Cask Strength to Play World Record Breaking Dance!

The band have the honour of playing for a world-record breaking attempt at the largest Strip the Willow ever attempted! The St.Andrew’s Day street party in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket will be one of the highlights of the years cultural celebrations, featuring acclaimed Scottish singer Dougie MacLean (writer of hit Scottish song ‘Caledonia’). Dougie will be joined by Admiral Fallow frontman Louis Abbot and leading Scottish folk bands Blazin’ Fiddles and Breabach!

The Cask Strength Ceilidh Band will play at a massive kids ceilidh during the day, and will be joined by mighty fiddler Adam Sutherland for the big dance later on! More info here.

Should be quite a spectacle!

However, the Orcadians’ in Kirkwall have surely set us all an impossible task – and I do believe similar attempts have been made on both the wee Isle of Gigha at the mighty music festival there, as well a huge one for Oban’s Bicentenary Celebrations.

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Wedding at Achnagairn House

The band were honoured to play at a very special multinational wedding at one of the finest wedding venues in Scotland on Friday. Achnagairn House is an elegant traditional country manor house situated a few miles from Beauly, Inverness-shire. The band was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the dancers, most of whom were foreign and so completely new to Scottish ceilidhs. The dance floor was full all night!

The Cask Strength four-piece band was requested for the ceilidh, so the band was delighted to be joined again by ace fiddler Adam Sutherland. Both John and Adam hail from nearby Loch Ness-side so it was home to visit the folks’ after the gig.

Congratulations to Liz and Naser on their marriage, and we wish them all the best in their future together. Hamish, John & Stevie

New Live video!

Here is the live video of Mhairi and David Hardie’s wedding at Aultmore House in the Cairngorms! What a fabulous setting for a wedding!

Blair & Megan’s Wedding

What a great night we all had at the beautiful Pollockshields Burgh Hall on 11th August! Congratulations to the happy couple Blair and Megan Taylor! Lovely people and great dancing all round. Thank you so much for having us and best wishes! Hamish, John & Stevie.

The 3-Piece Band in Action

Thank you kindly to the Merlin Academy of Traditional Music for the use of their beautiful space at The Wynd Theatre.

Mhairi and David’s Wedding

What a stunning wedding in early June up in Strathspey! Thank you Mhairi and David for hiring us – it was an honour to play for you and all the guests! All the best, Hamish, John and Stevie

The following day the band enjoyed some croquet on the front lawn of Aultmore House in the glorious sunshine with the wedding party! Spiffing!

: The competitors prepare form game #11

: The lawn basked in marvellous sunshine

: Croquet still going several hours later

…live video of the wedding dance coming soon!

BBC Radio Scotland Interview

Cask Strength’s multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Hamish Napier was interviewed by Bruce MacGregor on national radio last night! Check it out here…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qdxzb

New Website Launched

The Cask Strength Band are delighted to launch their new website by ace Glasgow-based designer Somhairle MacDonald.

We look forward to delivering more great fun performances at home and abroad in 2013!

Celtic Connections 2013

As highly regarded musicians on the Scottish music scene all three members of the Cask Strength CB will be involved at the World Renowned festival of Celtic music which takes place this January in Glasgow.

During the festival one of the Cask Strength lads is up for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award, while the others are being filmed for BBC Alba Gaelic TV, singing in Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Andy Thorburn’s ‘New Voices’ choir or performing live on BBC Radio 3 ‘World on 3’ programme.

BBC Hogmanay Show

Any one tuning in to BBC Alba on Hogmanay would have caught Hamish forming part of the house band for their live broadcast. He was joined by many of the best players in the Scottish and Folk music scene for a night of music and general Highland hilarity.