The Paul McKenna Band

Birnam Arts, February 15

Paul McKenna prefers to keep his feet firmly on the ground when it comes to being on the receiving end of effusive praise.

The Ayrshire-born singer, guitarist and songwriter’s band has been described as “the best folk band to have come out of Scotland in the last 20 years” by The New York Times, no less.

And The Living Tradition magazine, one of the most influential voices on the UK folk scene, described the Paul McKenna Band as “the best of their generation.”

“It’s nice to have these quotes and all publicity helps,” says Paul.

However, he is fully aware that the band still has to go out on stage and prove itself every night.

Paul formed the first edition of his band in 2006 and within a short time it had come to the attention of one of Scotland’s leading troubadours, Dick Gaughan.

Dick, whose singing has major influence on Paul, been a was so impressed with what he heard that he agreed to produce the band’s first album, Between Two Worlds.

The album was released in 2009 and attracted enthusiastic reviews and, at the end of the year, the Paul McKenna Band was named Best Up and Coming Act at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.

Already building an international reputation, the band followed up this success by going on tour across Europe and found favour in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain in particular.

In 2010 Paul took the band to the United States and Canada for the first time.

Keeping a band together, especially one that spends much of the year touring internationally, is not always an easy task and musicians including fiddlers Mike Vass and Rua MacMillan, who have gone on to success as a solo artist and with Blazin’ Fiddles, respectively, have passed through.

Paul’s major aim and focus is always to keep everyone involved in the band’s music.

“Everyone has their own strengths and everyone contributes, whether it is by bringing in arrangement ideas or suggesting tunes we can play,” he explains.

With five albums to their name, including the latest, Breathe, which was released last year, the band is now an established attraction at major folk festivals across the world.

Playing to huge audiences at Cambridge, Vancouver and Australia’s Woodford festival has been a thrill, as well as adding impressive achievements to the band’s CV.

For Paul, though, there’s no distinction between playing on a major event or in a small town arts centre, as the band will be doing when they come to Birnam.

“Festivals can be great social occasions,” he says.

“You get to hear music that you might not hear otherwise and you meet musicians you don’t see unless you bump into them at festivals.

“But every night is different as a musician and every gig is exciting,” he said.

The Paul McKenna Band, which has released five albums, has developed an international reputation.