Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums Wake Up There, Man!
Texas Platters
Reviewed by Margaret Moser, Fri., Feb. 4, 2000
Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums
Wake Up There, Man!
The story is not apocryphal: Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums might not exist as a band if Kevin Kendryx hadn't worn a kilt to celebrate Sean Connery's birthday in 1977. While many bands boast auspicious beginnings, few have the longevity of local 23-year-old bagpipe and drum outfit, headed today by pipe major Ken Liechti. Of course any bagpipe group is going to find itself in a class of its own in Austin, Texas, the sympathetic support of the local Celtic community notwithstanding. Through sheer dedication and no fear of the avant-garde (they merged temporarily with percussion group Sambaxé to produce an album a couple of years ago), STPD have developed a rabid following even among those for whom bagpipes are synonymous with torture. Wake Up features seamless medleys of non-traditional and original tunes -- where else might you hear Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk" done on pipes? -- but it's the haunting traditional renditions ("Mrs. MacDougal," "Come By the Hills," "Castle Dangerous") that truly capture the Highland heart. Even in Texas.