Local young traditional musicians set for Oban Live debut

An Oban High School pupil who became an internet sensation following his piping performance on board a flight to New York is one of two local rising stars announced as special guest artists to open Oban Live, Argyll’s biggest live music event.

While en route to take part in New York’s Tartan Week with his school’s pipe band, talented 13-year- old Gregor MacDonald performed a couple of solo piping tunes to flight passengers. A recording of the event was later posted by the school on social media and the video was a hit, achieving over 150,000 hits number of views to date.

Gregor will take to the stage for a solo piping performance which will open Oban Live on Friday June 2. He will also return on the second day of Oban Live, Saturday June 3, alongside his band mates in Oban High School’s Novice Juvenile A Pipe Band to play with headliners and Celtic rock band Skerryvore.

Gregor said: ‘I knew I would be playing with Oban High School Pipe Band, but to be asked to play solo is quite a privilege. I am looking forward to it. I’ve never played at anything like Oban Live before so it will be a great experience. I’ve still not decided what I’m playing yet but I am practicing a bit more than usual in preparation for the event. My family and friends will all be coming to watch. It’s a great local event and we have all been to it in the past.’

The talented 23-year- old singer, Kim Carnie, will open the event on Saturday June 3. BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2017 finalist, Kim is a Gaelic singer and TV presenter (BBC ALBA) from Oban. She has performed at festivals and prestigious events across the UK, including Orkney Folk Festival, Hebridean Celtic Festival, Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival. Kim is a current member of ‘Air Falbh Leis na h-Eòin/Away with the Birds’, a vocal piece exploring the relationship between Gaelic and bird song.

Kim will be joined by Euan Burton on stage, an award-winning composer, bassist, producer and one of the leading musicians to emerge from Scotland in the past decade. Signed to Whirlwind Recordings, he has released two internationally acclaimed albums with them:

Occurrences (2012) and Too Much Love (2014). Performing constantly with the UK’s foremost musicians, he’s played with an endless list of acclaimed musicians such as Julian Arguelles, Martin Kershaw, Kit Downes and Tom Gibbs. Currently, Kim and Euan are working on Kim’s debut EP, alongside Megan Henderson and Innes White, to be released later this summer.

With a growing number of cultural gigs under her belt already, Kim has graced many stages with her stunning Gaelic talents, including Orkney Folk Festival, Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival.

Daniel Gillespie, managing director of Oban Live, said: ‘ We are excited that two young rising stars, who both hail from Oban, will be our special guest artists to open each day of Oban Live this year. With Gregor at the beginning of his music journey and Kim who is thriving on the Gaelic scene, both artists are a true reflection of how influential Oban’s traditional music culture is for young aspiring musicians. We can’t wait to see them on the Oban Live stage this year.’

Don’t miss Gregor, Friday June 2, at 4.30pm and Kim, Saturday June 3, also at 4.30pm. Tickets are available at www.obanlive.com. Hello and welcome to Oban Live’s Extra feature in partnership with The

Oban Times. Visitors and artists from all over the world will soon descend on Oban for what has become Argyll’s biggest live music event. We know that the Oban community will again be amazing hosts this year. Without the support of the local community, our sponsors and all our attendees, this event would not be possible. Oban is undeniably one of the most inspirational towns in the West Coast for music culture and we are thrilled to add many talented local artists to our lineup this year. Get up to Mossfield early this year so you don’t miss the incredible talents of Oban’s artists, on stage each day from 4.30pm – please check the Oban Live website for the full schedule. Enjoy a unique collaboration of Ceol an Aire performing alongside the Argyll Ceilidh Trail. Experience Scottish hip-hop as the winners of Oban Unsigned – K9 Kev & Rory O’B – take to the stage. Also from Oban are our special guests Gaelic singer Kim Carnie and internet piping sensation, 13-year- old Gregor MacDonald. Later on the Saturday night, we are excited that Oban High School Pipe Band will join Skerryvore on stage for a special Oban Live collaboration. Doors open at 4pm each day. Plus, we’ve got you covered with fantastic food vendors and an impressive drinks list. Can’t wait to see you all there. SKERRYVORE