There have been several bands and artists in the recent years making their mark on what could be called ‘Celtic Rock.’ Each group tackles the challenge differently.
One of the most successful of these groups is Seven Nations. Their style and energy have entranced audiences everywhere they’ve played, launching them into larger and larger venues and even a trip to perform in Scotland.
But what has brought them their reputation and enthusiastic following? We explore these questions with Kirk McLeod, founder and lead singer of Seven Nations.
The first thing to establish is the origin of their name, Seven Nations. It explains a great deal about the nature of the group. (For the record, the seven nations are Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, Galacia, and the Isle of Man.)
The first incarnation of the band was called Clan Na Gael (Children of the Gael.) Although they were popular with that moniker, it also gave them migraines.
“Well first, we just searched the Web, and we found 11 other Clan Na Gaels worldwide. A Renaissance band out in Nevada had it trademarked here in the States. There was a group in Canada and another in the U.K. so it was pretty much wrapped up,” explained Kirk.
Their Gaelic name was giving them trouble as well. Their audiences were more diverse than just Celtic music listeners. “Every time we were in a radio interview, the deejays were messing it up,” laughed Kirk. “People would mispronounce it. We’d go to a hotel and they would never be able to find our reservation. They’d find ‘First Name Gail, Last Name Clanna.’ We’d been called the Clan Nagel Trio, the Brothers Nagill. People just could not remember Clan Na Gael. So we actually welcomed the change.”
They rethought their name and tried to find one that was pronounceable and had a general feel. Tying themselves to one Celtic country didn’t do justice to their music either. “We weren’t just Scottish, weren’t just Irish, weren’t just Welsh. We wanted to represent all the Celtic music as it lives and grows in the United States,” said Kirk.
Although their name implies music from just the seven nations mentioned, the band might be better called Eight Nations as they are a shining example of the Celtic-American community. Just as ancient Celts migrated to the different lands listed above, so did they migrate to the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, among others. In all these places, the Celtic traditions are evolving and growing, just like any other living culture.
“I like that idea,” agreed Kirk. “That’s really one of my pet projects, to prove to the people who live in the older Celtic countries these days that we are a Celtic nation. We have a Celtic community in this country. I’m probably preaching to the choir here with a name like U.S. Scots, but I’m very proud of my heritage.”
The first spark of Seven Nations was struck in New York City. Kirk McLeod had moved there from Florida to make his fortune as a songwriter. Even in his earliest groups, the marriage of the pipes and American instruments brought him attention. In a city of thousands of struggling musicians, this sort of distinction was important.
But Kirk knew that he needed something more for his band. He called his old friend, Neil Anderson, and made a pact for Neil to join him in New York. Neil was a very traditional piper and he agreed to join Kirk’s Celtic rock group only if Kirk would play pubs with him as a traditional duo. Fortunately for Seven Nations lovers everywhere, the pub duo didn’t find as much work as the band.
To combine these two veins of music into one show, the band had a big decision to make. How would they sing these traditional tunes? Would Kirk fake an Irish accent? He decided it was more honest to sing in his own voice. If America was truly the eighth Celtic nation, then Kirk’s broad American accent was as Celtic as any other.
“I think that was a very important decision because it makes us different. We do traditional songs but we do them as Americans. As sons of Scottish and Irish immigrants,” reflected Kirk.
The band quickly needed a demo tape to give to pub-owners so they could get hired. Those recording sessions in January of 1994 were something special. The producer was so pleased that he made the tape into a CD. You can still hear those sessions as they became Rain and Thunder, the band’s first album.
The band played pubs and the local college circuit. They added bass player Jim Strubal (or Struby as he is now known.) The band, at the time known as ‘119,’ was doing quite well.
“We were pretty busy doing weekly shows with the rock band,” recalled Kirk. “One night, we decided to sit down during one of the sets at a college show (College of Staten Island.) Basically, we had to do more material than we had for the rock band. So we decided to sit down in the middle of the show and do some traditional songs. We did it and the college kids loved it. From there, we got our first job playing at a highland games (Grandfather Mountain in 1995.) That went over well.”
They began to introduce the songs they’d been doing as 119 into their highland games performances. The bands became one. “The audiences were much more accepting of the different kinds of music in one show than we had originally thought they would be,” said Kirk.
Seven Nations have certainly made a name for themselves in the United States. Quite a few bands are playing hybrids of Celtic music and American forms like Rock and Roll, but few have received as much popular regard as Seven Nations has. They bring the melodic finesse of the traditional tunes and infuse them with a fire most often found at rock concerts. Their energy is the aspect most mentioned by fans.
One of the most fascinating aspects of their popularity is the way it appeals to many generations. You’ll see a more diverse audience at their concerts than just about anywhere else.
“The 15 to 25-year-olds are the toughest age group, I think,” reflected Kirk. “Especially if you are doing anything the least bit folksy or traditional. People have said they can’t believe we have so many older people listening to us and I can’t believe we have as many teenagers listening to us.”
Seven Nations’ attracts an older crowd, pleased to see a young group embracing their heritage. The teenagers appreciate the modern edge to the music and the instruments they are familiar with. “They don’t like it just because they have Scottish blood in their veins, they like the grooves, they like the melodies. What I appreciate the most is when I hear someone say ‘This is different, but its cool.’ They like a funky bagpipe. Top 40 and Alternative stations can get redundant. I think groups like the Dave Matthews Band are enjoying popularity because people get tired of the same old rock format with a guitar solo in every song.”
One couple in their mid-forties commented that they especially like Seven Nations because it is something they can share with their fifteen year old son.
“Yea, that’s great. I got a letter one time (I wish I had it in front of me right now) it was from an extended family. I think three kids, middle-aged parents, and a grandparent. They went through how everyone from grandparent to the five year old enjoyed the music. They had all the CDs and the actually listed each family member’s favorite song from each CD. That was one of the best letters I ever got.”
One of the most striking components of the Seven Nation’s sound is the piping by Neil Anderson. While Kirk also pipes in the concerts, Neil is clearly the virtuoso of the group. Neil’s piping technique is quite unusual, allowing him a broad range of expression. Just from looking at him play, it is hard to tell how he does it.
Neil Anderson picked up the Uillean (or Irish) pipes several years ago and fell in love with them. He was greatly influenced by the very different playing style. The pipes require different movements than the more rigid and martial Scottish Highland Pipes. The Uillean pipes are much more of a solo instrument.
“You don’t find many Uillean pipe bands,” joked Kirk. “This is my theory on it, and you might want to make that clear, is that we were on stage one night and he made a mistake in some sort of tune he was trying to play. So in order to cover it up, he started flailing his fingers like a lead guitarist would be ripping off a real quick lead. The crowd went nuts. So I think he fell into that by mistake.”
“In some of our earlier shows, the way we’d mike the bagpipes we’d get comments from people coming in saying they’d heard it outside and thought it was a lead guitar. So he took that and ran with it. He started listening to guitar riffs and imitating them on the bagpipes.”
Like all maturing groups, they seek balance to their music while exploring other traditions. Road Kill, Volume Two was probably their most rock-and-roll album to date. “Our drummer is a very straight ahead, hard-hitting, rock and roll, American drummer,” explained Kirk. “We’re trying to get him into more percussion type things and different feels. At the same time, we’re trying to combine even more influences. Our newest song, Mother Mary, goes into a whole reggae break, the bridge is all in a reggae groove. So you’ve got a tin whistle playing a nice Celtic melody over a reggae groove.”
Their intent for the upcoming album is to cross the broad spectrum of their music. They plan to include some tunes which are very traditional and melodic. Other cuts will likely be the hardest they’ve recorded yet.
With so much of the band’s material drawn from traditional tunes, an aficionado might notice several influences. Kirk enjoys the music of Galacia and Latin influences. He still has close family living in Cardiff, Wales and has been exposed to a lot of Welsh singing. Neil is interested in Breton rhythms and tunes.
“Historically, way back, my family came from the Isle of Man. The whole clan McLeod came from there. One of my dad’s ancestors came from Cornwall. I can’t say what musical influences come from Cornwall, but we’re influenced by most of the Celtic cultures,” concluded Kirk.
In the summer of 1998, the band packed up their instruments and gear and headed across the Atlantic to Scotland. It was their first trip as a group, although Kirk had been there many times before. They did five shows in Edinburgh, one at Bannockburn, and three at Aberdeen.
The trip was a solid success for the band. They were given the opportunity to play at Castle Fraser for three days during a large celebration given by Lord Lovat. In a musical first, they became the first band to be given permission to play on the Bannockburn battlefield. Each of the members were very moved to be playing in a place steeped in such rich history.
“The Scottish National Trust really adopted us. Pam Buchanan and Bruce Mackie bent over backwards for us, they’re great. Which surprises a lot of people. They’re known as a pretty staunch, conservative group. But they got involved with us quite heavily. We can use their offices whenever we’re over there. We have pretty much a free reign. We can play at any of their Trust sites anytime, we just have to say the word. If we get a better following over there, we’ll take them up on that again,” enthused Kirk.
They also received a lot of support and encouragement from the Edinburgh Council. Labour Councilor Steve Cardowney took the band under his wing to ensure the success of their trip. Seven Nations is lined up to play at the New Year’s Eve celebration in 1999. Future years will likely find the quartet performing during the world famous Edinburgh festival, although they are looking to keep it to one trip a year.
Even as they are enjoying increasing popular and critical success, the band is finding that same success to have its own problems. The Highland Games which gave them their core audience are becoming logistically difficult to play. Increased overhead costs have forced them to stick to only the largest events or ones in parts of the country in which they haven’t previously performed.
The band does feel bad about the necessary changes. “It is a shame because we do feel that the success we’ve had so far has been because of the Scottish-Americans at the Highland Games,” admitted Kirk. “Our stage show has also improved to the point where it is hard to put it on in a festival setting. A festival is usually rush rush rush, get up on stage, bash out some songs, and get off. Our show has become much more elaborate, too much for most festivals.”
A benefit concert of the closing of the Ocala Scottish Highland Games and Irish Feis in Ocala, Florida is one of their last committed games dates. In the future, they are working to replace their games performances with stand-alone concerts.
“We do feel an incredible loyalty to the Scottish-Americans at the highland games who have helped us get this far. We want to continue to try to give back to them as much as we can without going into bankruptcy.”
One of the interesting occurrences at a Seven Nations concert is the occasional appearance of dancers on the stage or in front of it. One wonders if this is a permanent addition to the performance.
“No, actually, it isn’t,” explained Kirk. “We’ve had a lot of shows where highland or Irish dancers have just jumped up to the foot of our stage and made up their own routines to our songs. It’s almost like an impromptu Riverdance kind of thing. Not only are you seeing how Celtic music has grown and is still alive, but different today, you see the same thing in the dancing. It’s so cool because it’s happening in front of your eyes. These kids are adapting what they’ve learned in their highland or Irish dance classes and combining it with a raw groove and coming off with this great presentation. When that kept happening, we actually put together our dance troupe, but all of the dancers live in Canada so we save them up for really big shows. Sometimes we’ll have local dancers warm up the crowd for us. We’re not heading in the Riverdance direction at all, but it is a cool addition sometimes. We’re a rock band first, definitely.”
One aspect that truly sets Seven Nations apart from similar groups is their easy blending of American and Scottish clothing. They found their combination of kilts, leather jackets and boots a natural evolution; drawn more from the modern, Highland-Games-Day community than a planned appearance. “Neil and I have been wearing kilts at every highland games we went to our whole lives,” said Kirk. “We didn’t put on a kilt to be part of the image of the music. Struby and Ashton wear their kilts to pick up girls, but Neil would rather die than try to create an ‘image.’”
Away from the kilts and shows, Kirk is the songwriter of the group. Having written for their traditional Celtic music group and the rock band, he has found a way to draw the two together with his words. The lyrics to traditional tunes speak of the passions and events of their authors. Kirk is certainly within that vein as a song writer, so the traditions of traditional and modern song writing are not that far apart.
After reflecting for a few moments, Kirk explained that one of his strongest lyrical influences is the immigration history of this country. The personal stories of immigrants stir him creatively.
“I just finished a song for the new album about the 1850s in Scotland when the English government realized that they had depleted their sources of warriors in the north through the Highland Clearances. The few soldiers they did recruit would return home and find their families had been turned out. They had thought that signing up would have secured their safety.”
Kirk is a history enthusiast and continues to find inspiration there. At the same time, he explained that he writes like any other popular writer, using any sort of personal experiences he goes through; love, friendships, life, death.
“Modern-wise, I’m influenced a lot by the strife in Northern Ireland. But when I write about that subject I keep it very vague, personal oriented, not taking a side. I just talk about the people’s feelings having to go through that,” explains Kirk. “The song Our Day Will Come on the Big Dog album is titled after the slogan of a radical faction of the IRA but the lyrics are very much just looking forward to peace. That’s as close as I like to get.”
Another song which might appear on their upcoming album is called The Armchair War. It poses this question: “Should the Americans watching from the sidelines of the conflict in Northern Ireland feel justified in having an opinion about the situation.
Seven Nations have already covered a lot of ground. They’ve made fans and converts across the U.S. and in Scotland. Like most bands with several albums under their belt, they are really maturing. The band’s new album projected to come out this winter. We expect it will receive warm response from Celtic-America and beyond.