Rob makes great music, and he also makes great instruments... from Carbon Fiber... Tune into this episode to hear... two dudes talk about bagpipes... Here's Rob's website: https://carbony.com/ Here's the article from whence we swiped the cover photo for this episode, all about Rob and his instruments: https://www.oregonlive.com/galleries/PXUOYALWTFG4LOHECBOPSOLD6Y/ And here's a link to an explanation video regarding the charity album and drawing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fjc2ckEgwk As we...
Mar 16, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 102
Hello my good friends - I hope you'll forgive me, between being sick and getting the celebratory, "Pipes for Peace," album out into the world I have not had time to craft a, "real," episode for this week. What you'll find here, instead, is the album promo I recorded for Big Rab this morning - and that's just all my voice could do. I'm afraid it's really taking a long time to get back to 100% healthy. That's been stitched-together with the episode 82 interview with Liz, the founder of Peace Throu...
Mar 02, 2024•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 101
Episode 100! Thanks for listening, friends, I'm very excited to share this announcement with you - and extremely grateful to Rab, JD, Jeremy, Josh, & Andy for their help filling-in. I had a cold around 10 days ago and am all better except my voice has been missing all week! To get back to episode #82 with the founder of Peace Through Music International, here's a handy link: https://rss.com/podcasts/droning-on/1195994/ And if you'd like to learn more about what Peace Through Music Internatio...
Feb 17, 2024•8 min•Ep. 100
Benjamin is a great piper (of various pipes), a brilliant tinkerer, and a master wearer of cool hats. Tune into this episode to hear what was happening in the past, because Benjamin was very cool to do this interview with me before my most recent baby arrived, meaning the turnaround for the edit & publication was SUPER long. - We're on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/ - You can write-in to the show with comments,...
Feb 03, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 99
Robert (or Bobby, if you ever use a time machine to meet him as a child,) is a piper, singer, banjo-plucker, flut-player, whistler, gentleman, and (for reals) a scholar. Join us talking through his musical past, an album from his band, "Pennyland," and more! Tune into this episode to find out which are the, "manliest," musical instruments (wood flutes,) the, "manliest," musical genres, ( puirt à beul,) and the, "manliest," clothing items (cod pieces with tights). APPLICABLE LINKS Pennyland's Web...
Jan 20, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 98
Original tunes, questionable food-fusions, languages and more - it's all here, with Andrew O' Sullivan! Tune into this episode to hear James threaten Andrew with even more fruits/veggies as pizza toppings... APPLICABLE LINKS To see the video that accompanies the Lament Andrew wrote for the victims of the incidents of April 18 and 19, 2020 follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=E-ubQDBrEbw&fbclid=IwAR2AE0pyBBAR4e-jFP9xPP9w1jAidJNzyR4pgRXR5X2RN5706tHQHHYeUWs To brows...
Jan 06, 2024•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 97
The Reel Folk are more than just folk who like Reels (though they are that, to be sure) . You may have seen them gracing the YouTubiverse with their amazing fantasy take on the Critical Role theme (if not, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb9p2PBTbm8 ) but did you know that they've recently put out a holiday album? Well, they did. And we talked about it in this episode. Tune into this episode to be convinced that polka truly is the purest art form. Here are some links to get mo...
Dec 23, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 96
Piping since the age of 11 Gemma enjoyed making music in competition settings as well as on stage, via social media, and more – and not just on the pipes, she plays Bass and other stuff too! Gemma’s piping has helped her get through college, and Gemma has taken her pipes to lots of memorial services, football games, magazine features, radio show appearances, concerts, and also a tour with Jesse Ofgang (see episode 86 of the Droning On podcast). Tune into this episode to get the 100% legit advice...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 95
She's the Rockabilly Pipeband Grandma who flies to fashion school every morning and plays Ska Trombone with Racist Kramer, here to advocate for geriatric mosh pits and convince you to follow her new band, "SKAtish Power," -- give it up for: Bethea! Tune into this episode to hear Bethea literally talk about all the things in the insane-sounding sentence/paragraph you just read... no really, I didn't make any of that up. APPLICABLE LINKS If you're quick about it, BagpipeSwag's $17 T-shirt sale is ...
Nov 25, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 94
Highland pipes, border pipes, smallpipes, uilleann pipes, whistles, flutes and more: by various names, Will makes or plays, (and in some cases: both,) ‘em all! Join us for a delightful chat with a delightful person, including lots of delightful music as well! Tune into this episode to hear the host pester Will for a surprisingly large number of definitions, and to pick up a new phrase, “awfully samey,” in reference to some Jackson tunes! USEFUL LINKS: Will & Caitlin’s website: https://woodso...
Nov 12, 2023•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 93
*Updated with audio-error mistakes addressed (hopefully) sorry about that! Link to Scots Hoose: https://www.scotshoose.com/ ----- This one was different, hope it's enjoyable, stay safe and go buy cool stuff at BagpipeSwag.com!"
Oct 28, 2023•56 min•Ep. 92
Mark is a smallpipe-curious lapsed-highland-piper excellent uilleann-piper kinda guy and he's also extremely patient. We did this interview over a year ago, but because of various things (software changes, scheduling needs for other episodes, audio repair work, etc) it's been uber-delayed coming out. At this point, he may have even forgotten ever doing the interview! And actually, since doing the interview, I got to meet with Mark in-person and the guy even let me try his really nice flute! And ...
Oct 16, 2023•57 min•Ep. 91
Alec is one of the warmest, kindest, most wholesomely genuine & joyful humans on the internet, and he also happens to play (and teach) bagpipes! Tune into this episode to hear, how Bagpipe Yoga became the fitness sensation which is now sweeping the nation... - African Blackwood Conservation Project Fundraiser: Get Bagpipe Ready & BagpipeSwag have joined forces to create an eco-friendly fundraising T-shirt to benefit a charity in Tanzania which helps to conserve and re-forest the Dalbergi...
Sep 30, 2023•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 90
Ross hails from Linlithgow, West Lothian where he is the official Town Piper. He studied Bagpipes, Scots Song and Whistles at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Traditional Music - Piping in 2017. Ross was a finalist in the 2019 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition. A World Champion piper, Ross began piping aged 7 and was the Pipe Major of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. He competed with the world famo...
Sep 16, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 89
Trevor is a piper, a dad, and a lover of Tolkien, (so you know he's intelligent, handsome, clever -- all the traits that automatically go along with loving the works of The Professor). Tune into this episode to hear a fun little call-back to one of our most popular episodes ever, #035, with Kariann - We're on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/ - You can write-in to the show with comments, ideas, requests, etc. at TheDr...
Sep 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 88
Ted is a master with both chanter & quill, and a delightful conversation partner! Tune into this episode to hear about Ted's rivalry with a Peacock at a fancy wedding... Throughout the interview I read extracts from an essay Ted wrote titled, "Grace Notes," that makes for lovely reading, here's a link: https://www.tedolsonwrites.com/_files/ugd/e82d4f_f0fe6695151746ad8221366f803449e7.pdf - We're on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr...
Aug 20, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 87
Jesse Ofgang is an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist piper & recent graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He makes very cool music and puts it out all over the internet, if you don't follow this musician already on your social media platform(s) of choice, you will not regret beginning to do so now! Tune into this episode to hear about the real-life internet treasure-hunt to find the fabled photo of Jesse himself as a young, long-haired drummer sans-shirt... Jesse's Website:...
Aug 06, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 86
If you are into smallpipes and have an internet connection, you've probably heard of or seen traces of Rod due to his playing, his participation in groups like the LBPS, Cairdeas, and the Pipers Gathering, etc not to mention his recently released album with folk band, "Fire in the Glen," as well as his many highland piping exploits -- but did you know that he also plays trombone, conducts choirs, and has seasonal allergies in the Spring! All that and more in this delightful interview! Enjoy, fri...
Jul 22, 2023•2 hr•Ep. 85
Kalare is a Doctor, and we can refer to her as such everywhere except inside a hospital. She studies, plays, teaches, practices, and recently picked up the pipes - she's rapidly becoming a pro aquarist and we didn't even get to the epic photo of her walking toward a helicopter: like, what? Does she also fly whirlybirds? Tune into this episode to hear about how Homeschool-Kids can do whatever they want and sleep-in! - We're on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast And Instagram: htt...
Jul 08, 2023•52 min•Ep. 84
Jeremy returns to the Droning On Podcast to talk more about Bagpipes & History! It’s been about a year since his Bannocks of Barley Meal album came out, and we talk through some, (though not all,) of the tracks, play some samples, I hope you’ll enjoy joining us for a great conversation that’s probably setting a new length-record for the show! Tune into this episode to hear enough bagpipe-banter to get you half way from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas… Get Jeremy’s albums here: https://jeremyking...
Jun 26, 2023•3 hr 36 min•Ep. 83
Put very simply: Liz helps people, especially kids, effected by war. She does so through music. She uses a lot of penny whistles to do this. I hope you'll enjoy this conversation, I really enjoyed talking with Liz and learning about what her organization does to help people effected by war around the world. (HEADS UP: some dark/heavy things come up in this conversation, just FYI, the kind of stuff that goes right along with war, i.e. death, rape, suffering, etc) A far more detailed description o...
Jun 10, 2023•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 82
She's a piper, she's a drummer, she's a home builder, and she was once 16 going on 17 -- it's Leisel! A truly lovely human giving her precious time to join me for a truly lovely interview. I apologize that due to my own technical difficulties the sound quality isn't pristine in this episode. I do hope it's at least reasonably palatable because it was a joy to get to know Leisel a bit more and I hope everyone's able to join in on the joy here. Tune into this episode to hear Leisel confess that he...
May 27, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 81
Tim is a unique guy living a unique life doing unique things - bagpipery and otherwise! I feel really bad I had to rush this interview. A rare thing I usually try to plan to not do, but there were some technical difficulties on the day of recording that not only restricted our conversation time, they also forced me to use a different platform and hardware than I usually do, and it was all rather a hasty last-minute plan-B arrangement. Therefore: I do apologize for the somewhat, "roomy," audio on...
May 13, 2023•45 min•Ep. 80
It's a three-episode month! It was a delight to get to know Scott during this episode - in spite of living in the same part of the country and having a lot of mutual friends, Scott and I had never spoken before this interview. He's a long-time bagpipe, a long-ago accordion, and he's one of the very, very few people in the world who can say he works for a railroad in Nebraska, USA. Tune into this episode to hear all about Scott's plan to learn bagpipes in order to get a highland dancer to fall in...
Apr 29, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 79
Jenna is a talented multi-instrumentalist bagpiper, instructor, composer, and is generally willing to just try quirky stuff, especially when it comes to music, and especially-especially when it comes to bagpipes. The opening track on this episode is Pacolet performed by Jenna, originally written by PM Don Bradford. The closing track is just a taste of Scodatura, written and performed by Jenna. Tune into this episode to hear the show's first ever keyboard-based-dialogue... APPLICABLE LINKS Here’s...
Apr 15, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 78
I wish I'd come up with some great April Fools joke, it'll be a while before another episode releases on April Fools... Still, I hope this is an enjoyable interview, I sure enjoyed chatting with Jeff! Tune into this episode to hear me refer to Jeff's piano playing as, "unique..." *I'm not sure where, precisely, Jeff's album will be available when it releases, but I'll be sure to post about it on social media, so follow the show on Facebook/Instagram for that and other posts in future. Links blow...
Apr 01, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 77
Liam Winnett is a whistle kid turned accordion man turned uilleann piper abroad & he's a delight to talk to as well! You may have seen him playing his uilleann pipes inside a horse trailer... if not, there's a link below... I apologize this episode's out a bit late, St Patrick's Day did me dirty this year. But to make it up to you, I'm giving away a $35 BagpipeSwag.com gift card! DETAILS FOR THE GIVEAWAY: -Pick a favorite episode from the past -Share it on social media -Tag @droning.on.podca...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 76
Through unpredictable twists and turns of fate Bruce's accumulated experience prepared him uncannily well to address the challenge faced by one of his close friends when he (the friend,) could no longer inflate his pipe bag. Bruce is a delightful human and I hope you'll enjoy learning about not only his very cool invention, but about him as well! Tune into this episode to hear Bruce reveal what's, "the most fun you can have with your clothes on"! Here's a link to Bruce's website: https://e-bello...
Mar 04, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 75
One half of the, "Wheezer & Squeezer," duo, ( https://wheezerandsqueezer.com/ ) Jeremiah McLane plays a bellows-blown reed instrument, but it ain't bagpipes... but he plays along with bagpiper Timothy Cummings. It's often (delightfully) surprised me how many pipers also play accordion, or want to play accordion, so I thought talking with an accordionist would be fun - especially one with so much experience making music with bagpipers. Tune into this episode to hear about the amazing true sto...
Feb 18, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 74
You've almost definitely heard of today's guest and almost as definitely heard his voice as well, whether you were looking for help to improve your piping, just starting your piping journey and seeking instruction, or possibly a really tasteful quote played from the soundboard at opportune moments on the Chanter Rant podcast... In any case, get ready to hear Andrew Douglas a lot more in this marathon interview pushing the 3hr line. If you need a break to go work on your tachums or something half...
Feb 04, 2023•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 73
