Enter the Haggis

Enter the Haggis
Enter the Haggis in 2012. From left to right: Bruce McCarthy, Craig Downie, Brian Buchanan, Trevor Lewington, and Mark Abraham.
Background information
Also known as	Jubilee Riots
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Celtic rock Folk rock Indie rock Roots rock
Years active	1995 to present
Website	www.enterthehaggis.com
Members	Brian Buchanan Craig Downie Trevor Lewington Mark Abraham Bruce McCarthy
Past members	Duncan Cameron James Campbell Ken Horne Rob McCrady Owen Pallett Tom Paterson Donald Quan

Enter the Haggis is a Canadian Celtic rock band based in Toronto. The band was founded in 1995 by Craig Downie, the only remaining original member in the lineup, which currently consists of Downie (highland bagpipes, vocals), Brian Buchanan (vocals, fiddle, guitar), Trevor Lewington (vocals, guitar), Mark Abraham (bass), and Bruce McCarthy (drums). For about a year starting in late 2014 they recorded and performed under the name Jubilee Riots and released their eighth and latest studio album Penny Black, before returning to the original band name.

Craig Downie was born in Scotland and raised in Canada. He started playing bagpipes when he joined a pipe band at 12 years old. After pursuing an acting career in the early 1990s, Downie formed Enter the Haggis in Toronto in 1995 shortly before the band's first performance. The name was chosen as a humorous reference to the 1973 kung-fu film Enter the Dragon.

The band's first release Let the Wind Blow High was released in 1998 on Rel Records. This was followed by Aerials in 2002, which was the first studio release with the lineup consisting of Downie, Buchanan, Lewington, Abraham, and drummer James Campbell. This lineup would remain unchanged until Campbell's departure in 2010.

In July 2003 the band played a show to about 20,000 people at the annual Mayor's Cup festival in Plattsburgh, New York. At the show, the band was approached with the offer to film a live show for release as a DVD special to PBS. In December that year, the band returned to Plattsburgh and recorded two nights of shows at Plattsburgh State University's Hartman Theater. The Live at Lanigan's Ball special was released on DVD and to PBS and aired on many stations across the US. This exposure opened up further tours in the United States in subsequent years.

Enter the Haggis' third studio album Casualties of Retail was released in 2005, followed by Soapbox Heroes in 2006, both on the United for Opportunity record label. In 2006 the band performed two songs on Breakfast with the Arts, "Gasoline" from Casualties of Retail and "One Last Drink" from Soapbox Heroes. In March 2007 the band performed on Live with Regis and Kelly, playing "One Last Drink" and "Minstrel Boy" (from Casualties).Gutter Anthems was released in 2009, again on United for Opportunity.