VIP piper Craig Weir said there’s no buzz like Tartan Week, as he prepares for the annual New York festival showcasing all things Scottish.
Weir, who has performed for the Dalai Lama and with world-famous rock bands, will mark his third year at the Scottish celebration when he plays at the after-parade party next Saturday with celtic rock band Gleadhraich.
Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Manhattan for the parade, which will be led by Scots-born Sons of Anarchy star Tommy Flanagan. About 800 people are set to attend Weir’s gig at the BB King Blues Club in Times Square.
Before then, Weir, who teaches at a Dundee primary school, will begin the mid-term break with solo piping slots in Virginia.
The bookings come as the seasoned performer, who began playing the pipes at the age of eight, promotes his new folk-influenced four-piece, Craig Weir & The Cabalistic Cavalry, with a first single featuring the vocal talents of a host of famous friends, including actor Alan Cumming, Queen’s Brian May and Pete Doherty of The Libertines.
Weir, who will perform at the Glasgow Panopticon tonight, said: “It felt like the right time to launch a new project as some of the music I’ve written recently lends itself to it. It’s difficult to try to juggle everything, I just have to manage.”
The track, entitled The Highland Road, was inspired by a trip taken by the 23-year-old in Canada down a highway of the same name. It begins and ends with a poem voiced by the stellar cast. The 21 guest voices also include Kyle Falconer of The View, TV host Lorraine Kelly and Mark Evans of AC/DC, many of whom Weir has performed with before.
Kelly said the result gave her “goosebumps” and, discussing his part, May referred to his Scots-born mother, saying: “I was happy to pour a little of my Scottish blood into this epic.”
Work to recruit the cast began in October, with recordings carried out in January. Weir says some of those he approached did turn him down, but added: “I managed to get the ones I really wanted. Everyone was great, but I was determined to get Brian May, and The Libertines are one of my favourite bands.”
On performing at Tartan Week, Weir, whose international dates this year also include Lithuania, France and Canada, said: “The atmosphere is amazing, I can’t even describe the buzz.
It’s just a massive celebration of everything Scottish.
“It really does make you proud to be Scottish, if you’re not already.
“I’ve been across the last couple of years as a solo player. To be taking the band across for the first time is very exciting.
“It would be great to get to chat to Tommy Flanagan, he’s a big Hollywood actor.”
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