ONLINE EXTRA: Battlefield Band
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 25, 2002 9:00 p.m.
 Battlefield Band The Scottish group Battlefield Band are
playing the McCabe’s guitar shop on Saturday in Santa Monica.
By Michelle V. Gonzales
Daily Bruin Contributor All this rock band needs to get the crowd
jumping is, that’s right, bagpipes. The rockers Battlefield
Band, a traditional Scottish band, will play at McCabe’s
guitar shop in Santa Monica Saturday night. The band will be
performing old and new songs as well as instrumental pieces.
Bagpipes, keyboards, whistles, guitars and a fiddle are just some
of the mix of instruments these Scottish lads use. Listeners
unfamiliar with what Scottish traditional music sound can think
back to movie soundtracks like “Braveheart,” or even
neighboring Irish traditional music in “Titanic.”
“Good films are not historically accurate,” said Mike
Katz, bagpiper for the band. “Obviously those kind of films
are great. The music exists beyond it.” Often the only
exposure that many Americans have to traditional Celtic music is
through the movies. “The films help publicize it but at the
end of the day it is still traditional music. The music is always
there and people are always playing it,” Katz said.
Traditional music has always had a strong presence in the United
Kingdom. “It gets bigger and bigger all the time. It used to
be a big part in Ireland,” Katz said. “There’s
different traditions (throughout Europe). They all had trade links
and a strong cultural influence with each other in the old
days.” According to Katz, Glasgow offers an academic degree
in traditional music. “It’s always increasing and lots
of people are even teaching it in school. Young people are very
well taught in music and dance,” he said. “In the past
there have always been things that have been London based. There
has always been a politic about that. (Traditional music) was not
taken as serious as orchestral music. People realize it does have a
lot of nuance. People realize it’s good music.” The
music is also more than a “European thing.” According
to Katz, it can flow freely across the Atlantic ocean, rather than
becoming a cultural blockade. “It’s two way traffic.
Really there’s always been a lot of interplay between North
American and European music,” said Katz. “Traditional
music, like bluegrass and jazz, has always had influence in
Scotland. People have been inspired by different traditions.”
Likewise, American films have often been influenced by outside
music. They have frequently turned to indigenous music in order to
enhance the entirety of a movie. And apparently, audiences have
been receptive of the foreign music. “The appeal is not
totally different; it’s always a continuum between the
two,” Katz added. Two of the current members of Battlefield
Band were not even born when the band came into existence. The
current tour consists of one original member, one returning member,
and the two younger members who had joined after the completion of
the album “Happy Daze.” Katz, along with two original
members–founder and keyboardist Alan Reid and guitarist Pat
Kilbride– will be accompanied by the band’s newest member,
18 year old fiddler Alasdair White. Pat Kilbride will also perform
some of his songs from his solo album. “Its good to have a
range. People don’t actually get any older,” Katz said.
“I think it’s good to have energy. People grow up
really quick. The age thing is really not a big deal. We’re
all pretty juvenile.” Although the music can have it’s
roots to an ancient tradition, their inspiration comes from more
contemporary musical influences as well. “I used to listen to
a lot of jazz, not usually traditional music,” Katz said.
“Even though you play in a traditional idiom you are
interested in all types of music. It’s not like old
people’s music.”
