Canada’s finest Celtic music export, Enter the Haggis, will return to the Putnam Den this Saturday, December 9, with Albany’s Black Mountain Symphony kicking the night off. Haggis Heads will unite for an energetic night of Celtic rock as part of the group’s “Broken Arms” Tour. Trevor Lewington (guitar, mandolin, keyboard, vocals for Enter the Haggis) spoke with NYS Music this week to discuss their New York fans, the Irish connection found at shows around the state, and how their studio work remains fresh after more than 20 years.
Pete Mason: Given New York’s large Irish community spread out around the state, do you find the crowds to be different when you play in New York, or are Haggis Heads a universal fanbase?
Trevor Lewington: There’s a strong connection between the US and Ireland so just about anywhere you go in this country you’ll find people with Irish roots. That said, obviously New York has one of the largest expat Irish populations so when you play in a band with pipes and fiddle, there’s big support. Our music also blurs the lines between a number of styles and many Haggis Heads across the country have little or no connection to Ireland, which is cool too. There really is something about Irish and Celtic music in general that draws the listener in and tends to get people dancing and having a good time.
PM: How was your recent show at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse? And you’ve got shows in February in Buffalo and Rochester coming up?
TL: We’ve definitely been busy recently! Besides the Upstate shows, the last couple months have taken us to California, Texas and Ireland. The Westcott show was awesome as usual – we play a wide range of venues from seated theaters to standing rock clubs and the Westcott (and Putnam Den) are two of the most rockin’.
PM: How do you feel your music has evolved over the past few years?
TL: We started as very much a Celtic/Irish Rock band and over about 10 albums have gone in all sorts of directions. Leading up to our last couple of releases we were getting further from the Celtic sound and then had a furious swing right back to our roots as a band. I think we needed a little time away from it to get excited about Celtic Rock again. We’ve also come to realize that for whatever reason this band plays Celtic Rock music in a very natural and authentic way – it helps having a Scottish piper and a fiddle player who grew up competing on the Canadian fiddle circuit.
PM: Given that 2012’s The Modest Revolution was written based on stories found in a 2012 edition of Toronto’s The Globe and Mail, and another album was written based on letters from fans, how does giving your albums themes keep the studio experience fresh?
TL: Not only did it keep things fresh but it was a great way to engage listeners. Plus, it’s usually our songs that are based on specific stories that seem to connect with our fans. That said, we’re embarking on a new record and this time I mostly just pulled lyrics from the depths of my heart and brain… and my liver… this is starting to sound a bit like haggis.
Yes Darling, a duo featuring Hayley Jane and Ryan Montbleau opened the show playing for about an hour. This version of Everyone Orchestra played a number of improvisational jams “inciting love” throughout the crowd. The show filled the venue to almost its full capacity. The Putnam Den recently went through renovations updating the interior of the venue. With the soundboard now being located in the back, there was more room for people to dance and have a good time.
All Points North was produced, recorded and mixed by Bryan Brundige at Overit Studios in Albany, NY and Mastered by Michael Schoonmaker at Gigantic Mastering. All Points North will be released by Formula 5 on all platforms on April 14 and be available for streaming on F5Jams.com and JEMP Radio.
Word has spread up and down I-81 about a Scranton-based bluegrass group known as 
Now past 11:00pm, fans were finally ready to embrace Melvin Seals & JGB and it was well worth the wait! Aware of the time, the crowd let it all hang out as the group opened with a funky jam sequence leading into “After Midnight.” While the famous Eric Clapton version of the classic fast-paced hit clocks in under three minutes, Seals kept this monster jamming for over 15 minutes! While on the topic of iconic rock-n-roll, The Beatles were gently sandwiched in the middle of the Jerry-influenced “Midnight” jam as “Eleanor Rigby” made its appearance as it regularly did in the late-70’s and early-80’s. The “Fab Four” from England were also covered during the next song of the evening, “I Want to Tell You,” which once again featured Zach Nugent filling in for Jerry on vocals.
Bassist, John-Paul McLean, exchanged smiles and notes with Seals during the classic R&B cover of “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and to the delight of Deadheads in the room, Starks and Rucker pointed to the audience while they sang the chorus. Love had captivated the audience throughout the entire show, but especially at the end of the evening when they transitioned from “Somebody to Love” to “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You.” Seals introduced the band and gave one more stellar B-3 organ solo during the extra sweet version. Although the show ended past 1:00AM on Thursday morning, the band was not ready to say goodbye to their loyal fan base as Seals & JGB hung out by the merchandise table to chit chat with ticket holders.
The Dishonest Fiddlers Setlist: Rosa Lee McFall, My Brand New Jalopy, There Ain’t Enough Water in the Water, Steve, Sam’s Cigar, The TV Store, Steamtown Blues