Latest news with #DougieMacLean
The National
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
200 fans pack into Scottish trad pub for surprise Tide Lines gig
The surprise set was to kick off The Reeling festival week and celebrate the renaming of a stage in the venue's honour at Glasgow's biggest outdoor traditional music festival. The set, announced just two hours beforehand, marked a full-circle moment for the band, who first performed together at the iconic Finnieston pub. Robert Robertson from Tide Lines said: 'The Park Bar means a lot to us, it's where a couple of us first played together, long before Tide Lines officially began. 'To come back and play a surprise set here, in the week The Reeling names a stage after it, just felt really special. 'Our fans turned up and packed the pub out at a couple of hours' notice so the atmosphere was amazing - as it always is in there. READ MORE: 20 years, 7000 fans, one folk family: Skerryvore's castle show was for them 'It felt like a really nice throwback for us, back to when we were very young musicians starting out in Glasgow. 'We can't wait to play the main stage at The Reeling on Friday and to be part of such a brilliant weekend for Scottish music.' Returning to Rouken Glen Park from June 6–8 features performances from Tide Lines, Talisk, RURA, Dougie MacLean, Shooglenifty, Eddi Reader, Breabach and more.
Scotsman
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Our young people can teach us about the future of trade
Last week, I had the privilege of witnessing the New York Tartan Day Parade – a spectacular procession of hundreds of bands from around the world marching down 6th Avenue. But none stood out more than the 60 young pipers and drummers from my local Oban High School Pipe Band. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... For some, it was their first time leaving Scotland. And yet, standing tall in the typically Scottish rain, kilts pressed and chanters poised, they weren't just representing Oban, they were representing Scotland itself. First Minister John Swinney made a point of meeting them in the city's Bryant Park, recognising what these young people embodied: talent, discipline, cultural pride, and indeed, the future of our nation. By evening, they were on stage at Carnegie Hall, performing alongside Dougie MacLean, Julie Fowlis and Mànran – earning rapturous applause, and in some cases tears. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad From a remote coastal town where the wind howls in from the sea and community raffles fund big dreams, to the grandeur and neon glow of Manhattan, it was a journey of both miles and meaning. Members of the Oban High School Pipe Band at the Tartan Day Parade in New York Many of the Americans attending Tartan Day traced their roots back to the Highlands and Islands, and the warmth they showed towards Scotland was profound. Our culture, and the products woven into it, from Harris Tweed to Scottish salmon, is held in deep emotional regard on the other side of the pond. Just like our piping, Scotland is famous the world over for the exceptional quality of our indigenous products. Which is why, as we consider the future of Brand Scotland, and the impact of trade tariffs on our indigenous industries, now is the time for bold, imaginative thinking. At Elevator, we witness the power of courageous ideas every day. Through our Shell LiveWIRE programme, three Scottish businesses – Energy Mutual, Dekmar, and Fennex – have just reached the global final of the competition, proof that innovation thrives in our most remote rural communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Talking to Bruce Hare, founder of innovative seaweed company Kaly Group on Skye, last week, Bruce outlined an ingenious way of approaching tariffs vis-a-vis the US. Taking inspiration from the very roots of Scottish life, the croft, could a tariff-neutral trading system for indigenous products present one solution to Trump tariffs? A new kind of international bartering system, rooted in heritage, fairness, and place-based authenticity that stretches back to the Highland Clearances. So, Harris Tweed for Montana leather, or salmon for Navajo blue corn. There is a compelling economic case in its simplicity. These goods are uniquely place-based, culturally rich, and require skilled labour. A protected, tariff-neutral framework for their exchange could safeguard livelihoods and preserve centuries old trade relationships – not just for Scotland, but in equally fragile rural economies across the US. Yes, Scotland is a small player in global trading, but it also holds some particularly strong and exceptional cards. Brand Scotland isn't just about bagpipes, though they were pitch perfect last week on the streets of New York, and we should take inspiration from our young people, who continue to show the world what they're capable of. Perhaps it's time that our trading systems, and our economic leadership, find ways to give our traditional businesses a different framework in which to thrive.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Caledonia writer Dougie MacLean to perform at Glasgow festival
A renowned singer-songwriter who created Scotland's 'unofficial national anthem' is to perform at an outdoor traditional music concert. Dougie MacLean, 70, has spent five decades as a professional troubadour, and is best-known for writing Caledonia. He is set to perform at The Reeling, Glasgow's summer celebration of traditional Scottish music, which takes place from June 6-8 at Rouken Glen Park. Ahead of the concert, he reflected on his lengthy career as a musician. He says the early days were tough, given so many aspiring musicians would leave either for London or New York to make a name for themselves, whereas he preferred to stay close to hoe. MacLean said: 'In the very early days, it was incredibly difficult to make a living from acoustic music in Scotland. 'Everyone said you had to leave for London or New York to make it, and there wasn't much happening here. 'I had to overcome the notion that you needed to follow a certain path. That challenge pushed me to set up my own record label and publishing company and even build my own recording studio. 'Getting vinyl cut in Scotland was nearly impossible.' Read More Poor man's Dylan? Nah, dandy Donovan had his own date with destiny ... and drugs He added: 'When I was in my early 20s, an English record company told me my songs were 'banal, stupid, and parochial', remarks that only strengthened my resolve. I decided then and there to go independent. 'I set up my own recording studio and label up here in Perthshire, because getting recording time was expensive, there were only a few big studios available, and they charged astronomical rates. 'So, I decided to build my own little recording facility, and that turned out to be the best thing I ever did. It allowed me to record exactly what I wanted without compromise, which was vital for my creative process.' Caledonia was written by Mr MacLean when he was living abroad, feeling homesick about his native Scotland. He said: 'I wrote Caledonia in under 10 minutes on a beach in Brittany when I was incredibly homesick. I was with a group of Irish buskers and we headed for the train home the day after I wrote it. 'That little song has grown beyond its Scottish roots. It's about a sense of belonging; it's been embraced in Ireland, sung in Norwegian and Danish, and even finds its place at weddings, funerals, and football games.' He added: 'I remember one day, several years ago, when I received two letters in one day. 'The first was from someone thanking me because their father was able to pass away peacefully, with his own music playing in the hospital: my music, as he was a fan of mine. 'The next letter I opened was from a woman expressing gratitude for making her childbirth easier because she was allowed to listen to my songs during labour. I thought, 'That's fascinating', for the music to be such a constant presence.' Despite decades of touring, including more than 30 years in America, Mr MacLean has always been based in Scotland. He purchased the old school teachers house and the school that he and his father attended in Butterstone, Perthshire, and converted it all into a music studio as well as his home. He said: 'I still tour extensively, and I even do regular Saturday night broadcasts from our converted one-room school, set up by my brilliant son. 'It's amazing how modern technology allows me to connect with a global choir of listeners, all from a place that keeps me deeply rooted in Scotland.' Mr MacLean says music runs in the family, with his grandchildren now showing an interest, but says it was his own grandfather who set the wheels in motion. He said: 'My grandfather was a lovely Gaelic singer. I remember him returning from the Highland Games, singing beautiful Gaelic songs in our kitchen. 'He was full of whisky and sitting in our kitchen singing these beautiful Gaelic songs with the tears running down his face, and we'd be saying, 'What's wrong?' We called him Shenner, which is Gaelic for grandfather. We would say, 'What's wrong with Shenner?' and my mum would say, 'Oh, no, it's fine. He's just happy'. 'That emotional, almost magical connection in that language is something I've carried with me into every melody I create. 'I understand that emotion a lot more now. There's a lot of that kind of emotion in the melodies that I make, in the fiddle melodies and the song melodies. I think there's a bit of that in me as well, you know.' He added: 'I think with music, there's magic in it. With Caledonia, there was a bit of magic in that song.'
