In the latest of Sunday afternoon concerts at the Granville Green bandshell in Port Hawkesbury, the Cottars will be taking centre stage. With fiddler and viola player Clare Pettit, guitarist Bruce Timmons, and the multitalented MacGillivray siblings Ciaran and Fiona, the Cape Breton favourites will be joined with rising star Molly Thomason as the opening act.
The Cottar’s cred as young Celtic music performers was quickly established back in the band’s early days with their studied, methodical work in bringing to life favourite Scottish standards and the more obscure folk tunes. They are a folk archivist’s dream come true, and their tributes to tradition would make Helen Creighton proud.
The nod to the past, however, is complemented with an increasing body of original work. The Cottars already gained international acclaim in folk music circles and have rubbed elbows with the likes of Paddy Maloney, but they are being increasingly appreciated for their compositions. Their latest album Feast is one where more of their own pieces shine.
The band first wowed audiences in their first incarnation as the precocious set of Ciaran and Fiona MacGillivray of Mira, and Jimmy and Roseanne MacKenzie of Baddeck. Together, the MacGillivrays and the MacKenzies wowed audiences with their technique. In 2006, the MacGillivrays and the MacKenzies parted ways. In adding Pettit and Timmons to their ranks the same year, the Cottars continue to tour and accumulate fans.
The concert starts at 6:45pm with free admission . In the event of inclement weather, the alternate location will be the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.
