Piping Hot: The Rogues and "Pipes in Space"

Call me crazy, but I really enjoy bagpipes. I know that there are some people that literally feel like bagpipes are the musical equivalent of running fingernails over a chalkboard, and I can understand why. They are loud, they have this underlying hum that you can't escape, their upper registers can sound like cats screeching a tune. And yet...

One story I was always told about bagpipes is that they were used by Scots to frighten the enemy before battle. I don't know if this is true or not, but I can easily imagine that if you were camping and you heard a Scottish regiment marching with bagpipes blowing and a large drum pounding, you might think the gates of hell had opened upon you.

But, the bagpipes are not just a Scotch instrument. There are numerous types of instruments made that use the same basic design - air blown into a bladder of some kind is then squeezed and forced out through pipes that can be played. And, they've been used all over the world. They are found throughout Europe (I have a tune by an Italian group named Fiamma Fumana that uses a particular bagpipe native to Italy), Northern Africa (I have another tune by Algeria's Cheb Mami that uses a bagpipe that interestingly does not compete with his Arabic lyrics, they must have muted it a bit), and the Middle East.

Once about three years ago, the Battlefield Band appeared on our Global Music Show. We got them into the studio, and they started to get ready to play a tune. One thing I never realized was just how loud even one Scottish bagpipe can be. The guy playing the bagpipe moved over to the corner of the studio farthest from the microphones, and when he let loose on that thing, it left my ears ringing.

Scots and Texans probably don't seem to have much in common, but I think they do. They are both proud people, tend to value their independence and sovereignty, and their cultures are known for fierce battles and martyrdom. When I discovered a Scottish group in Texas that played the bagpipes, I wasn't surprised. The Rogues were founded in Houston by Lars Sloane in 1987. They released their first recording in 1995 at the Texas Renaissance Festival on cassette. They figured they needed to sell one cassette a day to break even, and they sold 140 on the first day. They have received critical acclaim since, and have shared the stage with the likes of Steeleye Span, The Battlefield Band and Natalie McMaster. They have also performed with the full Air Force Symphony Orchestra. They still travel the renaissance fair circuit and released their latest album, 3 Lbs of Rage, in 2010. This song, Pipes in Space, is from their 2003 live album Made in Texas.