The Battlefield Band on Opening weekend at Towne Crier. Battlefield Band is world famous and many say the best Scottish traditional and folk band ever, originally formed in 1969 in Battlefield, outside Glasgow. Membership has changed over the years, and today's foursome are blending traditional music with more contemporary tunes, always communicating their homegrown European perspective and musical identity while relating the style and emotion of their gaelic roots. Mike Katz, bagpipes, small pipes and mandolin, joined in 1997. Lead fiddle player, also small pipes and whistles, Alasdair White, joined in 2001 followed by Sean O'Donnell, guitar, in 2005. Ewen Henderson, bagpipes, fiddle, piano, whistles came onboard in 2010. All perform vocals. One extraordinary feature of Battlefield Band is their compositions utilizing dueling fiddles and dueling bagpipes.They are at once the bedrock and cutting edge of traditional and modern Scottish music, always nostalgic, always evolving. They played several tunes from their new album, "Room Enough for All," and did their own marvelous original rendition of the great Otis Redding ballad, "That's How Strong My Love Is," to which they added their own bridge because, as Sean explains, "They wanted to 'folk' it up." They all have a great sense of humor which makes an evening with them even more enjoyable. BB composes adaptations of social historical material--of poems, accounts of real people and lifestyles, of fables, siege and war--which are their unique musical interpretations and inventions, and so become their own. Their style is wonderfully versatile, ranging from traditional dance, to what i would call Scottish ragtime, to songs about Gaelic and Celtic heritage. One unforgettable song, "Farewell, Indiana," which is both a lament and celebration, is about a friend's return to Scotland after spending forty years in Indiana. Thanks to Battlefield Band and Towne Crier Cafe for their blessing to record and post this 1080p video of concert segments.

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