While looking for a video to post for my last Concert Review blog, I came across this video. I think it really gets the... what's the word?...ambiance, flavor, awesomeness, of Enter the Haggis. Just check it out.
Yay for skydiver71903 for coming up with it!!
Showing posts with label enter the haggis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enter the haggis. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Concert Review #2: Enter the Haggis in Northampton
I love Enter the Haggis. Forever and a day. And it may have been a month ago, but I still remember that concert:
I was sitting the the balcony of the Iron Horse. If you're never been there, pretty much it's a big closet with a balcony and a very small stage. Normally when I am there, I am able to get the closest seat to the stage. Sadly, not this time, but it's not like I've never been close enough to Brian Buchanan that he could sweat on me. That kinda makes me sound like a whore, but I mean it in a performance kinda way.
Anyway, I was excited, as usual, for the concert. I had my friend, whom I had known since pre-school, with me, but I also missed my other friend who loves Haggis almost as much as me. I will never turn down a Haggis opportunity, but it's funner with someone who knows all their songs like I do.
Anyway, when the show started, I was sad to see Craig Downie, the bagpiper, in pants. He's supposed to wear a kilt. It should be in the contract, dammit! Not that he's wicked hot or anything--trust me when I say he's too old for me to judge that--but, dammit, they're a celtic band so someone should wear a kilt!!
Anyway, this was a LIVE RECORDING concert!! Poor guys had FOUR SHOWS in TWO days, but yay for us. I hope they use a lot of the songs from my concert night!
And boy, this was the best concert EVER. I mean, sure I could tell they were tired and they might not have wanted to be on stage, but dammit, the audience kicked some MAJOR ass!! AND we got THREE ENCORES out of them. The last encore they played their "hit," as I call it, since every Haggis Head loves that song, "Lanigan's Ball." Since it had been a YEAR since the last time I heard it, I almost peed myself with joy.
All in all, it was a floor stomping, hand clapping, laughing, jolly good time. All I needed was to be 21, so I could enjoy a pint while watching, so when Craig would toast the audience with his beer, I could respond with something besides water.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Trevor cracking up over something I still don't understand.
(His face got red and his voice went about 500 octaves higher, which is funny,
considering he already has a high-pitched voice.)
Brian making fun of Craig for NOT wearing a kilt during "Donald, Where's Yer Troosers?"
(We already know how I feel aboot that)
Sheep: the reason Scots wear kilts
(The sheep run away when they here the zipper...)
Trevor's G String breaking
(Yes, it was actually the G String on his acoustic)
James's AMAZING drum solo
(During the restringing process)
Congress, as usual
(James DRUMS on the GUITAR!!)
LEARNING TO DANCE AT LANIGAN'S BALL!!
("six whole months I spent in Dublin...")
Here's a clip from YouTube, the best creation ever, from Haggis on REGIS AND KELLY, which aired a week after the concert I just reviewed. (Note: Regis and Kelly is famous for having bad sound. They're better than this...):
I was sitting the the balcony of the Iron Horse. If you're never been there, pretty much it's a big closet with a balcony and a very small stage. Normally when I am there, I am able to get the closest seat to the stage. Sadly, not this time, but it's not like I've never been close enough to Brian Buchanan that he could sweat on me. That kinda makes me sound like a whore, but I mean it in a performance kinda way.
Anyway, I was excited, as usual, for the concert. I had my friend, whom I had known since pre-school, with me, but I also missed my other friend who loves Haggis almost as much as me. I will never turn down a Haggis opportunity, but it's funner with someone who knows all their songs like I do.
Anyway, when the show started, I was sad to see Craig Downie, the bagpiper, in pants. He's supposed to wear a kilt. It should be in the contract, dammit! Not that he's wicked hot or anything--trust me when I say he's too old for me to judge that--but, dammit, they're a celtic band so someone should wear a kilt!!
Anyway, this was a LIVE RECORDING concert!! Poor guys had FOUR SHOWS in TWO days, but yay for us. I hope they use a lot of the songs from my concert night!
And boy, this was the best concert EVER. I mean, sure I could tell they were tired and they might not have wanted to be on stage, but dammit, the audience kicked some MAJOR ass!! AND we got THREE ENCORES out of them. The last encore they played their "hit," as I call it, since every Haggis Head loves that song, "Lanigan's Ball." Since it had been a YEAR since the last time I heard it, I almost peed myself with joy.
All in all, it was a floor stomping, hand clapping, laughing, jolly good time. All I needed was to be 21, so I could enjoy a pint while watching, so when Craig would toast the audience with his beer, I could respond with something besides water.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Trevor cracking up over something I still don't understand.
(His face got red and his voice went about 500 octaves higher, which is funny,
considering he already has a high-pitched voice.)
Brian making fun of Craig for NOT wearing a kilt during "Donald, Where's Yer Troosers?"
(We already know how I feel aboot that)
Sheep: the reason Scots wear kilts
(The sheep run away when they here the zipper...)
Trevor's G String breaking
(Yes, it was actually the G String on his acoustic)
James's AMAZING drum solo
(During the restringing process)
Congress, as usual
(James DRUMS on the GUITAR!!)
LEARNING TO DANCE AT LANIGAN'S BALL!!
("six whole months I spent in Dublin...")
Here's a clip from YouTube, the best creation ever, from Haggis on REGIS AND KELLY, which aired a week after the concert I just reviewed. (Note: Regis and Kelly is famous for having bad sound. They're better than this...):
Monday, February 12, 2007
CD Review: #1--Soapbox Heroes
Track List
Lancaster Gate
One Last Drink
New Monthly Flavour
The Apothecary
Cynical
The Barfly
No More Stones
Perfect Song
Marti's Last Stand
Long Way Home
Release Date: June 2006
Genre: "Celtic Fusion" Rock
~~~~~~~
I'm an actor
A web voyeur
I'm a fall-down follow-through
Trying hard to find somebody
And be somebody
Like we're all supposed to do...
This is slightly unfair, because Enter the Haggis is my favorite band, so I might be biased. Too bad. This is an AMAZING album. It's my favorite of all their releases. All the songs are original, and though they are starting to expand away from the Celtic scene, there is still a lot of Celtic flavor.
I've had a life that's full
Everyone's been good to me
So fire up that fiddle boy
And give me one last drink
When the sun comes up
I will leave without a fight
But the world is mine tonight...
I have two favorite tracks on this CD. The first being "One Last Drink." It's a great foot stomper and a crowd favorite. I prefer the live version--I've seen this band about seven times in the past year in a half, when I started liking them--but the album's "Celtic Ska version" as I call it is still really good. Nothing beats seeing this band live, though:
Here is a video of them performing it live! The video is, well, sideways, but oh well.
It it's the same damn song
Why are you listening?...
The other song I love is "Cynical." Probably because I am cynical, but it has an awesome beat that is fun to dance to. But you can't just do any dance. You have to do old school things like the twist, the swim, etc. Don't ask why. Just do it.
Now her father just sits
All alone at the bar
He orders his drinks
Smokes cigarettes
He knows he can't afford
He's got no regrets
Says he's doing quite well
But every old man
Has a story to tell...
The rest of the album is wonderful as well. Some of the lyrics are touching. "Marti's Last Stand" has a very political statement in it. "The Barfly" will make you want to cry. "Long Way Home" will tug at your heart.
All alone at dinnertime
With no one left to drink the wine
As I propose a toast
To every family that's paid
Hey-Ho wind does blow
Won the war and now
There's nothing to show
Seeds sewn time to grow
No more stones to throw!...
When I describe this band, this is what I tell people: "Celtic rock from Canada." Yep, the band is from Toronto, but play in the states more then Canada. They have a HUGE following of fans called Haggis Heads. Yes, I consider myself one of them, but it's a tight community that has been hard to crack, and, in fact, I have yet to really become part of that community. But it's all about the music anyway.
What is the world we've left our sons and daughter now?
So full of hatred, pain, hypocrisy, and power
We would not listen when they told us how they felt
And so, by god, I hope you're happy now...
If you have a chance to see them in concert, I HIGHLY suggest it. You will love them. Everyone who I take to see them does.
This suitcase of memories
Is all I have to show
I think I can make it
But it's a long way to go...
Spread the Haggis!!
visit them at www.enterthehaggis.com
Get Soapbox Heroes on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, or at a music store near you!!!
Did you rise up with the curtain or fall for the plot?...
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