Check out our great 2023 Entertainment Lineup!
Whether you enjoy Celtic rock, folk or something in between, we have a band for you. Come out to one of our three entertainment stages for a rockin’ and toe-tappin’ good time.
Schedule Coming Soon!
Welcome our 2023 Headliners!
North of Argyll
With over 200 main stage performances for theaters, festivals, and corporate events, North of Argyll is becoming one of the most popular modern Celtic music bands on the road today. North of Argyll is a high energy Celtic Fusion band. The music style is a fusion of contemporary and rock. Performances include foot stomping music, stories, legends, and humor. North of Argyll is a touring band performing in the USA, Canada and internationally. The band performs in full Scottish Highland attire. Prepare to enjoy a unique visual and auditory experience!
SYR
SYR is a unique Celtic Folk Rock band from Columbia, SC, taking inspiration from Celtic history, stories and myths, to create powerful songs with themes like battle, love, and victory. Front man Kyle MacCallum founded SYR on the belief that the rich heritage of the Celtic Nations and the Gaelic language could be brought to life in a contemporary musical style with broad audience appeal. SYR’s high-energy performance has become a welcome addition to Celtic festivals and events across the US. SYR consists of siblings Kyle (vocals, guitar) and Laurel MacCallum (vocals, percussion); Kelly Vance (bass), Greg Vance (drums) and Worth Lewallen (fiddle).
Pictus
Pictus has been thrilling audiences all over the country with their unique take on primal drums and bagpipes. You can feel the thunder of the war drums and hear the call of the great Highland bagpipes and let the music lift your spirits, stir your soul and speak to the voice of your ancestors. But Pictus is not simply a “bagpipe and drum band” for there are stories, tales and jokes to be told by Oengus Mac Og, the drummer and voice of Pictus. There is Irish and Scottish Highland dance provided by the energetic and beautiful Ceilidh Shillelagh. There are Irish penny whistle and original compositions by Tallisyn.
Highland Reign
Highland Reign, a Scots-American folk rock band from Indianapolis, takes the tunes of the Old Country and breathes a rocking new life into them! With traditional such as “Trooper and the Main,” originals like “Slainte Mhath,” Celtic classic songs “TWA Recruiting Sergeants,” and “Loch Lomond,” Highland Reign has become one of America’s favorite Scottish folk rock bands. With more than 25,000 CDs sold, “Slainte Mhath” is their most recent release. These songs have the trademark upbeat vocals, catchy lyrics, guitars and bagpipes. Highland Reign appears at venues and festivals all across the United States, Scotland and Ireland.
Additional Live Music!
Colin Grant-Adams
As a solo artist, Colin touches every emotion with his enthusiastic, high-energy, professional and artistic performance, tailored to fit any occasion, Scottish, Irish, Folk, Schools or Workshops. His captivating repertoire of Traditional Celtic-American, bluegrass and nationally acclaimed original material is delivered with his powerful tenor voice, and fiery quick guitar together with irrepressible good humor and stories. This, mixed with sing-along songs and even some unbelievable yodeling, appeals to audiences of all ages.
Trip Rogers
Trip has been entertaining audiences all over the Southeast for over thirty years. He performs the songs of Scotland and Ireland with his trademark energy, humor, and Southern rock guitar style.
Red McWilliams
Combining a percussive guitar with a rich baritone voice and a positive attitude has created the perfect blend of entertainer! The fact of which has been proven at more than 57 Scottish Highland games, Irish and Celtic festivals, Renaissance fairs, TV and radio, many coffee houses, pubs, clubs and restaurants on three continents, seven countries, and 42 states (including Hawaii and Alaska). Always ready to perform, Red moves from ballads to bawdy, from patriotic to parody, historical to hysterical, only to be punctuated by off-the-wall comments, jokes, ribald humor and snide remarks caused by something in his nature that drives him to entertain his audiences!
Glen Ayr
Glen Ayr is comprised of musicians from the Knoxville, TN area. They play a variety of traditional and modern Scottish tunes on fiddle, guitar, Scottish border pipes, whistles, and bodhran. They recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the Scottish influence in the Appalachian region. Members include David Pickens, Alicia Peery, Rachel Cosby and Tracy Jenkins. They also play with the Knoxville Scottish session at Boyd’s Jig and Reel.
Chambless and Muse with Jack Vogt
For more than 25 years, Alabama natives Jil Chambless and Scooter Muse have been performing the music of Scotland, Ireland and early America with various ensembles in a wide variety of venues, from simple house concerts to festivals and concert halls. Jil and Scooter have been fortunate to work alongside many of the finest artists in Celtic music, resulting in many spontaneous collaborations. They have performed across the US as well as in Canada, Scotland, and Israel. They are joined by percussionist Jack Vogt.
Culture and History Presentations!
Join us for entertaining and educational presentations from experts eager to share their knowledge of Scottish and Scottish American history, culture and lore.
George Lane
Learn how the Scots-Irish were some of the first settlers of the Great Smoky Mountains! Historian and storyteller George Lane is a descendant of the first settlers who came to this area 250 years ago from northern Ireland, though most were Scots known as the Ulster Scots, and then followed the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, into North Carolina and then East Tennessee looking for land to call their own. He will share stories about his ancestors who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War, and about the day-to-day life of the pioneers who had to protect their families and farms from the Native Americans whose land they were settling.
amelia galvas
Amelia has been making brooms for six years. A former art teacher, she took on a full apprenticeship from a retired broom maker on House Mountain. From the first broom she was swept away! The educational aspect is still a very important factor in the process. She visits schools, museums and other organizations demonstrating and teaching brooms. On the weekends, you can find her at the Farmers Market in Knoxville .She offers classes both online and in person. The brooms are all different,each one has its own story. Amelia believes that it should be an organic process. With only a rough draft in her mind, she sets out to make the broom. “They really come to life, it’s always exciting to experience it!.” Find her on Etsy, and socials @aviarybroomco.
sheri liles
Sheri Liles has been a storyteller, hand spinner and weaver in East Tennessee for nearly two decades. Many of her stories are inspired by Pictish ancestry and Celtic myths and legends. She’ll spin a yarn on the wheel while entertaining you with a mix of history and legends that will make you laugh and ponder.
jim akins
Jim Akins of the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center in Franklin, NC, will speak on tartan, color terms, tartan history and fake tartans. He will also explain why clan tartans don’t date “to the mists of time” as many clans claim but to around 1822. The Museum was founded in 1988 to be a reliable resource on tartans, Scottish dress and heritage in the United States as well as Canada. One of the founding purposes of the Tartan Museum is to dispel myths about tartans, which is a constant battle as these myths have been repeated for generations. Jim has served as president of the board of directors and as general manager of the gift shop at the Tartan Museum for 10 years.
Haggis Mcleod
Let Haggis Mcleod regale you with his enchanted Celtic stories. Haggis Macleod is the stage name for Jay McClure. He has performed as a storyteller for over 23 years including with the Brevard (FL) Theatrical Ensemble telling a wide variety of stories. He is a member of the Clan Macleod society and specializes in Celtic stories. He was given permission to wear pheasant feathers as a clan baird by the past Chief Macleod of Macleod. He is currently a storyteller with Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg.
Stages
All stages are sponsored by Boyd’s Jig and Reel.
Edinburgh Stage
Features headlining performers who tour internationally and have translated their deep knowledge of Scottish music onto some of the largest Celtic festival stages in the world. This is music that you will feel in your bones.
Glasgow Stage
Features traditional music that is such a vital part of our community, and the Scottish folk music we are so proud of!
St. Andrews Stage
Gives you an opportunity to learn more about Scottish history, culture and lore with a smaller, close-up experience.