by John Slavin PROFILE Photo: John Slavin @ designfolk.com

Breabach at 2010. Pictured from the left: Patsy Reid; Donal Brown; Calum MacCrimmon and Ewan Robertson Pipes, folk and funk fusion Calum MacCrimmon

t seems to be that if you want to have Calum was involved in the early days of club favourites. “Since 2005 we have worked a successful career as a musician in the The National Youth Pipe Band as a backing with some amazing people like I piping or Scottish traditional music musician and as a pipe tuner/instructor, and from Capercaillie, whose label we signed to scenes you need to have more to offer than this led to him being asked to be Musical for our first albumThe Big Spree, and Lisa just your playing ability. Giving music tui- Director and co-producer of the NYPBoS Whytock who became our agent. When we tion would probably need to be a part of your concert which opened the Piping Live! festival won the Danny Award, we didn’t really know weekly routine, and it would also be a big in 2004. Though his main musical focus since how to take the next step, so we were very plus if you could turn your hand to multi- 2005 has been as a member of Breabach, a fortunate to have these people on our side,” instruments, be a member of more than one most welcome addition to the UK folk scene said Calum. band, maybe have your own CD or two to with their fresh, but traditional, take on good Breabach’s busiest time in their work sched- sell, write your own music, and have arrange- tunes and good songs played on twin Highland ule is around the festival season or when they ment and producing skills to offer. pipes, , flute and guitar. In fact they have a tour planned, and they have a UK tour Calum MacCrimmon can lay claim to have such a knack for picking good material just about to start as this issue went to press. all of the above, and since graduating with that it makes me wonder why so many other “This tour is looking like it is going to be a honours from the BA (Scottish Music) degree bands fail to do likewise (though that is a rant big one running from March 20 till June 12. at the RSAMD in 2004 he has applied these for another day — and I know it eventually We do have some time off in there, but there talents to keep himself busy. He was also pre- boils down to musical taste and the ear of the will be a lot of traveling with many of the gigs viously featured in Piping Today (issue 19) as beholder). in England and Wales. We are actually doing part of the ‘Canadian MacCrimmons’ series In 2005 Breabach won a Danny Award at one gig in the Royal Albert Hall — though of features which focused on his family as the Celtic Connections festival Open Stage it is in the cafe — but we have just put Royal descendants of the legendary MacCrimmon and that win sparked a change in the fortunes Albert Hall on our publicity! dynasty who were the hereditary pipers to the of the band, and in the five years since they “The tour includes a mixture of venues, Chiefs of MacLeod on Skye. have established themselves as festival and folk and sometimes it can be great being in the

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‘It is ironic that performing Outside the Circle cleared his head for fresh ideas to explore — and basically took Calum MacCrimmon, his music in a different direction which led to his own CD, Man’s Ruin. the piper, does his first “The main difference between my commis- sion and this album is the use of funk grooves album and there is no and riffs to support modern traditional melo- piping on it — but it dies. Everyone on the team felt great excitement about this kind of cross-over. The plan was to is part of the pun of merge funk, and a bit of jazz, with — which is where my tune writing came in. the whole recording. “I think Man’s Ruin is a good representation of my musical path over the last few years. It It is maybe not what incorporates the kind of music that I like to you would expect play and the kind of music that I like to sing. There is no piping on it: but that was never my me to do, but it is plan, it’s just the way it worked out. I was get- ting ideas for arrangements and songs, and was not what I expected just running with it. To be honest, it was only me to do either’ once the recording was finished that I realised there was zero piping. I always had something in the back of my head that said ‘we will get some pipes on it; there are some pipe tunes in

Photo: John Slavin @ designfolk.com there’, but once I had laid down the whistle parts I didn’t feel that there was any space for more intimate venues which are only just big as we keep getting ideas and are still passionate the Highland’s. It is kind of ironic that Calum enough to put the pipes up. There are also a about presenting the bagpipe on a modern stage MacCrimmon, the piper, does his first album few festivals on the tour with us returning to and performing to the public. and there is no piping on it — but it is part of the Gosport and Fareham Festival on the south “It has gone so well for us, it is kind of hard the pun of the whole recording. It is maybe coast of England across the Easter weekend and to believe — especially down south. We seem not what you would expect me to do, but it the Arran Folk Festival which finishes the tour to be really popular down there and have done is maybe not what I expected me to do either on June 12.” very well out of festival performances over the — it is just the way it is.” Coinciding with their tour they have the last couple of years — and that surprised me! So by now you are probably wondering official release of their second album, The I wasn’t sure how two sets of Highland pipes just what the music on Man’s Ruin sounds like Desperate Battle of the Birds, although the band in a folk band would be received in England. I — well, funky is certainly the word that springs have been selling the CD on their website since think there may be a novelty aspect, but I like to to mind from the opening bars of the first track. January. “The end of March is the earliest our think that people are really enjoying our music, I don’t want to turn this into a CD review, but distributors could get the CD into the shops, and the signs are there that they are. We have just to give you an idea; my wife described the but we have been selling it ourselves and will been asked to return to venues and festivals, opening song as similar to the funky guitar vibe do so throughout the tour to try to make back and are planning some trips to Europe fairly of the US rock band, Red Hot Chilli PEPPERS’ the money we spent on it.” soon and to Canada in the summer, so it is Blood Sugar Sex Magic album — that meant The first CD released by the band, The Big going pretty well.” nothing to me — but it certainly met with Spree, was licensed for sale to Vertical Records her approval. The first track is certainly the but for their new CD they decided to take a SO ALL of Calum’s musical talents are put to most funky and ‘out there’, and most of the different approach and keep control of eve- good use within Breabach, but he still finds other tracks take different-sized steps back to rything within the band. “Ultimately we felt the time to fit in other musical projects. In traditional music, but all with an underlying that, as business people as well as musicians, 2007 he received a New Voices commission funk groove in varying degrees. The instru- we could achieve a lot with this CD if we took from Celtic Connections to put together a mental tracks are led by Calum’s whistle, with charge of everything ourselves,” said Calum. performance of his own compositions called a fiddle taking the front from time to time, but “We have had some assistance from our agent Outside the Circle, which allowed him to work the most outstanding aspect for me has to be Lisa, and we have had a fair bit of learning to do with eight of his contemporaries from within Calum’s voice which is as very convincing as any regarding the distribution and getting a grasp the folk scene. This commission led Calum up-and-coming funkster/popster’s should be, of all the other aspects. The band are putting to the realisation he would like to put out an and there are definite similarities to Pat Kane, a lot of effort into Breabach Records at the album under his own name, and the cathartic the well-respected lead vocalist of Glasgow’s late moment and long may it continue — as long process he underwent when producing and 80s/early 90s pop sensation, Hue and Cry.

PIPING TODAY • 44 PROFILE Photo: John Slavin @ designfolk.com

PIPING TODAY • 45 PROFILE PIPING TODAY •46 catch myear. are more melodieswhich certainly than afew continual process of natural selection, but there traditional musicrepertoire will be down tothe these iTrad tunesbecomeassimilatedintothe which works onacoupleoflevels. Whether just thoughtofabetterphrase—iTrad tunes; tion” forwantofabetterphrase—infactIhave Calum, andare writteninastyle“inthetradi- whistle, fiddleandsqueezebox. give you astraighttraditionalmusicfeelwith andbasswasremovedCD ifthedrum it would music. Though there are instancesonthe afew bass groove prevalent throughout Capercaillie’s Michael McGoldrick, and withtheaddeddrum of theubiquitousIrish traditionalmusician, of feel you get from the flute and whistle playing are say thattheinstrumentals similartothetype sets (andattheriskofupsettingCalum)Iwould but togive impression you afurther ofthetune appreciate beingcompared toothermusicians, All ofthetunesonCDare composedby I’ve come to realise that musicians don’t really some of it, certainly the hardersome of it, certainly hitting stuff like the songs, re-create allthemusicfrom theCDinalive setting,but tunes involved when appropriate. Idon’t to seeustrying Ruin, butIthinkit willbemore song-basedwithsome to Man’s Ruin. theirfunky stuff that festival audiencesmightgettostrut appeal toamodernfolkaudience—andthere isachance so farremoved from traditionalmusicthatitwouldnot people ontheirfeetanddancing,thematerialisnot for afolkfestival lookingforsomethingdifferent toget hear the appeal ofMan’s Ruin sinuous funkyshapesonadancefloor, butIcancertainly jigs thatyou couldStrip the Willow to,ratherthanthrow listen to. Iwouldusuallyprefer thestompandgrindof burner, asitwasnotthekindofmusicIwouldnormally silence ­ lessly joins onto the next without the usual two second listening experience,andIlove thewayeachtrackseam- the various musicalstylestogethertomakeforacomplete andbassgels the musicistopqualityandfunkydrum hadn’t intendedto. So tofinishitoff:IdolikethisCD; Calum explains, “I am starting abandcalledMan’sCalum explains,“Iamstarting Er... itseemslikeIhave writtena bit ofareview thatI — that is very clever.— thatisvery However, theCDwasaslow so it fills a different of my part I gettoaccomplish inBreabach, rial, which isnotnecessarily what going tobealotofmyown mate- off thestage.But Man’s Ruin is you can on getand that chemistry you getsomegreat musicwhen oftheteam,andIthink big part where inthebandisa everyone anything likethat.Ienjoy bands to besomekindoffront manor and Idon’t meanthatI’m going Calum MacCrimmon thing — chance formetodomore ofa... around Breabach. It willbea itwillneedtofitperforming Man’s Ruin bandare finallyout are withBreabach sowhenthe and playingfandango! to getoutandhave abigsinging Scott Donald —and theplanis fromkit drummer Dundee called are alsohopingtohave agreat player calledJames Lyndsay. We ments ontheCD,andabass who played- avariety ofinstru preparation withInnes Watson, on, andIhave beendoingsome of songsIhave beenworking I’veperform. gotawholeheap I’m justachingtogooutand “My priorities at the moment . It wouldmusic be the perfect

shoulders.” l literally, alltheweight ison my got abagofCDsonmybackso, directly from me—I’ve constantly available through mywebsite or soon. Until thentheCDisonly downloads from mywebsite fairly CD, butIhopetohave digital all I’m sellingishard copiesofthe Man’s Ruin release. “At themoment Breabach tourandpromoting his term Calum’s sightsare setonthe for inthefuture, butintheshort ances are somethingwe canlookout exciting.” the Man’s Ruin band—itisreally isalready apparent the chemistry for the teamonmyMan’s Ruin CD,and ideas. That iswhathappenedwith are amazingandcomeupwithgreat with onthearrangements— people whomIwillbeworking music, buteven more sointhe into theset. on how theycanbe incorporated life, andI’ve ideas gotquiteafew biggest influenceonmymusical is notlikeI’m goingtoignore the oftheshowpipes willbepart —it in there just to shock them all. The it willbegoodtohave thebagpipes there isnoreason nottodoit—and cross over thoseboundariesthen bars —whynot?If themusiccan blues clubs;jazzfilthy rock a more popularmarket: there are to stopMan’s Ruin crossing over to there. There nothing iscertainly be elements of traditional music in the folkscene,asthere willalways think it needs to stray too far from to different audiences,butIdon’t career andpathasamusician. www.myspace.com/calummaccrimmon www.calummaccrimmon.com www.myspace.com/breabach www.breabach.com the followingwebsites: buy CDsofalltheabovefrom You canheartracksamplesand So theMan’s Ruin- live perform “I have gotalotofbeliefinthe “I’m keentoplaythismusic very they