Inspired by
their rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength
and vibrancy of today's Scottish cultural scene, which
indeed they have done much to create and fuel, they have
led and been at the forefront of a great revival in Scottish
music. Refusing to be limited musically by suffocating
antiquarianism, or musical fashions, they have mixed the
old songs and music with a new self-penned repertoire,
all played on a fusion of ancient and modern instruments
- bagpipes, fiddle, synthesiser, guitar, flutes, bodhran
and accordion.
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Named after the Glasgow suburb
of Battlefield, where the group was formed by four student
friends in 1969, the group have been on the world''s roads
for over 40 years now, distilling their own unique form
of the Scottish spirit and bottling it in concert and
onto disc. They've performed in Germany, Hong Kong, Australia,
New Zealand, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Syria,
Jordan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, U.S.A., Canada, Uzbekistan,
China and the U.K; breaking down barriers and pioneering
many new directions which others have followed. Angry,
joyful, raucous, contemplative, their music is most importantly
- accessible to all.
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from
L-R: Sean O'Donnell, Ewen Henderson, Alasdair White, Mike
Katz & Alan Reid |
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obviously been line-up changes and indeed the band are remarkable
for the smooth and organic way in which these changes have
taken place. Their continued creativity, freshness and enthusiasm
is due to the positive way they have viewed, and used, these
changes - and of course the new musicians themselves have
been of prime importance. Musical evidence of these
changes can be heard on their many albums made over the years.
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Battlefield Band are:
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Sean
O'Donnell (vocals/guitar)
Sean was born in
Derry, Northern Ireland and has been playing music from a
young age. He is a highly accomplished guitar player and singer,
and also plays bass, bouzouki and cittern. He moved to Scotland
in 1996, quickly becoming involved in the live music scene,
having played with the award- winning Scots Irish band Bionic
and The Emily Smith Band as well as the Michael McGoldrick
Band, Deaf Shepherd, and Daimh. He
joined Battlefield Band in 2005 and has become a keystone
of the group's sound: his soulful vocals and driving rythmic
guitar adding so much to the mix. |
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Ewen
Henderson (fiddle/bagpipes/whistles/piano/vocals)
Ewen hails from the Scottish West Highland town of Fort William,
and has been naturally steeped in the traditional music, Gaelic
language and culture of the area. Now in his early twenties,
he started learning the fiddle at the age of five, and has
since mastered an impressive array of other instruments, having
had the privilege of being taught by many of the true masters
of West Highland traditional music, from Aonghas Grant Snr
on fiddle to Angus MacColl on bagpipes, whilst also being
influenced by his strong family musical heritage. Ewen is
superbly talented, and has quickly established himself as
a strong musical force within the band. We look forward to
playing with him and to introducing another great musician
to our worldwide audience. |
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Alasdair
White (fiddle/whistle//bazouki/Highland and small
pipes)
An award-winning fiddler from an early age, Alasdair comes
from the Isle of Lewis, one of the Gaelic speaking Outer
Hebrides where music and culture remain strong daily forces.
He joined Battlefield
Band at the age of 18, as complete a musician and composer
as any of us had heard. Since then, he has toured the world
several times over and worked on many fine albums including
a highly acclaimed debut solo CD, confirming his reputation
and firmly establishing himself as a unique talent &
virtuoso fiddle player. In these past few years, his musicianship
and writing have had a great influence on Battlefield Band’s
repertoire and continuing success, and playing with them
has given him the wider audience that his music deserves.
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Mike Katz
(Highland pipes/small pipes/various whistles/bass guitar/guitar)
A superb and versatile musician, bagpiper Mike Katz joined
the Battlefield Band line-up in late 1997and has contributed
massively to the music and accessibility of the band. A
fine piper from an early age, a multi-instrumentalist, and
a 'musician's musician' with eclectic influences, Mike comes
originally from LA - where he learned and played in thesame
pipe band as another band alumni; Eric Rigler. Initially
moving to Scotland aged 18 to study at Edinburgh University,
Mike put down roots and has lived here ever since, playing
in various bands - including the Scottish Gas Pipe Band
& Ceolbeg before joining Battlefield Band in 1997 -
and in the process earned himself a deserved reputation
as a truly excellent musician and tunesmith .
Mike plays Overton,
Abell
& Michael
Grinter whistles |
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Alan
Reid (keyboards/guitar/vocals/accordian)
Hailing from Glasgow, Alan is one of the founder members
of the band and an ever present member of the group for
over four decades. His
solo and harmony singing have been to the fore throughout
the band’s history and his self-penned songs have
long been noted for their strong melodies, story telling
element & lyricism. He has also gained recognition for
his fine instrumental compositions and he is further noted
for his interpretations & setting to music of several
of the well known poems of Robert Burns; championing Burns'
work many years before others discovered an interest in
it . |
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