Alasdair MacCuish & The Black Rose Ceilidh Band
Going from Strength to Strength !
by Karin Ingram
When did you start playing?
I didn’t start playing the accordion until I was 12 years old, which I suppose is quite late. My teacher was Graham Laurie, who had (and still has) an accordion school in Paisley. The teaching was mainly based around classical music, and focused on exams and also performance in classical accordion competitions. I was also a member of the Laurie Accordion Orchestra for a number of years, which was great fun. We toured both Holland and Germany, which is a great experience when you’re a young teenager.
Was competing a large part of your early playing?
I would say it took up the majority of my time. My teacher was very keen on using the competition scene to provide an incentive for learning and progression. If Graham thought you were capable, then only first place was acceptable. Initially, most of the competitions were classical based, and took place throughout Scotland and England. Once a year we would attend the N.A.O.’s UK Championships, where I competed in both solo and orchestral competitions. In those years I would practice for about 5 or 6 hours a day (before and after school!) There were so many good players on the scene; you had to put in the hours. In later years I began to try my hand at the Scottish traditional competitions, which got me involved with many of the musicians I am lucky enough to be associated with today.
What year did you win the Scottish Championship at Perth?
That was in 1997. I have to say that I’m not sure I could do it again as I think my nerves get worse as I get older. It’s a very strange competition in as much that probably any of the six players who qualify for the final are capable of winning. It just depends on who can hold their nerves together for three minutes and get through their set – as much a test of nerves as playing ability. The most satisfying aspect for me was looking at all the names on the trophy of those who had won over the years.
So when did you first become interested in Scottish Dance Music?
I had always shown an interest in playing traditional music while at the Laurie School, but with the main focus being on classical music, I played very little Scottish music in my early years. At the time I can remember being desperate to play more and more traditional music, but I am glad now that my teacher maintained a strong bias towards classical music as this armed me with the technique and ability to tackle any type of music in the future.
I don’t think I heard what you would call a ‘traditional’ Scottish Dance band until I was about 15 or 16 years old. I had grown up listening to the likes of Iain MacLachlan, the great button-box player from Benbecula and Fergie MacDonald. The first dance band record I had was Full Throttle by The Wallochmor Ceilidh Band and they are still one of my favourite bands. It wasn’t until I heard the likes of Jim Johnstone and Craig McCallum that I became ‘hooked’ on Scottish Dance music.
Was there music in the family?
Gaelic music is very strong in my family. My mother’s family came from Mallaig and South Uist and my father from North Uist. In my early years, I was more exposed to Gaelic tunes than any other form of music, either through my parents playing Calum Kennedy records or by listening to my mother singing. My grandfather on my mother’s side, Donald MacMillan, was a piper from Milton in South Uist, so perhaps I took my music from him.
Do you travel back to the West Coast to play?
I go as often as I can possibly manage. Obviously I feel very much at home with the audiences on the West coast, and most years I’ll try to do at least one gig in Mull, Mallaig, Skye, Lewis and the Uists. There is a wealth of talent in the Highland communities and it is great not only to go and play but also to listen to the local players. I was fortunate enough to tutor at Feis Alba, which was held in Stornoway a couple of years ago. The standard of the musicians was very high and it gave me the chance to put something back into the community that has given me so much pleasure and which continues to contribute a great deal to the musical diversity of Scotland.
Who would you say has influenced you most as a player?
I can’t say that I have based my style on any one player, as a great number of people have influenced me throughout the years. In my early years (before I started playing) I listened a lot to Iain MacLachlan on Benbecula. Iain was not only a great box player but also an accomplished fiddler and there are few who can match his ability at playing pipe marches. My parents also had a number of old Bobby MacLeod records in the house. Bobby was undoubtedly years ahead of his time, both in terms of arrangements and playing ability. The recent CD of some of his old 78s, brought out by his sons, will surely expose this talent to the up and coming players – there are few better recommendations I can make to players who want to hear pipe tunes and Gaelic waltzes played entirely from the heart.
I really only became aware of the dance band scene when I was lucky enough to have been given a CD of Craig McCallum and his band. Craig had a major influence on my playing. I admire him greatly, both as an accordionist and as a bandleader. There was a lift and drive to his band that I hadn’t heard before, and the broadcasts he did at the end of the 1980s are some of the best I ever heard.
It would be remiss of me to talk about influential musicians without mentioning Jim Johnstone. There is not much I can say about Jim that hasn’t been said before, but Jim’s band set the standard for today’s dance bands over 30 years ago, and it is unlikely that any band will ever emulate the sound that he achieved.
I first met Duncan Black when I used to go to the Ceilidh nights at the Winnock Hotel in Drymen. I would say that more than any other, Duncan has inspired me to do what I do today. He has ability on the accordion that is far more than technique alone. He is without doubt one of the most naturally gifted musicians that the dance music scene has ever produced and I still to this day sit in awe when I hear Duncan play.
Nowadays I am probably more influenced and inspired by musicians outwith the dance band scene. The list is quite long but I like to listen to the likes of Michael McGoldrick, a great Irish pipes and flute player, accordionist Sharon Shannon, many of today’s great fiddlers like Chris Stout, Alan Henderson and Gordon Gunn. Another musician I have a great deal of respect for is Kepa Junkera who is an amazing accordion player from the Basque region of Spain whom I first heard a couple of years ago at Celtic Connections.
How did the Black Rose Ceilidh Band come together?
The band started in about 1991. The original band was just a three piece with Fraser MacLellan and myself on accordions and Lee-Anne Potter on piano. We all met at the Laurie School of Music and realised that there was a market for a young Ceilidh Band in the Glasgow area. Our first gig was at Largs Sailing Club, and luckily, due to the demand at the time, we became busy very quickly. Lea-Anne still plays with the band regularly but Fraser left the band after a couple of years to pursue a career in Germany. Not long after that I met with a very young accordion player Scott Gordon, at Balloch Accordion Club (if my memory serves me right). However at that time, I was interested in Scott’s ability on the drums, and he did his first gig with the band in The Kyles of Bute Hotel in Tignabruich. The manager of the hotel was Sandy MacMillan, who sadly died three years ago. Big Sandy, as he was known, was probably the single most influential character on the band. He was a very good friend to me and he is sorely missed. He was responsible for helping the band get their first recording deal with Klub Records in Glasgow, and also helped to organize numerous gigs at home and abroad. It was also through Sandy that I was fortunate enough to meet with Davy Gracie who played piano with the band on albums and broadcasts for seven years.
What about your drummer Iain MacFadyen?
I met with ‘Stretch’ when I was about 18. I was on holiday in Tobermory and we had a tune together in The Mishnish. I remember saying to him that if he was ever in Glasgow to give me a call. About two years later he left Mull to live in Edinburgh, and he has been playing with the band ever since.
Has the band line-up changed much over the years?
Not much until recently. Unfortunately Davy Gracie, due to work and family commitments, is unable to play with the band as often as he would like, therefore we had to find a new pianist. Russell hunter had been playing with the band off and on overt the years, and he seemed like the obvious choice. His style, although different from that of Davy, fits with the band very well. In addition to Russell, we have also recruited a great double bass player in the shape of Roy Percy. Roy is a vastly experienced musician who is in great demand on the swing and jazz scene in Edinburgh and his playing has really given the band a great lift since he joined. So the complete line-up now is – myself, Scott Gordon (second box), Alison Smith (fiddle), Russell Hunter (piano), Roy Percy (double bass) and Iain ‘Stretch’ MacFadyen (drums).
Why do you think the band has been such a success, with young and ‘not so young’ alike?
That’s a very difficult question. I think there are a number of reasons. Firstly, the quality of the musicians is a major factor. Each member of the band adds his or her unique stamp, which makes the band a little different from the standard. They are all extremely enthusiastic about their playing and continue to find new and innovative ways of interpreting traditional music. I cannot thank the members of the band enough for their musical contribution over the years. In particular I’d like to highlight Davy Gracie. Davy and I work together on most of the band’s arrangements and his ability and creative ideas have been a major influence on the overall sound of the band.
Secondly I think our choice of material sets us apart from dance bands past and present. I probably listen more to Scottish and Irish folk music than I do Scottish dance music, and it is from there that I glean most of the band’s material. The fact that we continually introduce new tunes and arrangements keeps the band sounding fresh and hopefully that stimulates interest in what we do.
Finally, we try as best we can to play a programme that will please the dancers, depending on which area we are playing. A dancing audience on the West Coast would respond much more to a heavy night of 2/4 marches and Puirt a Beul than would an audience in the Borders. Likewise, the dancers in Shetland like to dance a little faster than those on the East Coast. It’s obviously not possible to please everyone in the room, but we try to play to the crowd as much as possible.
Has the band taken you to any exotic foreign locations?
We have been very lucky over the years to travel to a number of countries to play for dancing. These gigs tend to be for ex-pat communities as part of St Andrew’s or Burns’ Night celebrations. We have been to Dublin, Paris, Milan, Dubai, Kuwait, Tunisia and India. The trip to India was particularly memorable. Stretch, Lee-Anne and I spent five days in Bangalore playing for the Caledonian Society. We played to a crowd of about three hundred people of various nationalities, all very keen to try their hand at some Scottish Country Dancing. After the gig, the local Caledonian Society very kindly offered to fly the three of us to Goa for a few days in the sun. This year we have been invited out to the USA to do a two-week tour of concerts and dances. Who says working can’t be fun!!
Do you think it is important to listen to other styles of traditional music?
I feel very strongly about the need to collaborate more with other forms of traditional music. In my opinion, there id too much of a ‘them and us’ agenda between the dance band followers and those who are involved in the wider ‘folk’ music scene. If dance music is not just to survive but actually flourish (as it once did), we have to be more willing to acknowledge that other musical influences used in the dance band context are perfectly acceptable, as long as they are done in a tasteful and appropriate manner and the music remains suitable for dancing. It’s difficult not to notice that as I travel around the A&F Clubs, that there are very few younger listeners within the audience. Whereas if you were to go to a Celtic Connections concert in Glasgow in January, it is full of young people appreciating traditional music. Traditional music is experiencing a phenomenal resurgence in Scotland, and dance music should play a part in this.
We have to find a way of exposing the best in our type of music to an ever-growing young audience to that Scottish Dance Music will be appreciated for generations to come. Unfortunately the great traditional dance band sound which once attracted millions of viewers to The White Heather Club no longer appeals to the younger audience of traditional music lovers and it is high time we addressed the issue. We certainly have a number of musicians in the dance band scene who would be capable of appealing to this audience, however unfortunately they are not encouraged to experiment in any way as it is very much frowned upon by the listening fraternity.
So what now?
Well although the majority of our time is taken up playing for dances, ceilidhs, weddings and other functions, over the last few years we have been lucky to do a variety of projects with the band. As I said earlier, I have very strong links with the West Coast and as such the band plays regularly for some of the Gaelic TV programmes on ITV, which are very enjoyable to do. In 2000, we were invited to play the dance music for BBC Scotland’s ‘Hogmanay Live’ show. This was great experience and it was very rewarding to see dance music right up there alongside popular music in such a high profile show.
In February we will be recording a ‘Take the Floor’ programme from The Aros Hall in Tobermory. The band has enjoyed some great sessions at The Mull Music Festival over the years, so I am particularly looking forward to the recording. Also fiddler Archie McAllister will be making his first broadcast with the band. Although a regular member of the band at gigs, this will be his debut with us on ‘Take the Floor’.
We have also just recorded our fourth album with The Black Rose Ceilidh Band. There are 18 tracks on the album, 14 of which are definitely dance music, and 4 are more contemporary in nature. It is on the Macmeanmna label (SKYECD18) and will be available in February
Box and Fiddle
February 2002
I didn’t start playing the accordion until I was 12 years old, which I suppose is quite late. My teacher was Graham Laurie, who had (and still has) an accordion school in Paisley. The teaching was mainly based around classical music, and focused on exams and also performance in classical accordion competitions. I was also a member of the Laurie Accordion Orchestra for a number of years, which was great fun. We toured both Holland and Germany, which is a great experience when you’re a young teenager.
Was competing a large part of your early playing?
I would say it took up the majority of my time. My teacher was very keen on using the competition scene to provide an incentive for learning and progression. If Graham thought you were capable, then only first place was acceptable. Initially, most of the competitions were classical based, and took place throughout Scotland and England. Once a year we would attend the N.A.O.’s UK Championships, where I competed in both solo and orchestral competitions. In those years I would practice for about 5 or 6 hours a day (before and after school!) There were so many good players on the scene; you had to put in the hours. In later years I began to try my hand at the Scottish traditional competitions, which got me involved with many of the musicians I am lucky enough to be associated with today.
What year did you win the Scottish Championship at Perth?
That was in 1997. I have to say that I’m not sure I could do it again as I think my nerves get worse as I get older. It’s a very strange competition in as much that probably any of the six players who qualify for the final are capable of winning. It just depends on who can hold their nerves together for three minutes and get through their set – as much a test of nerves as playing ability. The most satisfying aspect for me was looking at all the names on the trophy of those who had won over the years.
So when did you first become interested in Scottish Dance Music?
I had always shown an interest in playing traditional music while at the Laurie School, but with the main focus being on classical music, I played very little Scottish music in my early years. At the time I can remember being desperate to play more and more traditional music, but I am glad now that my teacher maintained a strong bias towards classical music as this armed me with the technique and ability to tackle any type of music in the future.
I don’t think I heard what you would call a ‘traditional’ Scottish Dance band until I was about 15 or 16 years old. I had grown up listening to the likes of Iain MacLachlan, the great button-box player from Benbecula and Fergie MacDonald. The first dance band record I had was Full Throttle by The Wallochmor Ceilidh Band and they are still one of my favourite bands. It wasn’t until I heard the likes of Jim Johnstone and Craig McCallum that I became ‘hooked’ on Scottish Dance music.
Was there music in the family?
Gaelic music is very strong in my family. My mother’s family came from Mallaig and South Uist and my father from North Uist. In my early years, I was more exposed to Gaelic tunes than any other form of music, either through my parents playing Calum Kennedy records or by listening to my mother singing. My grandfather on my mother’s side, Donald MacMillan, was a piper from Milton in South Uist, so perhaps I took my music from him.
Do you travel back to the West Coast to play?
I go as often as I can possibly manage. Obviously I feel very much at home with the audiences on the West coast, and most years I’ll try to do at least one gig in Mull, Mallaig, Skye, Lewis and the Uists. There is a wealth of talent in the Highland communities and it is great not only to go and play but also to listen to the local players. I was fortunate enough to tutor at Feis Alba, which was held in Stornoway a couple of years ago. The standard of the musicians was very high and it gave me the chance to put something back into the community that has given me so much pleasure and which continues to contribute a great deal to the musical diversity of Scotland.
Who would you say has influenced you most as a player?
I can’t say that I have based my style on any one player, as a great number of people have influenced me throughout the years. In my early years (before I started playing) I listened a lot to Iain MacLachlan on Benbecula. Iain was not only a great box player but also an accomplished fiddler and there are few who can match his ability at playing pipe marches. My parents also had a number of old Bobby MacLeod records in the house. Bobby was undoubtedly years ahead of his time, both in terms of arrangements and playing ability. The recent CD of some of his old 78s, brought out by his sons, will surely expose this talent to the up and coming players – there are few better recommendations I can make to players who want to hear pipe tunes and Gaelic waltzes played entirely from the heart.
I really only became aware of the dance band scene when I was lucky enough to have been given a CD of Craig McCallum and his band. Craig had a major influence on my playing. I admire him greatly, both as an accordionist and as a bandleader. There was a lift and drive to his band that I hadn’t heard before, and the broadcasts he did at the end of the 1980s are some of the best I ever heard.
It would be remiss of me to talk about influential musicians without mentioning Jim Johnstone. There is not much I can say about Jim that hasn’t been said before, but Jim’s band set the standard for today’s dance bands over 30 years ago, and it is unlikely that any band will ever emulate the sound that he achieved.
I first met Duncan Black when I used to go to the Ceilidh nights at the Winnock Hotel in Drymen. I would say that more than any other, Duncan has inspired me to do what I do today. He has ability on the accordion that is far more than technique alone. He is without doubt one of the most naturally gifted musicians that the dance music scene has ever produced and I still to this day sit in awe when I hear Duncan play.
Nowadays I am probably more influenced and inspired by musicians outwith the dance band scene. The list is quite long but I like to listen to the likes of Michael McGoldrick, a great Irish pipes and flute player, accordionist Sharon Shannon, many of today’s great fiddlers like Chris Stout, Alan Henderson and Gordon Gunn. Another musician I have a great deal of respect for is Kepa Junkera who is an amazing accordion player from the Basque region of Spain whom I first heard a couple of years ago at Celtic Connections.
How did the Black Rose Ceilidh Band come together?
The band started in about 1991. The original band was just a three piece with Fraser MacLellan and myself on accordions and Lee-Anne Potter on piano. We all met at the Laurie School of Music and realised that there was a market for a young Ceilidh Band in the Glasgow area. Our first gig was at Largs Sailing Club, and luckily, due to the demand at the time, we became busy very quickly. Lea-Anne still plays with the band regularly but Fraser left the band after a couple of years to pursue a career in Germany. Not long after that I met with a very young accordion player Scott Gordon, at Balloch Accordion Club (if my memory serves me right). However at that time, I was interested in Scott’s ability on the drums, and he did his first gig with the band in The Kyles of Bute Hotel in Tignabruich. The manager of the hotel was Sandy MacMillan, who sadly died three years ago. Big Sandy, as he was known, was probably the single most influential character on the band. He was a very good friend to me and he is sorely missed. He was responsible for helping the band get their first recording deal with Klub Records in Glasgow, and also helped to organize numerous gigs at home and abroad. It was also through Sandy that I was fortunate enough to meet with Davy Gracie who played piano with the band on albums and broadcasts for seven years.
What about your drummer Iain MacFadyen?
I met with ‘Stretch’ when I was about 18. I was on holiday in Tobermory and we had a tune together in The Mishnish. I remember saying to him that if he was ever in Glasgow to give me a call. About two years later he left Mull to live in Edinburgh, and he has been playing with the band ever since.
Has the band line-up changed much over the years?
Not much until recently. Unfortunately Davy Gracie, due to work and family commitments, is unable to play with the band as often as he would like, therefore we had to find a new pianist. Russell hunter had been playing with the band off and on overt the years, and he seemed like the obvious choice. His style, although different from that of Davy, fits with the band very well. In addition to Russell, we have also recruited a great double bass player in the shape of Roy Percy. Roy is a vastly experienced musician who is in great demand on the swing and jazz scene in Edinburgh and his playing has really given the band a great lift since he joined. So the complete line-up now is – myself, Scott Gordon (second box), Alison Smith (fiddle), Russell Hunter (piano), Roy Percy (double bass) and Iain ‘Stretch’ MacFadyen (drums).
Why do you think the band has been such a success, with young and ‘not so young’ alike?
That’s a very difficult question. I think there are a number of reasons. Firstly, the quality of the musicians is a major factor. Each member of the band adds his or her unique stamp, which makes the band a little different from the standard. They are all extremely enthusiastic about their playing and continue to find new and innovative ways of interpreting traditional music. I cannot thank the members of the band enough for their musical contribution over the years. In particular I’d like to highlight Davy Gracie. Davy and I work together on most of the band’s arrangements and his ability and creative ideas have been a major influence on the overall sound of the band.
Secondly I think our choice of material sets us apart from dance bands past and present. I probably listen more to Scottish and Irish folk music than I do Scottish dance music, and it is from there that I glean most of the band’s material. The fact that we continually introduce new tunes and arrangements keeps the band sounding fresh and hopefully that stimulates interest in what we do.
Finally, we try as best we can to play a programme that will please the dancers, depending on which area we are playing. A dancing audience on the West Coast would respond much more to a heavy night of 2/4 marches and Puirt a Beul than would an audience in the Borders. Likewise, the dancers in Shetland like to dance a little faster than those on the East Coast. It’s obviously not possible to please everyone in the room, but we try to play to the crowd as much as possible.
Has the band taken you to any exotic foreign locations?
We have been very lucky over the years to travel to a number of countries to play for dancing. These gigs tend to be for ex-pat communities as part of St Andrew’s or Burns’ Night celebrations. We have been to Dublin, Paris, Milan, Dubai, Kuwait, Tunisia and India. The trip to India was particularly memorable. Stretch, Lee-Anne and I spent five days in Bangalore playing for the Caledonian Society. We played to a crowd of about three hundred people of various nationalities, all very keen to try their hand at some Scottish Country Dancing. After the gig, the local Caledonian Society very kindly offered to fly the three of us to Goa for a few days in the sun. This year we have been invited out to the USA to do a two-week tour of concerts and dances. Who says working can’t be fun!!
Do you think it is important to listen to other styles of traditional music?
I feel very strongly about the need to collaborate more with other forms of traditional music. In my opinion, there id too much of a ‘them and us’ agenda between the dance band followers and those who are involved in the wider ‘folk’ music scene. If dance music is not just to survive but actually flourish (as it once did), we have to be more willing to acknowledge that other musical influences used in the dance band context are perfectly acceptable, as long as they are done in a tasteful and appropriate manner and the music remains suitable for dancing. It’s difficult not to notice that as I travel around the A&F Clubs, that there are very few younger listeners within the audience. Whereas if you were to go to a Celtic Connections concert in Glasgow in January, it is full of young people appreciating traditional music. Traditional music is experiencing a phenomenal resurgence in Scotland, and dance music should play a part in this.
We have to find a way of exposing the best in our type of music to an ever-growing young audience to that Scottish Dance Music will be appreciated for generations to come. Unfortunately the great traditional dance band sound which once attracted millions of viewers to The White Heather Club no longer appeals to the younger audience of traditional music lovers and it is high time we addressed the issue. We certainly have a number of musicians in the dance band scene who would be capable of appealing to this audience, however unfortunately they are not encouraged to experiment in any way as it is very much frowned upon by the listening fraternity.
So what now?
Well although the majority of our time is taken up playing for dances, ceilidhs, weddings and other functions, over the last few years we have been lucky to do a variety of projects with the band. As I said earlier, I have very strong links with the West Coast and as such the band plays regularly for some of the Gaelic TV programmes on ITV, which are very enjoyable to do. In 2000, we were invited to play the dance music for BBC Scotland’s ‘Hogmanay Live’ show. This was great experience and it was very rewarding to see dance music right up there alongside popular music in such a high profile show.
In February we will be recording a ‘Take the Floor’ programme from The Aros Hall in Tobermory. The band has enjoyed some great sessions at The Mull Music Festival over the years, so I am particularly looking forward to the recording. Also fiddler Archie McAllister will be making his first broadcast with the band. Although a regular member of the band at gigs, this will be his debut with us on ‘Take the Floor’.
We have also just recorded our fourth album with The Black Rose Ceilidh Band. There are 18 tracks on the album, 14 of which are definitely dance music, and 4 are more contemporary in nature. It is on the Macmeanmna label (SKYECD18) and will be available in February
Box and Fiddle
February 2002