SHINDIG, North East Scotland's most popular ceilidh/function band, are a dynamic fiddle driven powerhouse of modern celtic rock. Over the last eight years they have built up an enviable reputation, playing venues from small village halls to large concert stages, leaving behind a trail of exhausted dancers, many baffled as to just how the band's caller first managed to persuade them onto the floor, but all glad of the experience, and the exercise.
On Hogmanay 2005 the band played their biggest gig so far in Aberdeen's Castlegate to a crowd of 25,000 enthusiastic revellers.
SHINDIG newcomers are often taken aback by the powerful music the band deliver from such a compact unit. Traditional reels and jigs featuring dazzling fiddle are given a modern rocky edge allowing the musical tastes of the band to surface in the arrangements. Hints of reggae, funk and jangling pop add a contemporary feel to the sets, but never get in the way of their traditional purpose...dancing.
SHINDIG's versatility allows the band to cover a wide range of pop and rock music. The Beatles, Kinks, Monkees, 60s Soul, Crowded House, Elvis, Oasis, Travis, Andy Williams, Coldplay and many more are likely to appear, often in the same song! The band thrive on spontaneous audience requests which can lead to some unlikely musical mixes. Accepting most of the blame is guitarist/vocalist, Graham Stephen, a strumming encyclopaedia of pop music who has at last found a use for all those years spent glued to the radio.
Fiddle player Ian Grigor has a head full of tunes and years of experience. Originally from Fochabers, the source of many fine Scottish fiddlers, Ian is a well known and respected musician. He also plays guitar, mandolin and sings.
Adding a solid backbone to the sound on drums is latest recruit to the band, Ian's younger brother Alan Grigor who also has years of experience and a weakness for stovies, essential for any good ceilidh band drummer!
The other half of the SHINDIG rhythm unit is bass player Dave Stephen, the most recent recruit to the Shindig line-up. A graduate in Musical Performance from Perth College, Dave also finds to time to play with his own band The Vandelays and the critically acclaimed cult act Death by Dave.
If you have a taste for energetic ceilidh music, nostalgic 60s covers or atmospheric celtic rock Shindig are the band for you. |
