Capercaillie (band)

Capercaillie
Capercaillie at Nuremberg, 2005
Background information
Origin	Oban, Scotland
Genres	Celtic music
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Survival Records Vertical Records Valley Entertainment
Website	www.capercaillie.co.uk
Members	Karen Matheson Charlie McKerron Michael McGoldrick Manus Lunny Donald Shaw Ewen Vernal Che Beresford David Robertson
Past members	Joan MacLachlan Anton Kirkpatrick Shaun Craig Martin Macleod Marc Duff John Saich Wilf Taylor James Mackintosh

Capercaillie are a Scottish folk band, founded in the 1980s by Donald Shaw and fronted by Karen Matheson. Capercaillie perform traditional Gaelic songs and tunes, as well as contemporary English language songs and tunes. The group adapt traditional Gaelic music and traditional lyrics with modern production techniques with instruments such as electric guitar or bass and rarely synthesisers or drum machines. They have seen four of their albums placed in the UK Albums Chart, and continue to perform and record to the present day.

Originating from Argyll, a region of western Scotland, the band is named after the Western capercaillie, sometimes called a wood grouse, a native Scottish bird. Their first album, Cascade, was recorded in 1984.

Capercaillie's repertoire includes both traditional Gaelic songs and tunes, as well as modern English-language songs and tunes, composed by other folk writers and musicians, or by members of the band.

The group often adapt traditional Gaelic songs and music using modern production techniques, and often mix musical forms, combining traditional lyrics and tunes with modern techniques and instruments such as synthesisers, drum machines, electric guitar and bass.

Capercaillie's first two albums, Cascade and Crosswinds featured very few modern instruments and the tunes and songs were played in a more traditional arrangement. However beginning with later albums such as Sidewaulk, and the The Blood Is Strong soundtrack, Capercaillie began to experiment with adding funk bass-lines into certain tracks, as well as synthesisers and electric guitar. This fusion style gained Capercaillie chart success in the 1990s, on albums such as Delirium and Secret People (see Chart Success, below) and reached its peak in the albums To the Moon and Beautiful Wasteland, with the remix albums Get Out and Capercaillie being released during this period.