"RogueTrip" by The Rogues

by Marc Gunn

I love The Rogues. They were the band that taught me if you had pipes and drums, it wasn't just another bagpipe band. It was The Rogues. "RogueTrip" is the latest offering from this Grammy-Nominated Celtic music giant.

There are some semi-new faces on this new CD. Randy Wothke is still the mastermind behind the success of The Rogues, playing a variety of percussion with some delicately added keyboards in the mix. Nelson Stewart continues to front the band with this dynamic personality and bodhran playing. Though I didn't realize he could sing until I heard, "When Diana Fell". Jeremy Freeman is the newest face for me, but he is no amateur when it comes to rocking on the pipes.

EJ Jones is the newest member of The Rogues, but definitely no stranger to the band. He dominated the Celtic super group Clandestine with his amazing bagpipes and flute playing. I'm thrilled to see him find a new home with The Rogues. He's added bombarde to this mighty group with the Breton tune "An Dro", a remarkable addition to the musical variety that first drew me to this "pipe and drum" band in "5.0".

The new CD isn't a change of sound though. It's the solid evolution of a group that continues to grow from the traditional pipe sounds of "Bobby Cuthbertson" to the breathtaking celebration of the Celtic spirit found in their newest arrangement of "Bonny Portmore". I look forward to seeing the new incarnation perform live. After hearing the lead track off the album "Pressed for Time", I'm convinced that their live show is just as much mind-blowing fun.

Artist: The Rogues

Buy the Album: RogueTrip

Bard Marc Gunn is an Irisn and Scottish folk singer with strange a affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He hosts five podcasts including the Renaissance Festival Podcast and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. He also publishes several ezines including the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine and the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Tips Ezine. He is best know as the lead singer and autoharper for the Celtic MP3 supergroup, the Brobdingnagian Bards.