Week #1: You Have to Start Somewhere
Well, we had the first band practice today, and it's clear that we have a lot of work to do to just make it onto the field in 2007. It's a long way to the top, when you want to...play in a competitive pipe band. Thanks AC/DC, for that steal. Ah well, as our former premier used to say, "Never say 'Whoa' in a mudhole." So backs to the wheel, dig in, here we go.

The good news is that the digital age made the new music almost painless. Posted sound files and scores for new tunes and snare beatings make it a quick start at band, and we played through most of the [still developing] new medley today, as well as some other stuff. Nice scores, Dave.

If you didn't make this one, get the tunes out and expect a call...

Mid-Winter Celtic Festival Launches



Go to Festival Page

In a Week, It All Starts Again
I had a look, and the first post here was last January, in the lead up to the Mid-Winter Celtic Festival. A scan back through the months, and you see the tremendous effort by all band members to put together music for the Festival and the Glendive concert, the various fundraising, and ultimately, the unfolding drama of performance, travel and competition.

I have had my head buried deep in piles on music recently, and we have some great tunes to look forward to next week. Ex-member Sean Somers has penned a cracking opener for the new medley, and Dave Roth has been trolling the depths at Tradtunes.com for some great music. The Vale of Atholl Pipe Band was kind enough to help out with a couple of requests, and so was SFU. When all is said and done, it is about the music, and I'm looking forward to getting to it.

The Mid-Winter Celtic Festival will be back on February 3rd, 2007, and we have a great surprise lined up, to be announced shortly. Gonna be an awesome show!


This November 2nd is the 80th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #1 in Regina. This grand building has been the band's home since early in our first year of operation, and we have had many a good tune [and quite a few "developing" ones] in the hall. It'd be great to have a full turn out on November 11, or as full as it can be. In times when Canadian soldiers are losing their lives abroad, it's not a bad thing to show that we are cognizant of the sacrifices made.

Moss Doesn't Grow on a Rolling Stone

A short postscript to the previous note...the concert was a huge success according to anyone who was there, and there were about 80,000 over the weekend. The Stones were in great form, and near the end of the show Mick Jagger did a run all the way down the football field walkway. The guy is clearly in brilliant shape, and good on them for delivering so well. Not sorry to have missed it, and happy that it was clearly such a great experience for those who wanted to be there.

Can't Get No Satisfaction

Tonight and Sunday, The Rolling Stones are playing in Regina. Say what? Rolling Stones? Regina? They are expecting about 30-40,000 per show, which [if true...sales may be exaggerated] makes it the biggest show of its kind ever staged here. Almost everyone I know is going, has tickets, has people coming in to see it, and the city bars and restaurants will be wild. The beer will flow, the old boys will shake what they have left, and all will be fine.


I won't be there, and while the event casts a shadow you can't ignore, I'm happy to say that I don't really care to be there. Once you've been to a Planxty show live in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, the Stones in Taylor Field [in 8°C weather] just won't do. I might just put on "Planxty—Live 2004," turn it up loud, and imagine the sea of Irish rugby colours that invaded the Usher Hall back in 1981 when Planxty played to over 3,000 wildly enthusiastic fans. Now, that was a concert.