Albannach
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Albannach  |
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 Albannach live at the Edinburgh Festival
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Genre(s) | Celtic Battle Music |
| Years active | 2005-Present |
| Website | www.albannachmusic.com |
| Members | |
| Jamesie Johnston Jacquie Holland Donnie MacNeill Kyle Gray Aya Thorne Davey 'Ramone' Morrison |
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Albannach, Gaelic for "Scottish" or "Scotsman", is a Celtic Battle Music band from Glasgow, Scotland.
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[edit] Members
[edit] Current members
Jamesie Johnston- Jamesie is the bass drummer with the band, he is also responsible for some of the bands vocal works.
Jamesie was born in Glasgow 1973, he was raised there and left school at an early age to become an apprentice motor mechanic.After serving his time as a mechanic, he moved on to other forms of employment one of which was doing some film work for various UK film production companies and the discovery channel.
It was through doing this that he stumbled into the music scene and soon found himself playing the bass drum with a tribal drum crew. After working with them for 5 years he moved on and became part of Albannach, where he holds the title "the baron of bass."
Jamesie's musical influences are mostly rock and roll, with bands like AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Metallica and Pink Floyd being some of his favourites. He is also very fond of classical music and enjoys the works of Bach and Yanni.
Jacquie Holland
Jacquie is the mother of the group, i.e. she keeps the boys in line !
As well as that thought, Jacquie plays bass rhythms and maracas and is known for her haunting vocal skills.
Donnie MacNeill
Donnie is a world-renowned bag piper, nicknamed 'bullfrog', if you ever see him play you'll understand why. Donnie is also extremely talented on other instruments, he's a wicked drummer and also plays piano and guitar.
Having played the pipes in many competitions and town halls throughout Scotland, he felt it was time to leave traditional piping to the traditionalists and branch off ! Soon he was picked up by a semi-professional band and was off on his travels playing places in Europe, America and Asia. After some painstakingly hard years he left to venture out with the boys and decided to take it to the next level...
When Donnie's not touring, you will find him up the Islands on the northwest coast where he likes to do some composing, and also pursue liquid entertainment. Donnie can also be found relaxing at home watching the football, and of course being a dad!
Kyle Gray - Born and brought up in the Pitlochry area of Scotland, Kyle was first introduced to Scottish music when he became a highland dancer at the age of 4. He competed and sat exams until he gave it up at the age of 14. Shortly after this he joined the local pipe band, The Vale of Atholl, where he spent 2 years on the side drum at Novice Juvenile level and one year as the Juvenile Drum Major.
Kyle studied at Perth college for a couple of years but caught the travel bug, so in 1996 he went travelling in East Asia for 2 years, working over a year of this time in Hong Kong.
After returning home, Kyle worked various jobs and then moved to Glasgow in 2000 doing the same for a couple of years, before returning to college to study Furniture Construction and Design.
Having graduated from college and about to start work in the furniture industry, he was asked to join a newly formed Scottish band, and soon he became the Lead drummer in Albannach.
Aya Thorne- Aya is from a small town called Pitlochry, where he was born and raised. Before moving to Glasgow he spent his time terrorising the folks of the town and quickly working himself through more jobs than any sane person would admit to having ! We were going to list some of these, but it would take up too much space !
When he was just 15 he became involved with the “Clan” organisations of Scotland, which led to his first encounter with some of his future band mates, and also led to him being an extra and “stunt fighter” on many film and TV sets. Not only did this bring him out of his shell and give him some of the most memorable times of his life, it also further fuelled his love for Scotland and its history.
When he wasn’t getting beaten up with swords he pursued his other passion, music, which led to him studying sound engineering at Perth college when he was 19. At 21 Aya moved to Glasgow to study Dance music production at James Watt college in Greenock. After finishing his first year of the course, he was working at his local video store when out of the blue came a phone call. The man on the other end of the line was Jamesie and he had an offer that Aya couldn’t refuse !
Although he had learned to play the Bodhran when he was 17, he had not played it for about two years. The prospect of picking it up again and playing in front of the band, never mind the crowds, left him slightly nervous ! Now that he’s used to the crowds and playing again, Aya is enjoying every minute of his time with the band, he counts himself lucky to be doing something that combines his two major passions, music and Scotland.
Davey 'Ramone' Morrison (Only plays with the band in America, as he lives there)- Davey, otherwise known as 'The Ramone' is a Bodhran player with Albannach. He was introduced to primal pipes and drums while with a previous band that a lot of you might recognise him from. The stresses of touring eventually got to him and Davey took a break in 2004. In the spring of 2006, Davey was asked if he wanted to join a new band with some old friends, and after such a long break he jumped at the chance !
Davey has been steadily composing music for the last two years and was encouraged by the positive response to the ballad "Rebel King" that he composed last year!
He has been involved with live music acts for over ten years now; a bass guitarist in Scottish folk and punk bands, hundreds of impromptu folk sessions at festivals, and even spoken word recitals of the poetry of Robert Burns. Over the last twenty years, he has tried his hand at tattooing, and more notably sculpture, where his pieces have been selling steadily. Davey has been drawing since the age of four, so he is an accomplished artist. His current hobbies are learning to play guitar, as well as writing short stories and memoirs, which some of you have been exposed to on the website.
For the future Davey hopes to continue to promote the bands diverse Scottish culture and heritage, and to bring the music of Albannach to an increasingly widespread audience. He wants to build on the solid base of the first album and continue to play with Albannach for as long as he can execute my world renowned "Reverse Burl".
[edit] Discography
Albannach (2006)
Eye of the Storm (2007)
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Albannach Radio
- Online Store
- Albannach's profile at MySpace
- Interview with Albannach on ScotlandonTV
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