| Enter the Haggis | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | ETH |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | World fusion music |
| Years active | 1996 to present |
| Labels | United For Opportunity |
| Website | www.enterthehaggis.com |
| Members | |
| Brian Buchanan Craig Downie Trevor Lewington Mark Abraham Bruce McCarthy |
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| Past members | |
| Duncan Cameron - Fiddle Owen Pallett - Fiddle Tom "Teemie" Paterson - Guitars Ken Horne - Drums Rob "Rodent" McCrady - Bass and vocals Donald Quan - multi-instrumentalist James Campbell - Drums |
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Enter the Haggis is a Canadian Indie/Celtic/Folk Rock world-fusion band based in Toronto, Canada. Commonly called ETH, the band has been playing and recording since 1996. Their latest studio album, "Whitelake" is the band's ninth album.
The name is a reference to the diverse nature of the band's sound. Like Haggis (the food) the sound of ETH is a mixture of diverse and unusual elements, brought together to create something new.
Since its birth in 1996, ETH has kept a rigorous concert schedule, playing in wide ranging venues in Canada, Europe, and the United States. They have made appearances at such events as the Folk im Schlosshof in Bonfeld, Germany, the Vancouver Island MusicFest in Courtenay, BC, Irish2000 in Albany, New York, The Philadelphia Folk Fest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Ann Arbor Folk Fest in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Cayamo (2011, 2012), MusikFest in Bethlehem, PA, the world famous Irish Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Great American Irish Festival in Frankfort, NY, and the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, OH.
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On August 10, 2010, the band's drummer of eleven years announced via e-mail to the Enter the Haggis mailing list and a public note on Facebook[1] that he would be retiring from professional music and from Enter the Haggis. Campbell cited his desire to work in air traffic control and the lack of time he would have to be trained in the coming years as he grew older as the primary reasons for his retirement. Following his final performance on September 18, 2010, long-time friend Bruce McCarthy has since assumed the position as the band's percussionist. On McCarthy, Campbell says:
"I will be leaving you in the more than capable hands of my old friend Bruce McCarthy. Bruce, Mark and I all went to Humber College in Toronto together, and he's no stranger to music in any and all of its forms. Bruce's experience is far more diverse than my own, and he has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to more bands in the last few years than I've played with in my entire life. His presence in the band will be one of the things that will make me feel a little better about retiring, as I know you will all be left in the best of possible hands."
In July 2003 the band played a show to about 20,000 people at the annual Mayor's Cup festival in Plattsburgh New York. At the show, the band was approached by two gentlemen in the TV industry who proposed the idea of filming a live show and releasing as a DVD special to PBS (a network with whom they had many connections). In December that year, the band returned to Plattsburgh and recorded 2 nights of shows at Plattsburgh State University's "Hartman Theater" to throngs of ETH fans. The special was released months later to PBS and aired on many stations across the US. The DVD is available for purchase from the band's website.
In 2006 the band performed two songs on the show: "Gasoline" from Casualties of Retail and "One Last Drink" from Soapbox Heroes.
On March 16, 2007 the band performed on the Live with Regis and Kelly program before a live studio audience. The songs chosen were "One Last Drink" a song written by Lewington with a Celtic flavor from their album Soapbox Heroes, and "Minstrel Boy" a distinctive rendition of a familiar Irish tune. The latter song appears on their album Casualties of Retail. The band was probably selected to appear because their Celtic sound fit well with the approaching St. Patrick's Day. [1]