Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The Tannahill Weavers began to attract attention when founding members Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie added the full-size highland bagpipes to the on-stage presentations, the first professional Scottish folk group to do so. The combination of powerful pipe solos, Roy’s driving guitar backing and lead vocals, and Phil’s ethereal flute playing breathed new life into Scotland’s vast repertoire of traditional melodies and songs.

Over the years the Tannies have been trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. In 2011 the band was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, and in recent years released their highly acclaimed 50th Anniversary album Òrach (“Golden” in Gaelic) and were nominated for Folk Band of the Year in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. Roy and Phil are joined by renowned fiddler Alistair McCulloch, and piper/fiddler Iain MacGillivray, who is a fluent Gaelic speaker and also Scotland’s youngest Clan Leader.

Thursday March 12, 8 pm, tickets $35