Just back from Kazakhstan with the Kazak Ceilidh Commandos (Myself, Gary Innes, Ewen Henderson & Alec Dalglish). Also joining us for a few sets, the famous “Spud the Piper”. Had an absolute blast of a time in Atyrau and Aksai. We were out playing for 2 burns supper events and played a few other gigs in between. Managed to survive the extreme weather, although not sure if that was due to the thermal underwear or the few drams keeping us warm I’d say they both played their part! We got to visit the orphanage where the proceeds from the Atyrau Burns Society goes to and it was a real humbling experience. The boys who have been there for the past 5/6 years were filling us in on the dramatic improvements they’ve seen in the orphanage, where not so long ago there was no hot water/showers or toilets. Now, there’s double glazing throughout, proper heating and hot water and plenty toilet/shower facilities for the children.

Just before heading to Kazakhstan, it was a few weeks of full on music here in Glasgow at Celtic Connections. First up I played The Tron with Kathleen Boyle. It was a great night of music and craic. The place was packed with familiar faces which made it more fun. Kathleen’s dad Hughie might have just stole the show with his grand entrance and storytelling. The following evening I was playing as part of the Auld Lang Syne concert in the Royal Concert Hall. The line-up for this was huge and I won’t even try to recall everyone involved. It was held together by Phil Cunningham and John McCusker and needless to say, was great craic.

The next day was full on again. I was very fortunate to be asked to play in three of the commisions as part of the “Homecoming Suite” which featured the RSNO playing new pieces by several composers. I played on Steve Forman’s, Chris Stout’s and Tommy Smith’s pieces and each piece was very distinctive and brought it’s own challenges. Some absolutely beautiful music written and I was honoured to be involved.

After a couple of days rest  I was lucky enough to be involved in the Guitar Summit Concert. This featured 7 top guitarists; John Doyle, Russ Barenberg, Tony McManus, Ian Carr, Anna Massie, John Goldie, Tim Edey and myself on bodhrán. It was a real pleasure to play with and also just listen to these guys do their thing.

The following day I was playing with Julie Fowlis back in the Concert Hall again. To a packed auditorium. We opened the show with a Gaelic song just accompanied by bodhrán which has taken me literally about 2 years to get my head around, due to the complex phrasing of the words. I think we might just have pulled it off The gig went really well and it’s always a lot of fun for me playing in Julie’s band.

Last, but by no means least was the Box Club gig. The main gig itself in the Strathclyde Suite was great and everyone was in good form, however it was later that night in the Festival Club that we had that special moment. After 2 weeks of the festival, energy levels are naturally going to drop and before going on stage we were all definitely a bit tired. However, the adrenaline that kicked in from the audience response was indescribable. If only you could bottle it and sell it I don’t think I’ve ever seen the club like this. There was stage diving and crowd surfing and really felt quite surreal. We gave it everything we had and had a great buzz. A great way to finish up the festival for me.

As well as playing quite a few gigs, I also got to check out some great music which is a rare treat these days. Bela Fleck with Toumani Diabate, and Mairtin O’Connor band being just two of the highlights for me.

Well, that’s all for now folks. I’m in the studio tomorrow with Gary Innes & Ewan Robertson who are working on a new album, then in the studio with Fred Morrison later on in the week. Will post more about this later. Next week I’ll be packing my bags again as I head off to the States for a month, touring with top Irish band Danú. Tour dates will be updated shortly.

Over and Out

Just returned from a great trip to China. I was in Shanghai with Gary Innes (Box Club, Darien Project), Ewan Robertson (Breabach) and Tom Fulton playing at a St. Andrew’s Ceili for the British Chambers of Commerce. This was my first time in the Far East and I loved it. Amazing people, top food and great craic. Particularly enjoyed the haggling @ the markets. Massive thanks to British Airways, who sponsored our flights, and Hotel Equatorial & Hyatt on the Bund (5* very nice) for putting us up. Special thanks to Jody Cheung for bringing us out.

Hi folks, for those of you who were at Craiceann and would like to download the notation from my lessons, I have uploaded .pdf files here

Hi folks, sorry for the lack of updates recently. Here’s what’s been going on over the last wee while.

I was fortunate enough to be involved in a project by Aidan O’Rourke called “The Well”. This was a commission by An Tobar, the arts centre in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, as part of their 10th Year Anniversary. The other musicians involved were Martin Green on Accordion, Phil Bancroft on Sax and Catriona McKay on Harp. We spent a few days rehearsing the music and then performed it for the first time to an invited audience in An Tobar. We performed it the following day also, as part of a festival by ColmCille, and then spent 2 days recording the music which will hopefully be released on CD at some point.

Dochas were back on the road for a couple of gigs in Argyll. The concerts were a preview of the Glasgow International Piping Festival, Piping Live. We started off down in Campbelltown and onto Dunoon afterwards. It was great to catch up with the girls and make plans to do a bit more with the band next year. We’ll be out on tour this October and full details will be posted on the tour page above and over @ dochas.co.uk too.

The end of June was pretty full on. I started off flying to London to play a gig with Neil Yates‘ New Origins band. Gig went great and all the lads were on good form. Next morning I had to catch an early train to get across to Glastonbury, where I was playing with my great friend and amazing singer Julie Fowlis. Now, when people joke about bringing your wellies (I now realise that’s no joke , you’ve no idea how much mud there is. We had to drive onto the site and all the way through most of the crowd to get backstage and God only knows how we never got stuck in the mud. I managed to acquire a pair of wellies which I needed to just go between the dressing room and stage. The band were rockin and Julie sang and played a blinder.

From Glastonbury I headed to Galway, or at least I thought I was flying to Galway, until I boarded the plane and was told that the flight was being re-directed to Knock because of airspace restrictions around Galway Airport. Turned out there was an air show on in Galway. Got a bus from Knock to Galway, then taxi to Rossaveal, where I got the ferry to Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. I was out teaching for a week at Craiceann, the bodhrán summer school. This was my first time on the Island and it was just amazing. There were over 100 bodhrán players signed up for the week. I had a brilliant time and got to meet loads of interesting people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. I hope to make it back next year. And for anyone that’s interested in signing up for next year, you’ll have to be quick as it will be first come, first served due to the increasing numbers.

I’m honoured to be featured in the latest issue of the Living Tradition magazine. It’s on sale now for anyone that’s interested

…I’ve lost track! So it’s been a busy couple of months, lots been happening. Celtic Connections saw me through till the beginning of February. I had a blast. I was kept on my toes with 10 gigs in total and a handful of late night Festival Club slots as well.  Got to catch up with loads of old friends that I rarely get to see and managed to take in a few great gigs too.

After a few days rest I was fortunate enough to do a couple of gigs with Eamonn Coyne & Kris Drever, playing sets mostly from their duo album, Honk Toot Suite.  The lads were on great form and the audiences were lapping it up. Was straight back into rehearsals after that with Box Club, as we worked some more on the arrangements for the album. Really starting to come together. We did a recording up in Tulloch Castle in Dingwall the following week for a TV series due out later this year.

Hi folks, this week i’ll be in the studio with Box Club as we start work on our debut album. We’ve no schedule for completion or release as yet, but i’ll be sure to update on any news. I’ll hopefully get some pics up soon as well.

I was delighted to find out that Dòchas have been nominated as “Scottish Folk Band of the Year” in the 2006 Scots Trad Music Awards. If you would like to vote for Dòchas, you can do so by one of the following options -

Option 1: Go to www.bbc.co.uk/celticroots and take part in the online vote. Note that there is only one vote per computer. Anyone else using the computer and wishing to vote will have to use “option 2”.

Option 2: Downloading an additional form from the Hands Up For Trad website (www.handsupfortrad.co.uk).

Voting is open from the 1st-24th November.

Just finished a string of dates with Dòchas that took us as far north as Strathy, all the way down to London and then over to Denmark for a few days. It was great catching up with the girls. We had to make time for a bit of shopping, but that’s only to be expected

Had a great time in Tønder with the Shona Mooney band. This was my first time at the festival and I had a blast. The gigs went well and we got great feedback (the nice kind) afterwards. I had the pleasure of playing a few sets with Croft No.5 which was cool. This was one of their last ever gigs, which made it something special. The guys were really going for it. Also got to catch up with the Beoga gang, who were all in fine form and played a mighty set in the museum.

The Sunday night American concert was first class. Especially Crooked Still and Steve Earle & The Blugrass Dukes (Tim O’Brien, Darrell Scott, Casey Driessen and Dennis Crouch).

Well, a few adventures since I last checked in. Had an absolute blast over in Canada at the Goderich Festival in Ontario. I was out there doing gigs with Brolum and Shona Mooney. The gigs went well and we played our last ever Brolum gig in Kitchener before heading back across the water. Was great to catch up with Andy Webster, who’s now a local over there. We met up with the Back of the Moon gang as well and everyone was in great form.

I was straight out on the road again. In fact when I stepped off the plane in Glasgow, I only had a few hours before I had to be at a Soundcheck in Musselburgh for a gig with Julie Fowlis. The gig went well and then it was straight back to Glasgow. I was also playing with Julie down in Exeter at the Levellers “Beautiful Days” Festival, although typically, as soon as we arrived it started pouring down. We hung about afterwards to catch Karine Polwart and her band play a mighty set, and then we all went out for a big curry which was great.

Hi folks, well I decided it was about time I had my own little part of cyberspace, so here it is. Thanks for dropping by.