Category Archives: Performance

Performances, thoughts, musing, etc

St. Patrick’s Day 2019 – NO GO

Ouch! … So … Here’s the news …

St. Patrick's Day is broken

Last night the wheels fell off of St. Patrick’s Day 2019 — Nae Regretsmy Celtic-rock band, will not be playing. NR usually has 2 annual gigs, –they are a BLAST to play and the folks hosting us always take good care of us.  In and around these gigs — if we can — we try to wedge in a few other performances.

You were the chosen one!
Obi-Wan is disappointed

With St. Pat’s on a Sunday this year my aim for Nae Regrets was to play Friday evening, pull off some gigs Saturday along with busking Emerald City Comic Con, and then do our beloved Sunday gigs then go home and be back at it like normal people come Monday morning. The closer we’ve gotten to St. Pat’s 2019 the more things have fallen apart. Nae Regrets has been on on/off hiatus for a long time, but we have ALWAYS pulled it together and played St. Patrick’s Day. Not playing this year could mean the longest stretch that we haven’t played.  I am disappointed to say the least.

When something isn’t happening, don’t force it — it’s time to take a step back.

NFWL big audience for Nae Regrets
I’m Thane — did someone say my name?!?

Make Your Darn Good Cookies book cover

Rolling with the punches, over the next year’s time I want to work with Thane on the music we’ve been talking about.  I’ve always loved what NR does — especially when playing live — however I have wanted to take the music to where I have always imagined it.  There are two other musicians I have wanted to bring on as core players and an amazing collection of other gifted artists I would like to have contribute. For some time now Nae Regrets has had 2 albums planned out on paper with more material to follow — but time and logistics have kept things from happening.  2019 will be the year to re-group!

Bummer about St. Pat’s 2019 — in addition to Nae Regrets’ albums, I wanted to bring copies of my book!  Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies is available now on Amazon in paperback and e-book forms. WIBC

Things I Will Not Have To Put Up With Not Playing St. Patrick’s Day 2019

  • bad tattoo
    The 3-leaf Shamrock is Irish whereas 4-leaf clovers are Los Vegas

    Plastic Paddys

  • Drunks
  • Green beer (#cheap, #domestic)
  • Bad bars
  • Unappreciative audience members
  • Over-appreciative audience members
  • Audience members who won’t GTFO my stage
  • Four leaf clovers
  • Drunks
  • Plastic Paddys
  • People who think it’s okay to be “Irish for a day” and that means getting drunk and hitting someone
  • People who think it’s okay to impugn Irish heritage because it’s white people
  • People who don’t know the first thing about St. Patrick
  • People who think St. Patrick was only good and fail to also see that he also destroyed a culture and heritage that was perfectly fine on it’s own
  • People who fail to understand that I am playing Scottish pipes and wearing a Scottish kilt and that the heritages of Scotland and Ireland are not interchangeable … but I’m out there playing because it’s a gig and I need the money

Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2019 and My Book!

Do you know about Gung Haggis Fat Choy in Seattle?

GHFC founder, Toddish McWong

Do you know about my recipe book on Amazon?

Imagine them together — because
IT’S HAPPENING!

Every year I look forward to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy event in Seattle.  I’ve been the ‘Official Piper’ for our state’s version of this Chinese-Scottish cross-cultural dinner-show since it started in this former logging town — it’s a BLAST!

This time a year ago as I was once again preparing for the fun and frivolity of the night, I received an interesting request…. My friend, Bill MacFadden — who’s also the Seattle GHFC host — invited me to present my upcoming recipe book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies“.  There was just one problem ….

I hadn’t finished it yet!

My book published on Amazon this past fall — 26Oct2018 to be exact!  Last year Bill offered for me to include a copy of my book with a plate of my cookies in the pot-luck dessert auction — I couldn’t do it last year so I’m doing it this year 🙂

When I thought about it though, I asked myself “How does my book tie in to this Scottish-Chinese event?!?”  The answer to that is simple!  In my book I feature how to make traditional Scottish Shortbread along with the history of its importance with Hogmanay (part of Scottish New Years).  Also, three of my own bagpipe compositions are featured at the end of the book …

Beag air Bheag (“Little by Little” in Scots Gaelic)

Lullaby For Zoë

Brother Emmett’s Waltz

Debuting my book has been a joy and I’m EXCITED to be bringing it to Gung Haggis Fat Choy in Seattle 2019 — February 24th at China Harbor — see the Seattle Gung Haggis Fat Choy website for tickets!

Here’s a video of me playing for a Lion at the 2011 event — while the sound-quality leaves a few things to be desired, this performance is one of my biggest memories of playing the Seattle Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

Nae Regrets News

Nae Regrets, my Celtic-rock/fusion band, is gearing up for our 4th weekend performing at Northwest Folklife, providing high-energy performances to fantastic audiences. We are working hard to prepare and release our second studio album “Widdendream” at this year’s event — be there to enjoy us perform and to get your copy of the new album.
Check out the band’s website at NaeRegrets.com where you can also download 2 free MP3s on the Free Stuff page.

Free Stuff on BagpiperDon.com

How Cool is Free Stuff?

I posted 2 free MP3 downloads on my site yesterday — unedited tracks from my Celtic-rock/fusion band Nae Regrets’ recently released album “Alive at Northwest Folklife 2009”. Check out the newly added “Free Stuff” page on my site for the downloads. Album copies are available through BagpipeDiscs.com, Amazon.com, myself and Nae Regrets’ snare drummer Andrew in Vancouver BC.
ALSO, I recently submitted a track from the album to to IRFT Celtic (online) Radio — look them up and request music by Nae Regrets!