On other notes, there are many events coming up after Winter Storm ,the most noticeable being the Mardi Gras Weekend in Shreveport, Louisiana in February. If all goes well with copyright permission and the recording, the Corner should have the winning performances for this weekend and also the instructor's recital from Mardi Gras available for download. Stay posted. In the meantime, bundle up...catch a flight to the American midwest !

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Lots of phone calls coming in lately...all asking "what's new"... seems like this is the down period... pipers and bands are lying low. But just when you think that, upon us is the 2007 edition of WINTER STORM in Kansas City next weekend. It is bigger than ever if that is possible. In all there are some 19 Gold Medallists and Champion drummers attending - with the resident crew from previous years, Jeff Kruske and the team have added Fred Morrison, Angus MacColl, Craig "Hoss" Calquhoun and Eric Ward...wow, what a line up and I look forward to MC'ing the concert. That's the only way the Captain will ever get on the same stage with this talent. The Concert will open up with the former World Juvenile Champs - St. Thomas Episcopal School from Houston, Texas and also feature the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, 4 times World Grade One Champions. It so happens that SFU is simply passing through on their way to a weekend date at the Orlando, Florida Highland Games. Needless to say, I am already packed and once again, Kansas City, here we come.

Sunday, December 31, 2006

George Square, Glasgow on New Year's Eve

From everyone at the Captain's Corner  -  Happy New Year's and may 2007 be one of the best for all. Hope you have enjoyed the reads and for those subscribers, more lessons and articles anticipated in the next 12 months.  

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Couldn't get it in southern Ontario so we travelled north the day after Christmas...to North Bay where my son Cameron lives ... also home of the North Bay Pipe Band ... snow ... not much...but enough to make the season complete. The ice was just forming on Marten Lake so ice fishing wasn't possible. At the current rate, the ice huts will be out later this month.

                              The laneway out back of the cottage at Marten Lake and the open water river.

Interesting enough that upon my return home I received a letter from Fred Watt from the North Bay Pipe Band. As well, I was talking today with the Red Haired Piper, Carrie MacDonald, who lives in Sudbury and is Pipe Major of the band there. I told her that we came north to her country for the snow - her remarks "what, all 4 flakes ?" ... you gotta be hardy to survive the Canadian north winters!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Its Christmas Eve and here at the Corner things are getting prepared for a wonderful celebration. Our son Cam is coming home tonite from North Bay - always exciting to be with him - he is also bringing a friend with him to celebrate the Christmas with us. Lindsay, our daughter will be spending the holidays in Kelowna, BC with her boyfriend Chris. On Christmas day, our complete family will be getting together for the usual feast. I hope this scene will be repeated many times over throughout the piping world. From the Admiral and myself, we wish everyone a most joyous Christmas and a safe holiday if you are on the road.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

My Father's Son

 I had a great chat with Bruce Gandy today. What was prompted by an advice request ended up being a "catch up on what you are doing" conversation. Bruce has some excellent chanters for sale right now.... all presentation Kron chanters that Bruce won at the Metro Cup over the past few years. Bruce feels like I do - better that a good instrument be played by someone rather than sitting drying out. So, Bruce has offered them for sale. They might hit eBay, but then again, if you contact Bruce directly, I am sure he would consider any offer. On a more personal note, today, December 20, 2006 marks the passing of Ray Gandy, Bruce's father. Ray was one of those who supported all piping events in the Victoria, BC area and was instrumental in Bruce achieving  great success in his piping career. Today also marks the Christmas return of his son Alex from his piping sabbatical in Scotland. Following his dream, Alex is spending this year in Scotland, taking lessons at the National Piping Centre from Roddy MacLeod, MBE and also crossing over to Belfast to play with the World Champion Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band, under P/M Richard Parkes, MBE ...what an opportunity... The Corner wishes both Bruce and Alex the best for 2007.

Alex and Bruce after the George Sherriff  Memorial, 2005

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Christmas prelude - a fabulous 3 days with friends from the piping world ... On Friday, Bobby Minnear flew into Buffalo from Georgia. We had a session at the British Shop and caught up on old times. After lunch with Iain Donaldson (thanks Iain), I travelled home, changed and the Admiral and I headed for dinner at Bob Worrall's in Burlington where we met Eduardo Silvera, just in from Montevideo...a great night of food, drink and conversation ... and the weekend was still beginning. On Saturday, Eduardo and I headed back to the British Shop - chanters for his band and gifts to take home - a piobaireachd lesson for Garth Sinclair and then an impromptu side trip to the American Falls. I have never been to the Falls on the US side before, even though living here all my life! Saturday evening finished with a family Christmas party at my brother in law Gene's house on Lake Erie...more food and great craic.... and now it is Sunday and Eduardo is back in the Royal York in Toronto and the Captain is settling in for a short winter's nap !

             Iain Donaldson and Bobby Minnear - British Shop       The Admiral, Chef Todd, Bob and Eduardo

                   The Captain          Eduardo                    Iain                                     Eduardo on the brink !!!!!!!!             

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Household names in piping ...well name me a few....Ian MacLellan and the Strathclyde Police, Robert Mathieson and Shotts and Dykehead, Iain MacLeod and the Edinburgh City Police, Terry Lee and SFU, Richard Parkes and FMM, Nat Russell and Victoria Police...the list goes on..... Oh! I forgot..... Eduardo Silvera and the Southern Cross Pipe Band. Yes that is correct ... household names are always a reflection of where you have travelled, where you have listened to pipe bands and what you have listened to. And Pipe Major Eduardo Silvera is a household name in South America and is spreading the reputation of the Southern Cross Pipe Band around the globe as he and many of his bandsmen  travel  far and wide to promote piping and drumming in the Montevideo area and learn as much as they can from the various leaders in the pipe band field.

Pipe Major Eduardo Silvera, the Southern Cross Pipe Band, Montevideo, Uruguay

It was Eduardo who first approached Bob Worrall and Tyler Fry to visit MVD for an instructional workshop for his band. Several more visits followed. Again, he approached Ann Gray and myself to take part in the first ever South American Celtic Music Festival, with subsequent visits later for tuition. He has entertained some of the greats of the piping world in succeeding years and helped to organize many of the functions in South America - a respected leader in the pipe band community. Well ...  he is coming to Canada this week for a short stay. During that time we will renew our friendships with a dinner Friday night and a trip to Buffalo, NY on Saturday to visit the British Shop - and see first hand the fabulous inventory of pipes and supplies that Iain Donaldson carries...then lunch ...a lesson or two and then a family Christmas party in the evening ... sounds like we are cramming as much as we can into his short weekend break from his employer - the Royal Bank of Canada - and that is what we intend to do. Mark my words, Eduardo Silvera is a household name in the pipe band community of South America and we finally get a chance to welcome him here to Ontario.