The Edinburgh-based band Sgorrabreac was formed in 2004 and has quickly become established on the folk music and Gaelic music scenes. Sgorrabreac focus on a wide-ranging Gaelic song repertoire and aim to create musical arrangements which best suit the mood and spirit of the songs.
Many of the songs are ones learned and performed many times by Margaret Nicolson in her youth on Skye. The band also uniquely cover more eclectic repertoire, such as songs by the poet George Campbell Hay of Tarbert, Argyll. The band's links with the poet are through their singer and djembe player, Michel Byrne, who edited the first complete collection of Hay's works for Edinburgh University Press. Bozouki and guitar player Stewart McDonald, veteran of too many folk bands to mention, but including, notably, Birlinn and The Parlour Band, provide accompaniment with Margaret and Michel joining him on piano and percussion. The band also performs songs by the Scottish composer Alasdair Nicolson, ( Margaret's brother), from his stage work 'Sgathach', with lyrics written by another member of the Nicolson clan, poet Aonghas MacNeacail.
Sgorrabreac is:
Margaret Nicolson on vocals , piano and fiddle
Michel Byrne on vocals, djembe and whistle
Stewart McDonald on guitar and bouzouki
|
|