Well folks, that’s the tour over. Hire vans are returned, bags unpacked and bows booked in for rehairs…
It felt very special indeed to be reunited and back out on the road to play for real live audiences. The atmosphere at each gig was truly magic: we’ve been moved by the welcome we received from crowds and venue staff alike. Music, it seems, really is healing.
We’ve got things to tell you about upcoming tours and teaching events, but for now it’s just a big THANK YOU!
(Extra credit to Angus for having the wingspan to take a selfie with 7 folk in!)
We have been keeping our fingers crossed for a long long time and it seems that 2021 is the year that Blazin in Beauly can return!!
We are truly thrilled. Thank you for your patience folks - we have missed you all and the tunes, craic, songs, sessions and more.
We are still to finalise the details to make the week as safe and enjoyable as possible. As soon as booking is open we will be shouting it from the rafters! Make sure to sign up to our mailing list to be kept in the loop.
A star-studded line-up of some of the most revered musicians on the international folk scene, alongside classical violinist Nicola Benedetti, have teamed up to release a charity video and single in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Set for release on Friday 12 March 2021 and featuring a host of famous faces, the track entitled ‘Doddie’s Dream’ was composed by renowned Blazin’ Fiddles member and BBC Radio Scotland broadcaster Bruce MacGregor, and recorded remotely in different locations throughout Scotland, Ireland and America.
Led by Scottish supergroup Blazin’ Fiddles, the musical scrum entitled Blazin’ Fiddles and the Scottish Folk Orchestra features an array of special guests, including Grammy Award-winning Nicola Benedetti who records exclusively for Decca Classics, Irish accordion legend Sharon Shannon and American Dobro master Jerry Douglas.
Doddie Weir, OBE said: “What a beautiful piece of music – it really is special, and I am so humbled to think these world class and brilliantly talented musicians have all been part of this. I’d like to thank everyone involved and of course especially Bruce, he’s a better fiddler than rugby player! If ever we needed some uplifting music, it is now, and my old teammate Stewart Campbell has produced a fantastic film to accompany the music. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!”
Whilst taking part in the challenge, Bruce MacGregor decided he would write and record a track with fellow musicians in a bid to raise more money for the charity, he said: “I was lucky enough to play a bit of rugby and even managed to squeeze into a squad with Doddie at student level. I have been so inspired by the big man’s approach to dealing with this disease, he’s incredible. So, whilst cycling out by Loch Ness last month as part of Doddie Aid, I had this idea of doing a charity single with a whole host of fellow musicians playing along with me and the Blazers. The tune has a real positive lift to it and hopefully it fits in with that amazing collective spirit that was on display during Doddie Aid in January. All sales of the track are going to Doddie’s Charity so I hope everyone gets behind it and we can raise as much money as possible for this brilliant cause.”
Nicola Benedetti said: “It is a total honour to perform with such an incredible line up of folk musicians and for such an important cause. All the proceeds will go to Doddie’s Charity which helps fellow sufferers of Motor Neurone Disease and funds much needed research into this cruel illness. I hope everyone enjoys our wee tune and helps us to raise awareness of MND.”
Joining the prestigious line-up is revered songstress Julie Fowlis, highly acclaimed composer and fiddle player Duncan Chisholm, fiddle and accordion duo Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, musician and composer Donald Shaw, BBC Take the Floor Presenter and member of Mànran Gary Innes, Megan Henderson, Ewan Robertson and James Lindsay of Breabach, Skerryvore’s Martin Gillespie and Scott Wood, BBC Radio Scotland Young Trad winner Ali Levack, piper and whistle player Ross Ainslie, fiddle and cello duo Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Iain Sandilands on percussion, harp and fiddle duo Iain MacFarlane and Ingrid Henderson, Douglas Montgomery and Brian Cromarty on fiddle and cittern, multi-award winning concertinist Mohsen Amini, member of Treacherous Orchestra and Session A9 Adam Sutherland and Scots fiddle maestro Paul Anderson.
The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was launched in November 2017 by Scottish Rugby legend Doddie Weir OBE after being diagnosed with motor neurondisease. The charity strives to help fellow MND sufferers and fund research into the currently incurable disease. In January this year, the charity launched Doddie Aid which saw over 30,000 participants running, walking and cycling to rack up miles for their chosen district and ultimately raising over £1 million for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
The single was recorded, mixed and mastered at Gran’s House studio by Angus Lyon & Chris Waite. The video was created by former Scotland rugby internationalist Stewart Campbell at Tigershark TV.
The track will be available to buy & download on Friday 12 March 2021 with all proceeds going to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
The single is available to pre-order on iTunes and pre-save on Spotify, buyers can go to www.facebook.com/blazinfiddles for more information.
We hope you're enjoying the first weekend of this year's virtual Celtic Connections as much as we are, fantastic to see some of our favourite musicians and bands back on the stage making music!
We're about to join in the fun, and from this Monday - Thursday we'll be hosting live online teaching classes as part of the festival! They'll run from 6 - 7.30 every evening (finishing just in time to catch the night's concert) and are open to everybody, from beginners to the more advanced. We'll finish the week with our gig which goes out on Friday 22nd, and follow that with a wee zoom session - byob, everybody welcome!!
If you can't make the live classes (or you're just hungry for more!) we also have prerecorded video bundles of tunes by every member of the band, that you can watch at your own pace.
Thoroughly delighted to bring you our Spring dates for 2020!
We'll be spending our tour mostly down in England this time, with a brief stop in Scotland on the way home. Word is just in that both Sage Gateshead and Wiltshire Music Centreare VERY close to being sold out, so please get in there quick to avoid disappointment!
Last August, we had the time of our lives touring about the homeland seeing you all. So much so, we’ve decided to do it all again this year! This August we’ll be joined by sensational Scots singer Emily Smith, for a run of dates from Inverness down to Dumfries.
Get your tickets quick folks. Word has it Emily might bring an accordion… but don’t let that put you off. ?
See you in August! BF x
14th & 21st Aug - The Queen’s Hall, EDINBURGH 15th Aug - Eden Court, INVERNESS 16th Aug - The Old Fruitmarket, GLASGOW 17th Aug - Music Hall, ABERDEEN 18th Aug - Festival Theatre, PITLOCHRY 22nd Aug - The Albert Halls, STIRLING 23rd Aug - Easterbrook Hall, DUMFRIES
