Prydein (band)
Encyclopedia
Prydein is an American Celtic rock
group formed in 1999. They are notable for their use of bagpipes in a rock band setting. They were formed in Burlington, Vermont
, and have released three albums to date. Prydein has played many major festivals up and down the East Coast and the Midwest United States, including the Celtic Classic, New Hampshire Highland Games, and the Detroit Highland Games, and have been featured at the Eastern States Exposition for five years and the New World Festival for 10 years.
students. Three out of five of the members came from the UVM Living and Learning Center's "Experimental Music Program." Joined by traditional bagpiper Iain Mac Harg (Highland and Lowland bagpipes, flute, penny whistle) and fiddler Ellery Klein (later of Gaelic Storm), Whisky Before Breakfast released its first official CD in April 1997, titled Hell's Brook. Originally recorded in September 1996, the album came out after Whisky's fiddler, Ellery, had moved to Japan to teach English. Throughout the year, the remaining four (Aron Garceau, Sam Hooker, Eric Garland and Iain Mac Harg) went on to form a celtic-rock quartet. The band's sound changed immensely, filling out the parts to counter the loss of the fiddle.
In 1998, the group produced and recorded its second album, Time Well Spent. After the release of this album and a summer tour, the group broke up after playing the Celtic Classic.
musician Aaron Flynn played bass on half the album and Jeff Margolis was later recruited to become Prydein's fourth member and finished playing the rest of the bass parts. After touring in support of the album for a year, taking the band to Virginia and New Hampshire, Aron and Iain decided to end the band for a while, as busy schedules and personality conflicts came into play.
. Pete and Jeff had already left the band, so Iain recruited Andrew Adams to play the part of drummer and Aron recruited Andy Smith to play bass. Aron, who had been playing in the jazz sextet Jazzmosis, recruited Jazzmosis member Andy Smith as bassist. With this lineup, the band performed in Florida for the SASF Highland Games and New World Festival every year. The boys were joined by a fifth member, Hazen Metro on highland bagpipes, a student of Iain's and member of Iain's Catamount Pipe Band.
for Concord Market Days. As Hazen and Willa each graduated high school and moved on to college Prydein become a quartet again, often joined on stage by other pipers who happened to be in the audience. In 2007, the band recorded its second album, Loud Pipes (Save Lives) with its trademark set ender, "Stairway to Scotland", a version of Amazing Grace
and Scotland the Brave
. The band later recorded a third album, Heads Up, which was released in 2010.
. Christopher Toler of Shite 'n' Onions said "although the band does dip a toe into the pools of funk
, ska
, rockabilly
, metal
, and of course, Celtic music
, they are at their heart a rock band
.".
Celtic rock
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
group formed in 1999. They are notable for their use of bagpipes in a rock band setting. They were formed in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, and have released three albums to date. Prydein has played many major festivals up and down the East Coast and the Midwest United States, including the Celtic Classic, New Hampshire Highland Games, and the Detroit Highland Games, and have been featured at the Eastern States Exposition for five years and the New World Festival for 10 years.
1995-1998: Whisky Before Breakfast
Prydein came about when the band Whisky Before Breakfast split up and the members went different ways. Whisky Before Breakfast started in March of 1996 by a group of University of VermontUniversity of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
students. Three out of five of the members came from the UVM Living and Learning Center's "Experimental Music Program." Joined by traditional bagpiper Iain Mac Harg (Highland and Lowland bagpipes, flute, penny whistle) and fiddler Ellery Klein (later of Gaelic Storm), Whisky Before Breakfast released its first official CD in April 1997, titled Hell's Brook. Originally recorded in September 1996, the album came out after Whisky's fiddler, Ellery, had moved to Japan to teach English. Throughout the year, the remaining four (Aron Garceau, Sam Hooker, Eric Garland and Iain Mac Harg) went on to form a celtic-rock quartet. The band's sound changed immensely, filling out the parts to counter the loss of the fiddle.
In 1998, the group produced and recorded its second album, Time Well Spent. After the release of this album and a summer tour, the group broke up after playing the Celtic Classic.
1999-2000: Early days
Prydein was formed in 1999, just after the breakup of Whisky Before Breakfast. Aron Garceau and Iain MacHarg decided that they wanted to continue on in the genre and had a lot of music left to play. Their first album, Unfinished Business, came out in 1999 with Peter Kelly on drums. The role of bass wasn't filled when work on the CD first started. VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
musician Aaron Flynn played bass on half the album and Jeff Margolis was later recruited to become Prydein's fourth member and finished playing the rest of the bass parts. After touring in support of the album for a year, taking the band to Virginia and New Hampshire, Aron and Iain decided to end the band for a while, as busy schedules and personality conflicts came into play.
2001-2005: Middle years
In 2001, Iain got a call to perform at the New World Festival in Randolph, VermontRandolph, Vermont
Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,853 at the 2000 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that surround it....
. Pete and Jeff had already left the band, so Iain recruited Andrew Adams to play the part of drummer and Aron recruited Andy Smith to play bass. Aron, who had been playing in the jazz sextet Jazzmosis, recruited Jazzmosis member Andy Smith as bassist. With this lineup, the band performed in Florida for the SASF Highland Games and New World Festival every year. The boys were joined by a fifth member, Hazen Metro on highland bagpipes, a student of Iain's and member of Iain's Catamount Pipe Band.
2006-2009: Modern era
In 2006, Aron recruited Jazzmosis drummer Caleb Bronz to join the band after Andrew Adams moved on. The band was also joined by another highland bagpiper, 16 year old Willa Davie, another of Iain's students and member of the Catamount Pipe Band. This lineup played their first gig on Main Street in Concord, New HampshireConcord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
for Concord Market Days. As Hazen and Willa each graduated high school and moved on to college Prydein become a quartet again, often joined on stage by other pipers who happened to be in the audience. In 2007, the band recorded its second album, Loud Pipes (Save Lives) with its trademark set ender, "Stairway to Scotland", a version of Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
and Scotland the Brave
Scotland the Brave
"Scotland the Brave" is a Scottish patriotic song. It was one of several songs considered an unofficial national anthem of Scotland.Scotland the Brave is also the authorised pipe band march of The British Columbia Dragoons of the Canadian Forces, and is played during the Pass in Review at Friday...
. The band later recorded a third album, Heads Up, which was released in 2010.
Music
Prydein has been compared to celtic-music-meets Motorhead and AC/DCAC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. Christopher Toler of Shite 'n' Onions said "although the band does dip a toe into the pools of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, and of course, Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
, they are at their heart a rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
.".
Discography
- Unfinished Business (1999)
- Loud Pipes (save lives) (2007)
- Heads Up (2010)