About Albannach

Albannach is Scots-Gaelic for "Scottish" or "Scotsman". That's exactly what we are. Albannach are all born and bred in Scotland and our purpose in life is to share our intriguing culture, history and heritage with you by means of our music. Albannach are not just another Scottish 'Pipes & Drums' band, indeed we bring a new and exciting form of music to your living room. A championship winning piper, an extremely talented main drummer, bass drummers and bodhran musicians bring you a brand new approach to percussion and Celtic music. Our style of music is exciting, energetic and enchanting and we promise to leave you begging for more. Why not check out our website for yourself ? Below you'll find some biographies of the band, but if you explore further you will find photo albums from our performances, downloads - and indeed our streaming radio where you can listen to the sound of Albannach, 24 x 7 x 365 !! You can also participate in live chats with the band, and other fans from all over the world. Alternatively, join our community forum where you can chat, catch up with the latest information and exchange messages with others. Don't forget to leave your mark - sign our guestbook too !! Band Bio's ---------- Jamesie Jamesie is the bass drummer with the band, he is also responsible for some of the bands vocal works. Born in Glasgow 1973, he was raised there and left school at an early age to become an apprentice motor mechanic.After serving his time as a mechanic, he moved on to other forms of employment one of which was doing some film work for various UK film production companies and the discovery channel. It was through doing this that he stumbled into the music scene and soon found himself playing the bass drum with a tribal drum crew. After working with them for 5 years he moved on and became part of Albannach, where he holds the title "the baron of bass." Jamesie's musical influences are mostly rock and roll, with bands like AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Metallica and Pink Floyd being some of his favourites. He is also very fond of classical music and enjoys the works of Bach and Yanni. Colin Colin has been a musician since he was just 8 years old, when he started out playing the snare drum in the Neilston & District Pipe Band, where he took part in various gigs and competitions throughout Scotland and Europe. His talents are not limited to the snare drum however, in addition Colin plays many other instruments including; drum kit, percussion, Bodhran, bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, to name but a few - he has played various instruments in a few different bands over the years - but his passion lies with the drums ! For the last 5 years Colin has been playing drum kit with 'das contras' a Latin funk band, 'the Gus Munro band' a blues band, and other traditional Scottish folk bands, along with artists such as Paul McKenna and Finlay MacDonald. Of course, Colin has now taken up the position as Albannach's new lead drummer ! When he is not playing music, Colin goes swimming and enjoys a spot of fishing now and again, he also has a passion for motorbikes. Donnie Donnie is a world-renowned bag piper, we call him bullfrog, if you ever see him play you'll understand why. Donnie is extremely talented on other instruments, he's a wicked drummer and also plays piano and guitar. Having played the pipes in many competitions and town halls throughout Scotland, he felt it was time to leave traditional piping to the traditionalists and branch off ! Soon he was picked up by a semi-professional band and was off on his travels playing places in Europe, America and Asia. After some painstakingly hard years he left to venture out with the boys and decided to take it to the next level... When Donnie's not touring, you will find him up the Islands on the northwest coast where he likes to do some composing, and also pursue liquid entertainment, but not necessarily in that order. Donnie can also be found relaxing at home watching the football, and of course being a dad ! Jacquie Jacquie is the mother of the group, i.e. she keeps the boys in line ! As well as that thought, Jacquie plays bass rhythms and is known for her haunting vocal skills. Aya Aya is from a small town called Pitlochry, where he was born and raised. Before moving to Glasgow he spent his time terrorising the folks of the town and quickly working himself through more jobs than any sane person would admit to having ! We were going to list some of these, but it would take up too much space ! At just 15 he became involved with the "Clan" organisations of Scotland, which led to his first encounter with some of his future band mates, and also led to him being an extra and "stunt fighter" on many film and TV sets. Not only did this bring him out of his shell and give him some of the most memorable times of his life, it also further fuelled his love for Scotland and its history. When he wasn't getting beaten up with swords he pursued his other passion, music, which led to him studying sound engineering at Perth college when he was 19. At 21 Aya moved to Glasgow to study Dance music production at James Watt college in Greenock. After finishing his first year of the course, he was working at his local video store when out of the blue came a phone call. The man on the other end of the line was Jamesie and he had an offer that Aya couldn't refuse ! Although he had learned to play the Bodhran when he was 17, he had not played it for about two years. The prospect of picking it up again and playing in front of the band, never mind the crowds, left him slightly nervous ! Now that he's used to the crowds and playing again, Aya is enjoying every minute of his time with the band, he counts himself lucky to be doing something that combines his two major passions, music and Scotland. Visit Our Website Here: http://www.albannachmusic.com