Better late than never, I say, despite the need to get this news blog out more than two months ago. In that time, we have added to our upcoming studio album (to hopefully be released this fall) in the heat of AZ, witnessed the national-news making dust storm that rolled across Phoenix in the blistering 118°F heat, busked on the streets of Mesa and Scottsdale for grocery money, hosted bagpipe/beats/beer bashes with bikini contests at 3 pubs and hosted a record-breaking concert at the esteemed Irish Cultural Center of AZ; only to have a week and a half to make it north of Chicago to perform two weekends at Bristol in Wisconsin, then high-tail it out of town and head East of Lake Michigan—to break new ground in our effort to make a better world for bagpipes—and bring better bagpipes to the world.
Michigan, your festival, highland games, recording studios, bars (bikini bars included), arts festivals, dirty shows, urban spelunking, don't even scratch the surface of the deep personal relationships with friends and some brand-new families we have come to know and love and "grow up" with. Tartanic started this love affair in 2004 coming as a one-weekend guest artist for Highland Weekend. Since then, through partial weekend contracts, and finally garnering a full-run in 2007 at the gracious behest of Entertainment Director Maria Christian; our friends/fans/family in Michigan supported us to the point of headlining the oldest-running Highland Games in the USA—twice! Uncivilized and Unleashed were recorded at Pearl Sound Studios in Canton. The art for the latter and for Unavoidable was all shot in Detroit, at First Presbyterian Church (Now Ecumenical Theological Seminary) and in the abandoned train station, respectively. Not to leave out the cover shot for Unavoidable; which was shot at the beauty supply store in Redford at Plymouth and Telegraph. Four amazingly talented bagpipers we have had the honor of working with are from Michigan--including our current Master Piper, Scott MacLeod, from Traverse City. The support has been very real, and your support brought us back to the World Steam Expo for the past two years.
Michigan is magic. It was my decision to take an offer I could not refuse this year to perform at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival. It was a very difficult decision to make. Please understand, I have a responsibility to all band-mates and to Tartanic LLC. Pennsylvania has gone out on a limb to invite us to perform. Tartanic will be exposed to a whole new market, a region of the USA we have never been to before and saying "No," is not something Tartanic is very good at doing. The decision has little to do with money. We have stuck by Michigan in tough times, and stayed on despite budget cuts, working our way up through the ranks to grace the Green Grove stage.
We are all trying something new, and urge our fans not to fear a little change. We have been through so much together. It is important to realize that MiRF management has always been good to Tartanic—even dealing with the difficulty of the decision to take advantage of this new opportunity. That being said, PLEASE do not send nasty-grams to the office. Kathy Parker, MiRF's General Manager always does her best for us and for the festival. Filling her inbox with emails that begin with the letters "WTF" would in no way be deserved. We have every intention of returning... no bridges have been burned between anyone involved. I humbly ask for your understanding and support as we try to do what is best or all our artists and their families this season. If you would like to send emails in support, let MiRF know you will keep coming to the festival, as they try their best every year to provide the best darn festival Michigan has. To further show support, feel free to email/Facebook/Tweet the World Steam Expo for 2012, as we are more than available and would like to return for a third season. Performing in Dearborn would give us all a chance to reconnect, share the music, and spread the love we have always gotten back ten-fold. Thank you with all my heart for sticking with Tartanic and staying tuned....
As an artist myself I can't blame you guys at all for taking a good offer that allows you to expand your market base. It's always a tough decision to change, but simply doing the same thing year after year is a guaranteed way to dwindle away, alas. While I'll miss seeing you guys at MiRF, I sure hope things go well for you at PA.
Thanks for the update, and I understand totally. I'm no performer and I enjoy watching many acts, but your a working group of musicians and you have to build a fan base along with making more money so have at and I can guarantee you'll garner more fans. I was a fan from the first time I heard you guys. And many others will be hooked as well. As always good luck.
We planned a trip to PA so see ya there.