Ashley MacIsaac

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Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac publicity photo for promotion of his sixth solo studio album, Pride
Ashley MacIsaac publicity photo for promotion of his sixth solo studio album, Pride
Background information
Birth name Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac
Born February 24, 1975 (age 32)
Origin Creignish, Nova Scotia
Genre(s) Celtic fusion, folk, rock
Occupation(s) Fiddler
Singer/songwriter
Instrument(s) Fiddle
Vocals
Years active 1992 - present
Label(s) A&M, RCA, Decca, Linus Entertainment
Website ashley-macisaac.com

Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac (born February 24, 1975) is a professional fiddler born in Creignish, Nova Scotia, Canada.

While MacIsaac's fiddle-playing is entirely traditional, he often sets it in contemporary rock songs with hip hop and dance elements. He has, however, also released several albums of more traditional folk music.

His greatest mainstream success in Canada was his 1995 album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie," with vocals in Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond.

Contents

[edit] Controversy

MacIsaac has been a highly controversial figure, who has often used shock tactics to gain attention. In 1999, he told a journalist for The New Yorker that his goal was to become "weirder than Michael Jackson". [1]

He elicited a considerable amount of controversy in 1996, after being interviewed by Maclean's for their best of the year section. He told the Maclean's interviewer that he had previously discussed his sexual life, including his significantly younger boyfriend and his taste for urolagnia, in an interview with the LGBT newsmagazine The Advocate. For its part, The Advocate did not print any of the controversial assertions, but Maclean's dropped him from the list and instead wrote a disparaging article on him [2].

Also the same year, MacIsaac toured the United States as an opening act for The Chieftains. Another opener, folk singer Nanci Griffith, dropped out of the tour. While it was widely reported in the media that Griffith objected to MacIsaac's musical style, Griffith indicated in a 1998 interview with Rolling Stone that her primary conflict was not with MacIsaac himself, but with the tour organizers over how much time was actually available for her to perform after MacIsaac was added to the bill. [3]

In 1997, MacIsaac appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, in a controversial performance during which one of his kick steps lifted his kilt high enough that his genitals were clearly visible to both the studio audience and the television cameras. MacIsaac stated that this was unintentional. [4]

In 1998, he reportedly gave a lewd performance, including obscene language and lewd physical gestures, at an all-ages venue in Fort Erie. Shortly thereafter, MacIsaac fought successfully to be independent of his record label and was dropped from Universal Music. [5]

He subsequently signed with the independent label Loggerhead Records for his 1999 album Helter's Celtic. During the promotional tour for that album, he indicated to the press that he had previously battled an addiction to crack cocaine. [6]

On December 31, 1999, MacIsaac again gave a controversial performance at a show in Halifax, in which his entire performance consisted of a 20-minute rant containing numerous expletives and, allegedly, several racist statements. [7] A few days later, MacIsaac got into a media spat with Loggerhead after the label sent out a press release distancing itself from his actions. [8]

Later in 2000, MacIsaac threw the crowd an obscene gesture, then left the stage after performing for only 10 minutes during an appearance in Chatham, Ontario. [9] Also the same year, MacIsaac told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald that he was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy, retracted the statement within a few days, and then actually filed for bankruptcy several months later. [10]

In 2003, MacIsaac was again alleged to have made racist statements on stage, at a show where he reportedly accused an Asian woman in the audience of spreading SARS. He subsequently stated that the comment was intended as an ironic parody of racism, and sued the Ottawa Citizen for misrepresenting the statement as racist when in fact he was speaking out against racial profiling happening in Canada at the time. [11]

[edit] New directions

In 2005, MacIsaac pursued a new direction, after signing on with Linus Entertainment (home to Gordon Lightfoot and Ron Sexsmith) forming a rock band with himself on lead vocals and guitar. He has declared an interest in politics and has stated, in a letter to the National Post, that he is studying constitutional law so as to pursue an entry into Canadian federal politics.

In the March 20, 2006, edition of the Halifax Daily News, MacIsaac declared himself a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. Some Canadian journalists, including Mike Duffy, have suggested that MacIsaac's campaign was primarily a publicity stunt to promote his new CD Pride which was released just a day after declaring himself a candidate.[citation needed] MacIsaac told the Canadian Press that he fully intended to mount a serious campaign, but on June 21, 2006, MacIsaac decided to no longer take part in the leadership race. However, he has not ruled out future attempts. His reasons for changing his stated intentions are a lack of French language skills and his concern for other leading candidates' intentions on foreign policy.[citation needed]

In a comment to national press, another fiddler turned politician, Rodney MacDonald, Premier of Nova Scotia, praised MacIsaac by stating it would be a nice thing to see him in federal politics. Both MacIsaac and MacDonald played in a group together in the late eighties called The Next Generation and have been friends for many years, starting out as the only two well known young male step dancers from Cape Breton. MacDonald is, however, from the opposite end of the political spectrum, a conservative, whereas MacIsaac is a "life-long" liberal. However he once considered joining and running for the Conservative Party of Canada.[citation needed]

[edit] Marriage

On February 17, 2007, MacIsaac was scheduled to perform in a showcase of Cape Breton talent at the Imperial Room of the Lord Nelson Hotel. Rumours spread amongst the people of a potential wedding. At the end of his set, MacIsaac, dressed in a black tailored suit with a pink tie and hankerchief, announced to those attending the sold-out gala that the rumours were true and that they would all be present to his marriage to his boyfriend, Andrew Stokes. The two were married at approximately 12:45am on February 18, 2007. The newly married couple played a jig together following a toast from long-time friend, Stuart Cameron, and a warm reception from those in attendance.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Discography

  • Close to the Floor (1992)
  • A Cape Breton Christmas (1993)
  • Hi™ How Are You Today? (1995)
  • Fine®, Thank You Very Much (1996)
  • Helter's Celtic (1999)
  • Cape Breton Fiddle Music Not Calm (2001)
  • Ashley MacIsaac (2003)
  • Live at the Savoy (2004)
  • Fiddle Music 101 (2005)
  • Pride (2006)

MacIsaac has also published an autobiography, Fiddling with Disaster in 2003.

[edit] Trivia

  • Ashley's sister, Lisa is also a touring fiddler and appears on his album Helter's Celtic. His cousins Alexis MacIsaac and Natalie MacMaster are also touring fiddlers.
  • Ashley's brother is named Henry "Hank" Snow. Henry is a diamond mine employee in the northern territories of Canada.[citation needed]
  • In the manga series Bleach, the author Tite Kubo gives main characters theme songs based on their personality, and MacIsaac's "Wingstock" is the theme of character Rukia Kuchiki.

[edit] External links

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