Prydein (band)
Prydein | |
|---|---|
 Prydein at the Detroit Highland Games (photo by Al Hall) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Burlington, Vermont |
| Genres | Celtic rock |
| Years active | 1999 – present |
| Labels | Kynsfolk Records |
| Members | Aron Garceau Iain Mac Harg Hazen Metro Andy Smith Caleb Bronz |
| Past members | Willa Davie Dan Houghton Andrew Adams Jeff Margolis Peter Kelly |
| Website | http://www.prydein.com |
Prydein is an American
History
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 1996 by a group of University of Vermont 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 MacHarg (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 MacHarg) 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.[4]
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.[4]
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. Vermont 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.[1] 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
2006-2014: 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.
Music
Prydein has been compared to Celtic-music-meets
Discography
- Unfinished Business (1999)
- Loud Pipes (save lives) (2007)
- Heads Up (2010)
- Live at the Fort (2012)
References
- ^ a b c d "Biography on official Prydein web site".
- ^ "Past Shows on prydein.com".
- ^ "Bagpipe Virtuoso Rocks the Festival web site".
- ^ a b "Whisky Before Breakfast Bio web site".
- ^ a b "Soundfaction Interview". Archived from the original on 2009-11-25. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Prydein Discography of CDs". CD Universe. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
- ^ "Shite 'n' Onions Review".
- ^ "Shite 'n' Onions Review".