About The Unusual Suspects...
How it all kicked off...
The Unusual Suspects is the brain-child of its musical directors Corrina Hewat & David Milligan.
They first came up with the idea almost a decade ago, but it wasn't until Glasgow's Celtic Connections Festival director Colin Hynd offered them a platform to put their 'folk-orchestra theory' into practise, that this monster band became a reality.
On a Sunday afternoon, late in January 2003, thirty-two of Scotlands finest and most dynamic musicians took to the stage of the main auditorium in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall as part of the 10th Celtic Connections Festival. What followed was descibed by the Herald newspaper as:
"...a beautiful noise. A jigging, reeling juggernaut... brilliantly arranged - the putative 'Scottish National Folk Orchestra' walloped off the main auditorium stage in sound waves that thumped into your chest with the impact of a benign piledriver"
The Scotsman newspaper said: "This was the gig that had been generating the biggest advance buzz of Celtic Connections 2003 - and what a total, massive, glorious blast it turned out to be... awesome power - a harmonious, often uproarious dance between full-throttle rampage and orchestrated finess."
The concert was hailed as the crowning glory of that year's festival, and in 2004 The Unusual Suspects made a triumphant return appearance at Celtic Connections. The 2004 festival concert was followed by a UK tour put together by Folkworks, a wonderful organisation based in the north east of England, dedicated to promoting and furthering traditional & contemporary folk music. Due to touring logistics, a mere 22-piece(!) version of the band went on the road, and played to critical acclaim and nightly standing ovations the length of the country, from London to Inverness.
The Unusual Suspects is the brain-child of its musical directors Corrina Hewat & David Milligan.
They first came up with the idea almost a decade ago, but it wasn't until Glasgow's Celtic Connections Festival director Colin Hynd offered them a platform to put their 'folk-orchestra theory' into practise, that this monster band became a reality.
On a Sunday afternoon, late in January 2003, thirty-two of Scotlands finest and most dynamic musicians took to the stage of the main auditorium in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall as part of the 10th Celtic Connections Festival. What followed was descibed by the Herald newspaper as:
"...a beautiful noise. A jigging, reeling juggernaut... brilliantly arranged - the putative 'Scottish National Folk Orchestra' walloped off the main auditorium stage in sound waves that thumped into your chest with the impact of a benign piledriver"
The Scotsman newspaper said: "This was the gig that had been generating the biggest advance buzz of Celtic Connections 2003 - and what a total, massive, glorious blast it turned out to be... awesome power - a harmonious, often uproarious dance between full-throttle rampage and orchestrated finess."
The concert was hailed as the crowning glory of that year's festival, and in 2004 The Unusual Suspects made a triumphant return appearance at Celtic Connections. The 2004 festival concert was followed by a UK tour put together by Folkworks, a wonderful organisation based in the north east of England, dedicated to promoting and furthering traditional & contemporary folk music. Due to touring logistics, a mere 22-piece(!) version of the band went on the road, and played to critical acclaim and nightly standing ovations the length of the country, from London to Inverness.
In addition to performing and touring with the mighty Scottish band, Corrina and David, along with horn-section leader Rick Taylor, have also collaborated with Canadian musician, singer and songwriter Gordie Sampson to produce the Unusual Suspects of Celtic Colours, for the Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The project consisted of Canadian and Scottish musicians, sharing their respective traditions to create a unique and wonderful sound.
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The line-up of The Unusual Suspects' next gig will be:
Corrina Hewat (harp & vocal)
David Milligan (piano)
Catriona Macdonald (Fiddle)
Anna Massie (Fiddle)
Shona Mooney (Fiddle)
Gavin Marwick (Fiddle)
Jonny Hardie (Fiddle)
Peter Tickell (Fiddle)
Fraser Shaw (Pipes & whistle)
Calum MacCrimmon (Pipes & whistle)
Brian McAlpine (accordion)
Mairearad Green (accordion & pipes)
Rick Taylor (Trombone)
Nigel Hitchcock (Saxophone)
Ryan Quigley (Trumpet)
Colin Steele (Trumpet)
Ewan Robertson (Guitar & vocal)
Conrad Ivitsky (Bass)
Iain Copeland (Drums)
Donald Hay (Percussion)
OTHER SUSPECTS WHO HAVE APPEARED IN PREVIOUS (AND HOPEFULLY FUTURE!) LINE UPS:
Eilidh Shaw (Fiddle)
Alistair White (Fiddle)
Olivia Ross (Fiddle)
Clare McLaughlin (Fiddle)
Aidan O'Rourke (Fiddle)
John McCusker (Fiddle)
Chris Stout (Fiddle)
Bruce MacGregor (Fiddle)
Jenna Reid (Fiddle)
Lori Watson (Fiddle)
Gillian Frame (Fiddle)
Sarah-Jane Fifield (Fiddle)
Marianne Campbell (Fiddle)
Donal Brown (Pipes & flute)
Annie Grace (Pipes & vocal )
Finlay Macdonald (Pipes & whistle)
Rory Campbell (pipes & whistle)
Fraser Fifield (Pipes)
Mike Katz (Pipes)
Nuala Kennedy (Flutes)
Leo McCann (Accordion)
Emily Smith (Accordion & vocal)
Martin Green (Accordion)
Phil Bancroft (Saxophone)
Konrad Wisniewski (Saxophone)
Eamonn Nolan (Trumpet)
Linsey Macdonald (Trumpet)
Ross Martin (Guitar)
John Morran (Bouzouki & voc)
Alyn Cosker (Drums)
Marc Clement (Guitar)
Ewen Vernal (Bass)
Kevin McGuire (Bass)
James Mackintosh (Drums)
Mattie Foulds (Drums)
Kris Drever (Guitar & vocal)
Karine Polwart (vocal)
Findlay Napier (vocal)
Maeve Gilchrist (harp & vocal)
Malcom Stitt (Bouzouki)
Corrina Hewat (harp & vocal)
David Milligan (piano)
Catriona Macdonald (Fiddle)
Anna Massie (Fiddle)
Shona Mooney (Fiddle)
Gavin Marwick (Fiddle)
Jonny Hardie (Fiddle)
Peter Tickell (Fiddle)
Fraser Shaw (Pipes & whistle)
Calum MacCrimmon (Pipes & whistle)
Brian McAlpine (accordion)
Mairearad Green (accordion & pipes)
Rick Taylor (Trombone)
Nigel Hitchcock (Saxophone)
Ryan Quigley (Trumpet)
Colin Steele (Trumpet)
Ewan Robertson (Guitar & vocal)
Conrad Ivitsky (Bass)
Iain Copeland (Drums)
Donald Hay (Percussion)
OTHER SUSPECTS WHO HAVE APPEARED IN PREVIOUS (AND HOPEFULLY FUTURE!) LINE UPS:
Eilidh Shaw (Fiddle)
Alistair White (Fiddle)
Olivia Ross (Fiddle)
Clare McLaughlin (Fiddle)
Aidan O'Rourke (Fiddle)
John McCusker (Fiddle)
Chris Stout (Fiddle)
Bruce MacGregor (Fiddle)
Jenna Reid (Fiddle)
Lori Watson (Fiddle)
Gillian Frame (Fiddle)
Sarah-Jane Fifield (Fiddle)
Marianne Campbell (Fiddle)
Donal Brown (Pipes & flute)
Annie Grace (Pipes & vocal )
Finlay Macdonald (Pipes & whistle)
Rory Campbell (pipes & whistle)
Fraser Fifield (Pipes)
Mike Katz (Pipes)
Nuala Kennedy (Flutes)
Leo McCann (Accordion)
Emily Smith (Accordion & vocal)
Martin Green (Accordion)
Phil Bancroft (Saxophone)
Konrad Wisniewski (Saxophone)
Eamonn Nolan (Trumpet)
Linsey Macdonald (Trumpet)
Ross Martin (Guitar)
John Morran (Bouzouki & voc)
Alyn Cosker (Drums)
Marc Clement (Guitar)
Ewen Vernal (Bass)
Kevin McGuire (Bass)
James Mackintosh (Drums)
Mattie Foulds (Drums)
Kris Drever (Guitar & vocal)
Karine Polwart (vocal)
Findlay Napier (vocal)
Maeve Gilchrist (harp & vocal)
Malcom Stitt (Bouzouki)
In the band's first five years, they've done dozens of performances in venues from large concert halls and theatres, down to Village Halls. Since they started, over 60 of Scotland's top musicians have performed with the group!