiddles than I care to count.
I’ve just had a more unusual addition to my growing collection. My mum brought an old wooden piccolo to me this week, which had been found amongst my aunt’s possessions after she died. I find it hard to imagine that she might have played it, and am left wondering how she came to have it.
Piccolo and tin whistle
Thanks Isobel for suggesting the photo title!
Ali White, fiddler with the Battlefield Band
Feis Rois
I was at Feis Rois over the weekend – there were some cracking concerts. Saturday night’s gig started off with two fiddlers, Ali White and Mike Vass, playing together. Superb!
Here’s a photo of Alasdair in full flow:
Heeliegoleerie
A couple of photos from a trip to Edinburgh’s Bongo Club last week to take photos for the fabulous ceilidh band Heeliegoleerie. They were playing for one of the regular Ceilidh Club ceilidhs.
There was a whole load of energy in that room!
Here’s Heeliegoleerie:
…and Allan, playing bodhran:
Bellevue Rendezvous
Gavin Marwick, of Bellevue Rendezvous, December 2010.
Fiddler at Edinburgh’s folk club
…and please don’t try this at home
The New Rope String Band were playing at the Edinburgh folk club tonight. If you haven’t seen them before, I can’t recommend them highly enough. They’re great musicians, but incredible comedians as well. The evening was stuffed full of chuckles, giggles, and guffaws.
One of my favourite moments involved Pete Challoner garotting Tim Dalling, with the aid of a double bass…
The dangers of playing a double bass
More fiddling on Lismore
The band was back on Lismore this weekend for the island’s St Andrew’s night celebrations. We loved it!
On Saturday morning the sun was streaming through the window in the cottage, creating a lovely light for taking photos.
A fiddle, caught in the sunlight
We had another day of Lismore sun and grand tunes. We especially loved the slip jig that we found on the piano…that one’s likely to end up the the repertoire somewhere!
Charlie McKerron playing at the Scots Fiddle Festival
I was experimenting with depth of field when I took this photo of fiddler Charlie McKerron. I rather like the focus on the hand where it’s all happening!
Charlie McKerron playing at Edinburgh’s Scots Fiddle Festival
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill
Another fantastic Scots Fiddle Festival event – Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill gave a superb performance at the main festival concert.
Fiddle and guitar at the Scots Fiddle Festival
Shoogling at the Scots Fiddle Festival
The opening concert was a cracker! Here’s Angus Grant of Shooglenifty.
Fiddle player at the Scots Fiddle Festival
Scottish traditional music instruments
What an inspirational weekend on Lismore island this was. Lovely people, magic summer sunshine (in October!) in a very beautiful place….and some amazing musical moments…
Traditional music instruments from Scotland
