Here's one you don't want to miss: the CSPS return of
this
high energy, Celtic-based explosion of blues, funk and rock from
Toronto.
There aren't many groups in North America who
could lay claim to possibly 18 different genres of music, but Toronto's
Enter the Haggis is one of them. Enter the Haggis’ live show is a musical
feast — visual, viscerally dynamic, emotionally uplifting and
intellectually stimulating.
The band’s oeuvre darts effortlessly
from the trad strains of, say, The Chieftains and The Pogues, to the
frenetic pop of early Elvis Costello and even to the Latin-tinged spirit
of the Buena Vista Social Club and beyond. Complete with Trevor
Lewington’s deft guitar playing, the reeling of Brian Buchanan’s flawless
fiddle, the diverse rhythmic machinations of bassist Mark Abraham and
drummer James Campbell, and Craig Downie’s transporting pipes, not to
mention the near-perfect vocal harmonies.
Over the past three albums and five years, Enter The Haggis has found
itself at the center of a grassroots success story, ever teetering on the
brink of mainstream success. From playing Celtic festivals to headlining
them, and from the festival circuit to selling out multiple nights in rock
venues, ETH has blazed a path with heavy and almost constant touring up
and down the East Coast, to Canada, the West Coast and back again, winning
over success one fan, one town, one region at a time.
The band has made waves in the genre, landing high on the music charts of
Billboard and iTunes World Music, while appearing on major
television shows like Live With Regis And Kelly, A&E's Breakfast
With the Arts and the popular PBS program Out of Ireland,
bringing to an ever-growing audience their distinctive brand of
multi-influenced Celtic rock. It’s the kind of overall sound and devotion
package that has created not only die-hard fans, but “Haggis Heads” that
follow the band from gig to gig.
For those lucky enough to have seen it, the group’s undeniable power is
documented in Live at Lanigan’s Ball, a film chronicling an Enter
the Haggis performance at Plattsburgh, New York’s Hartman Theatre in
December of 2003, originally taped for a PBS special which continues to
air around the country, and is now available on DVD.
The band’s new album,
Gutter Anthems,
is
Enter The Haggis’
most cohesive record to date, one that allows the band’s eclecticism to
absolutely shine. Recorded in 2008 at in Toronto and Mississauga,
the CD was released in March 2009 on the groundbreaking indie label United
For Opportunity. As any good Haggis Head would expect, it's a sterling
round of rousing drinking songs and impeccable pop-rock.
Sun Nov
8 | 7 pm CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids
$15
+ fee in advance | $18
at the door
