Brigade pipes play part in festival’s charity single
The organisers of WinterStorm Rock Festival have announced St Andrew’s Day, November 30, as the release date of their first ever charity single.
It will be made up of the AC/ DC number “It’s a Long Way to the Top ( If You Wanna Rock n Roll)” and a B side of the classic Bad Motor Scooter.
The single will be available for download from November 30 on all the usual platforms and all proceeds are going to go to two mental health charities.
The AC/ DC track is famous for the then lead singer Bon Scott playing the bagpipes on the track and the first thing that event organisers did was contact the 1st Troon Boys’ Brigade Pipe Band to see whether they would get involved.
Band leader Chris Bone jumped at the idea and last month Jack Cowan, Jamie Anderson, Mark Roberts, Callum Thomson, Jim Jameson and Chris himself went into the studios in Hillington and laid down their track.
It has been mixed with the rest of the vocals, guitars and drums and will be released worldwide next week.
Ian McCaig from WinterStorm explained the background: “Since we first launched WinterStorm we have tried to ensure that there was a strong charitable and community theme running right through the spine of the event.
“The RNLI have been doing the cloakroom since it started and that will raise a four- figure sum for them this year; we have our second WinterStorm Beach Clean on the Saturday of the event in association with the Friends of Troon Beach with music fans shaking their hangovers on the front. We work closely with the Ayr and Kilmarnock college campuses and this year will have student working both back stage and running the catering operation.
“So it seemed a logical progression to expand the charity side of Winter Storm and in conjunction with Chris Glen ( Sensational Alex Harvey Band), Doogie White ( Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group) and Paul Mcmanus ( GUN) we selected the two tracks and invited other artistes to add their guitars and vocals.
“It was logical that we got the Troon BBs Pipe Band in their too!”
The result is a superb two track digital single that will be available to purchase online with all proceeds being split between the dementiabased charity “Playlist For Life” and Scottish Action for Mental Health with particular focus on the See Me project aimed at reducing the stigma of mental health in youths. Ian McCaig outlined the reasons for choosing the mental health charities: “WinterStorm is a music event that crosses the generations both on the stage and in the audience.
“We have bands with artistes into their seventies playing alongside young groups still barely out heir teens.
“The crowd is made up of folk who grew up in the Apollo in Glasgow or The Pavilion in Ayr in the 70s and 80s but also attracts a strong younger audience too.
“It made sense therefore to split the proceeds between the dementia charity Playlist for Life which assists care workers in using music to stimulate memories and brain activity and SAMH who are working in communities across Scotland in assisting youths with mental health issues.”
WinterStorm will be recording a video during the sold- out weekend event which takes place in Troon between November 23- 25 at the concert hall to help get the track played online and you can hear it now ahead of its release by visiting www. winterstorm. co. uk
The single is available on all main channels from November 30 so get online and buy it – it may even chart!
WinterStorm is a music event that crosses the generations both on stage and in audience