Steve Miller Band
EXPRESS LIVE, 405 NEIL AVE.
614-461-5483, www.promowestlive.com
Although most of the original members are gone, frontman Steve Miller still carries the breezy rock band’s torch. The Space Cowboy earned a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
6 p.m. Sunday $45
As musicians crank out new albums, the older ones turn into time capsules that commemorate thoughts and feelings from earlier days.
Now in his 45th year as a happy-go-lucky singersongwriter, Dougie MacLean has an enormous backlog of musical memories.
“It’s like traveling with this diary of your life,” said MacLean, 62. “When you sing the older songs, it’s like being transported back into that part of your life.”
Some of his songs have been in existence for 40 years, but the Scottish singer said they never feel stale.
In fact, he said, sometimes his newer pieces lack the emotional connection of long-ago tunes.
Not that any song could surpass “Caledonia,” his biggest hit. MacLean will probably perform the song during a concert on Friday at Columbus School for Girls; the show will open the Six String concert series.
While wandering through Brittany, France, in 1977, MacLean sat on a beach and felt an overwhelming sense of homesickness.
To cope, he penned a song with the chorus “Let me tell you that I love you and I think about you all the time / Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home.”
Written in 10 minutes, the song, titled after the ancient Roman name for Scotland, has been called the country’s secondary national anthem.
It’s played at weddings and funerals, at pop concerts and on the street.
The song has been covered numerous times — Irish ensemble Celtic Woman, Scottish singer Frankie Miller and British duo Ward Thomas have all added their own spin.
A 2009 national advertisement for poet Robert Burns’ birthday pulled together a
cadre of Scottish celebrities to sing — or, in the case of actor Sean Connery, talk — the song.
“It’s fascinating to have watched the life of that little song,” MacLean said from his home near the Scottish village of Dunkeld. “It’s more about that sense of belonging that’s encapsulated in that song.”
He was polite enough to evade choosing a favorite cover, explaining that “every single one has its own special identity.”
As a child, MacLean learned to play fiddle while growing up in the Scottish countryside. His father also played fiddle, and his mother played mandolin.
In the 1970s, the artist joined traditional Scottish band the Tannahill Weavers, in which he sang and played several instruments.
After several years, MacLean split off from the Tannahill Weavers to record solo work, founding Dunkeld Records with wife Jenny.
She still is his manager and publicist, while MacLean’s son Jamie produces and cowrites new music.
Jamie’s influence is evident on MacLean’s latest album, “New Tomorrow,” which was released in August.
The gentle guitar plucking and wistful lyrics running through many of his songs make room for light electronic riffs (“Wild & Windy Night”) and heavier percussion (“Thunderbolt”).
Modern updates keep him interested, MacLean said, but that doesn’t mean that he’s going to slide too far into current styles.
“I’m very lucky. We can do these songs in a new record, and I go through them in concert with just an acoustic guitar, and they stand up both ways,” MacLean said.
The musician realizes he is fortunate to have been in the business long enough to experiment with his sound.
Decades ago, establishing a career as a musician was challenging — pressing a vinyl record is no small feat — but he doesn’t envy modern musicians’ struggle to be discovered.
“They may be able to get their music out there, but there’s a lot more noise than there was when I was young,” MacLean said.
To offer a chance for up-and-comers to puncture the music bubble, MacLean has for the past 12 years hosted the massive Perthshire Amber music festival in Dunkeld.
For four to 10 days each year — the time frame fluctuates — he invites traditional Scottish musicians to ply their craft in cathedrals, castles and
farmhouses.
The MacLean family took a break from the festival this year but plans to revamp Perthshire Amber in 2018.
As a young man, MacLean barely allowed himself to dream that he could make a living off his fiddle and voice.
Now, he draws 10,000 people to his property for a festival and even more through his online video series, Butterstone.tv.
“When I look back on it now, it’s been a slow process, but I’m very lucky,” MacLean said. “I’ve had a charmed life.”