Farewells, Concerts and Missing Persons
In 2007, I spent a season with ScottishPower Pipe Band and did more than my share of travelling to make the contests. On one of the weekends, I flew to Scotland on a Wednesday, arriving in time for Thursday night practice, then off to Ireland on Friday for a contest. I remember thinking that it would take some time getting back to Scotland, so I booked a Monday flight home from Glasgow, but it turned out we had an early Sunday morning flight into Glasgow, and I had a day to kill. Rather than hang about in Glasgow, I rented a car for the day, and drove up to some of my favourite places: The Falls of Dochart at Killin, Aberfeldy, the Campsie Hills. You could say I was just "killin" time. Ha. Anyway, it was a wet and overcast day, a few rain showers, and not warm, so I spent a good part of the day driving, soaking up the sights, and listening to the BBC. There was a fantastic program on about the famous Scottish singer, Kenneth McKellar. My Mom had Kenneth McKellar records, so I knew his voice well, and I always associated him with the kind of "stage Scottish" singing that I wasn't fond of. The documentary gave me a whole new insight into his life and music, and of course I was much older, with more perspective. It was a memorable program, and it brought back lots of memories of hearing him. So, I was a bit saddened to hear of his recent death. He was a great performer, and I think his voice is worth hearing.
Another farewell was the forced retirement of BBC's Travelling Folk host Archie Fisher. Archie has been one of the legends of Scottish traditional music, and in his time as the presenter of Travelling Folk has covered a lot of ground. His final show was this weekend, and I will be sorry to see him gone. He brings such a depth of understanding to what he did at TF, and that will be very difficult to replace.
This weekend the CRPB played a concert in Estevan, SK. We were accompanied on the journey by the excellent Scott Benson, and we had a good audience and fun was had all around. The live performance is great in terms of working out some nerves and kinks, and certainly gives us ideas about who rises to perform, and who doesn't. Many thanks to those people who cam e to support the concert in Estevan, and to the PPCLI Pipes & drums and the local dancers. Lastly, thanks to the families of the three amigos from Estevan, who did so much to support the concert and make it a success.
The past few weeks have been an odd time in the band, as one of our members has gone missing. Following a lot of concern, phone calls for weeks on end, and finally a missing person's report, we have some news that is positive. Looking forward to a happy conclusion for all concerned. It outlines for me how much we take on when we are in pipe bands. The people who wear the uniform and travel the same road become a little more than acquaintances, and a little more than friends. It explains why a change of status can cause such a stir in a band.
As Red Green would say, we're here for ya buddy. Keep your stick on the ice.
