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<\/p>\nWhen compared to modern genres, folk music traditions around the globe are sometimes thought of as more quietly understated. But there\u2019s nothing at all restrained in the music of Albannach. Founded in Glasgow in 2005, the five-person band plays traditional, primarily instrumental music celebrating the culture and lore of its native Scotland. But Albannach\u2019s sound is passionate, visceral and primal. Rooted in the Scottish Gaelic traditions of bagpipes and percussive instruments, Albannach plays music that bridges the gap between music written hundreds of years ago and a modern sensibility.<\/p>\n
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Albannach\u2019s music \u2013 showcased on several studio albums but best experienced live onstage \u2013 builds on cultural tradition. \u201cIt’s based on the music that predates the traditional pipes and drums that we know,\u201d says Jacqueline Holland, one of three drummers in the band. She notes that percussion is at the center of many folk music traditions. \u201cThe tribal music of many cultures \u2013 Native American, Maori, African \u2013 all goes back to drums,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey were used for war, for communication, in celebration.\u201d Albannach makes music that preserves and carries those traditions into the 21st<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n Holland plays \u201crhythm drums\u201d in Albannach. Bandmates Nick Watson and Jamesie Johnston play lead and bass drums, respectively. The band shares a global tribal folk tradition of using drums as a foundation, and then \u2013 as in many cultures \u2013 adding wind instruments. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s the bagpipes,\u201d Holland says. Albannach\u2019s bagpiper is Donnie MacNeil; he\u2019s the only band member with a traditional folk background. The other group members \u2013 Holland, Watson, Johnston and didgeridoo player Drew Reid \u2013 come from more contemporary musical backgrounds, united by their shared passion for the music of their Scottish ancestors.<\/p>\n Even with its deep immersion into ancient Scottish culture, Albannach has a characteristic in common with modern rock bands: they\u2019re anything but quiet. \u201cYes, we can be loud,\u201d says Holland with a laugh. Onstage, the group bolsters its acoustic sound with amplification. \u201cYears and years ago when we first started, we never<\/i> used amplification,\u201d she says. The band\u2019s thunderous sound comes across well, especially in outdoor setting like the many festivals Albannach plays.<\/p>\n But as the group\u2019s popularity has grown, so have the size of those audiences. And as powerful a bagpiper as MacNeil is, \u201che\u2019s but one,\u201d laughs Holland. \u201cHe\u2019s kind of outnumbered by the drums.\u201d And as for the band member they\u2019ve dubbed DigiDrew? \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t even hear him\u201d without amplification, Holland admits. \u201cSo we do that to bring the music to life and reach the people.\u201d<\/p>\n The intent behind Albannach\u2019s music reaches people, too, even though nearly all of the band\u2019s repertoire is instrumental (Holland does sing on some tunes live onstage). The group\u2019s bagpipe-led tunes are written by MacNeil, who draws from personal experience when composing. By way of example, Holland mentions \u201cHeart in the Holy Lands (Lost in Turkey),\u201d a song found on Albannach\u2019s third studio album, 2011\u2019s Bareknuckle Pipes & Drums<\/i>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe travel internationally, and we were in Turkey,\u201d Holland recalls. \u201cDonnie ended up having to stay behind and take care of some business, and he disappeared for a week into the wild! He had an amazing time with lots of stories, and he incorporated his experiences into the song.\u201d Holland says that because the music of each culture has its own unique character, the Turkish flavor found its way into that tune. And then the other members of the group gave the song an Albannach spin. \u201cHow we play the drums is slightly different from traditional Scottish or Celtic music,\u201d Holland says.<\/p>\n The group is very popular at home in Scotland, playing concerts often across the country. But in recent years, Albannach\u2019s popularity in North America has led to a busy concert schedule in the U.S. and Canada. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge demand,\u201d Holland says. She attributes at least some of the group\u2019s Stateside success to cultural connections. \u201cThere are so many people in America and Canada that have the [Scottish\/Gaelic] heritage. People want to know where they came from, and that they belong to something. That’s why we do what we do; it\u2019s to keep the culture alive, to keep people interested in Scotland.\u201d Because at its core, Albannach has an ear to the past, and an eye to the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When compared to modern genres, folk music traditions around the globe are sometimes thought of as more quietly understated. But there\u2019s nothing at all restrained in the music of Albannach. 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