To Scottish-born bagpiper Craig Downie of the intriguingly named Celtic fusion band Enter the Haggis, the group’s namesake food is “the culinary epitome of resourcefulness.”
“The Scotch highlanders of old mixed together whatever ingredients they could find — sheep’s stomach, oatmeal, you name it,” Downie said. “And as is often the case of the food of the poor, it eventually became a delicacy.
“I think our band is very much like that. We fuse a lot of influences together, so we appeal to a wide range of people.”
Enter the Haggis will bring their crowd-pleasing mix of Celtic, rock, bluegrass, Latin and blues music to Mount Hope Estate and Winery’s first-ever Pennsylvania Celtic Music Fest, to be staged at the Renaissance Faire’s Globe amphitheater next weekend.
Offering food, ales and wines, hand-crafted wares and an appealing blend of traditional and folk-infused Celtic music, the three-day, six-band festival is expected to be a lively affair.
“We have a lot of big-name bands from around the world, and they’re all high-energy,” Renaissance Faire spokeswoman Karen Stefaniak said.
Downie, for his part, agrees. “I’ve heard that diversity creates energy, and that’s true of us. We’re all about energy,” he said. “The crowds get riled up quite a bit when we play, and we love to crank the tunes up.”
Those tunes include tracks from the group’s new album, “Soapbox Heroes,” which was produced by Neil Dorfsman, a Grammy-winning producer/engineer who has worked with industry giants Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Bjork, Eric Clapton, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, among others. The album was released July 17, ending a two-year recording hiatus for the band, which has been touring internationally since 1996.
“We had some changes in the band around 2001. Some of the guys got married and had children,” Downie said. “But this incarnation of the band is going strong. I’ve finally found some people who are very committed — or should be committed.”
Enter the Haggis will help kick off the festival Friday night with the Jimmy Kelly Band, which also will perform Saturday. Headed by brothers Jimmy and Denis Kelly, this five-piece Irish band has performed with the Statler Brothers, Amy Grant, Eddie Money and Black 47.
Another featured act with links to chart-topping artists is Ceili (pronounced KAY-lee) Rain, a group that event organizer Kirk Simpson believes will be a festival hit.
“One of its members, [drummer Bill] Bleistine, is from Lebanon, so they’re very popular in this area,” Simpson said. “They actually have a big following in both Celtic and Christian genres.”
That’s due to the interests and beliefs of frontman/songwriter Bob Halligan Jr., a longtime Catholic musician who has instilled a subtle sense of spirituality in much of his later work. This may come as a surprise to longtime industry watchers who’ve seen Halligan publish approximately 150 songs over the years, including some very solidly secular hits for the likes of Cher, Michael Bolton, Blue Oyster Cult, Joan Jett, Kathy Mattea and Judas Priest. A fairly recent and enthusiastic Celtic music convert, Halligan has since recorded six CDs with Ceili Rain and tours extensively.
Joining Ceili Rain on Saturday, and also performing Sunday, will be Lenahan, a Celtic/world beat-influenced group that the Washington Post trumpeted as “one of the top Celtic folk-rock bands in the world.”
“The Lenahan performance should be exciting because they’ll be bringing two step dancers with them, one of whom has performed with Riverdance,” Stefaniak said.
Sunday also holds some rigorous footwork by Shelley Downing, the lead fiddler/step dancer of Greenwich Meantime, a newly formed Ontario-based quintet that performs Celtic rock with French Canadian flair. And rounding out the slate is the deceptively named folk band Old Blind Dogs, a youthful, sighted quintet from Scotland.
“Their fans will want to see this show because one of the Old Blind Dogs singers will be leaving soon,” Simpson said. “In fact, this is the last tour for this incarnation of the band.”
The Renaissance Faire’s own Wailing Banshees, a five-woman a cappella ensemble, will open the festival Saturday and Sunday.
Simpson anticipates an overall high-spirited weekend.
“We’re really proud of the bands,” he said. “And you can be sure that these bands will get your toes tapping and your hands clapping. I’m sure that kilts will be flying!”
The Pennsylvania Celtic Music Fest runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $15 for Friday and $17.95 for Saturday or Sunday. Two- and three-day passes are available. For more information, call 665-7021 or visit www.PaRenFaire.com.
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