a good friends wee band at lomand festival 2008
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vMdDDW6PYss&feature=channel_page
- I suggest you should kill the piper - he’s keeping the drummers from practicing in peace and quietness (uuuugh - aaargh!) - apart from that, he’s far too good for the rest of the band.
- The last time I played with a Pipe and Drum Band, I was wearing a shirt, tie and jacket - I see things have become a lot more practical since, especially for summer.
- Obviously, the wave of the pseudo-mediaeval markets is overswamping the world - don’t let it happen!
BTW, it’s NOT traditional!
Has nobody called the police to report the kidnapping of a young piper by a band of hippie nomads?
There’s a group that used to play in the States a lot similar to this group (but better IMHO) called Clann an Drumma. I think they mainly pipe and drum in Scotland now.
As for the group in the YouTube video, I say that anything that helps keep the pipes and Celtic culture alive is a good thing, even if most things (like clothing and music) are not 100% historically accurate. I get tired of being told that other people can celebrate their family and heritage, but “oh no, not you, you’re not allowed to”. I digress…
BTW, I am not a card-carrying member of SCA, those guys are so weird it’s creepy! If you don’t know what I am referring to, look them up and have a good hearty chuckle or two…
Matt
Let’s see, Clann na Drumma and Clanadonia… Yes, very similar.
Whether or not these bands are keeping piping and Celtic culture alive is a separate issue.
Piping is alive and well. From the skirlingest parade pipe band to the avant garde music of Martyn Bennett and Mark Saul, piping has never been healthier.
There is next to nothing authentic about what Clann-whatever are doing. There is no evidence of big drums being played in Celtic Britain and Ireland nor is there evidence of piping before the Middle Ages and it was probably the Baroque era before it began taking form in Gaelic culture.
Celtic culture, whether it is the original Continental Celts or the ‘Fringe’ of Scotland and Ireland, has always been more advanced and sophisticated than this broad, barbarian caricature we see in the video.
Maybe the chest-thumping and hip-swaying is more appealing to the masses but as a participant in the traditions I don’t feel it represents anything true. I have to say that this a little bit of reaction formation on my part. When I was dipping my feet into the culture as a teenager I probably would have been won over by the adrenaline-pumped romantic image that these bands display. But the more I learn the less I appreciate what these acts do. And having tried to tune my drones while these bands are thundering away at the Highland games has only hardened my disposition.
I agree that the SCA folks maybe a little kooky but at least they acknowledge it’s an anachronism.
Except the ones who have, uh, kind of lost track of the boundary, and their breadcrumb trail has been eaten by wild griffins. I’ve met them, too.
Oh, yes. I’ve met them also. 
All though your above statement suggests there are tame griffins. Better check your breadcrumbs. 