Interview with Matt MacIsaac | Sound Authors Radio
October 27, 2008
Dr. Kent: That was a little bit of a song by Matt MacIsaac from his latest album. He’s putting out a new album soon but this album is called Matt MacIsaac, The Piping Album. That song was called Dr. McInnis’ Family, Lynne Sutherland and the Drunken Landlady all put together. Welcome to the show Matt MacIsaac.
Matt MacIsaac: Hi there.
Dr. Kent: I heard you play with Natalie McMaster. How is that experience versus just sitting in front of the stage and playing a solo song like that?
Matt MacIsaac: Oh, well of course it’s different but it’s been fantastic playing with her you know. It’s a great bunch of musicians and lots of energy and stuff, it’s a great time. Where did you see us play?
Dr. Kent: I saw you play in Stonybrook New York out on Long Island.
Matt MacIsaac: Oh, cool.
Dr. Kent: It was a beautiful show. It could be a small stage and it felt as if we were in a room with you, which is I guess the place this kind of music is supposed to be done.
Matt MacIsaac: Yeah. The audience is almost sitting on the floor kind of thing? It went right down to the stage. Yeah, that was a fun show I had a great time there.
Dr. Kent: What is it you like most about this music?
Matt MacIsaac: I think it’s just the energy that comes out of it. I mean I grew up playing pipes and I sort of was born into it so I’ve always loved it I guess. It was something that was always around so I didn’t really have a choice. I don’t know, there’s just something about it. I appreciate the heritage of it and it speaks to my roots kind of thing.
Dr. Kent: You also play tons of other instruments, right? The banjo, guitar and things like that. Why do you like the pipes the best?
Matt MacIsaac: I guess because it was my first instrument. I enjoyed playing the other things too of course. The banjo is a lot of fun and I love playing the whistle. I’ve been playing that a lot more recently. I love playing the guitar too; I’ve been playing that lately too. But yeah, the pipes were always my thing, the thing that I guess I aspire to and competed with and that kind of thing. Again, it’s something that’s been in my family for generations so it’s been part of me since I was born.
Dr. Kent: Now are you from Cape Breton?
Matt MacIsaac: Yes, I’m from a little place called St. Peters in Cape Breton, which is on the east side of the island. I was born in Sydney which is the largest city in cape Breton but my family still lives there. My mother and father live there, my grandmother and most of my moms family are there too.
Dr. Kent: Do your parents like that you go on the road and play these big concerts or do they say you should come on home and do the small venues near home?
Matt MacIsaac: No I mean they’re proud of what I’m doing I guess and they love seeing me go onto different states and different countries and try and do as much music I can, just like any parent would I guess. But yeah, we don’t play that much at home so I sort of miss it. It’s a couple of years between gigs at home so they don’t see me that much, but no I think they’re pretty proud of what we’re doing.
Dr. Kent: How about the world has really embraced this music. It’s often put in the Celtic category; it is of course but it is such a unique brand of music coming from Cape Breton. Talk a little bit about your hometown.
Matt MacIsaac: Cape Breton music basically when the Scots came over during the Highland clashes they brought with them of course their fiddles and they brought pipes and stuff but now it seems almost that since Cape Breton is so isolated at the tip of Nova Scotia that its almost more Scottish than Scottish music is now because in Scotland I mean there’s lots of English and Irish influences in the music, a lot of jazz too.
When my friends and I talk about Scottish music it’s always sort of the same kind of style, like a lot of jazz chords and different arrangements and it’s really cool but I think Cape Breton has really stuck to what it’s always been and it is different from Irish music. It’s different from Croatian, it’s different from Scottish, from Appalachian and I’m not sure exactly why. It might be the style of the piano, the accompaniment that goes along with the music. I wouldn’t call it refined, although there are a lot of great players that come out of Cape Breton. It’s sort of a grittier sort of music I guess you could say.
Dr. Kent: What do you plan to do? It says that various places on the web that you want to put out a new album. Are you planning for that still?
Matt MacIsaac: Yeah I’m working on it now. It’s going to be a lot different. The piping you just heard of course is just piping, that’s why it’s called the Piping Album. I wanted to do something that was really stripped down and bare and traditional because a lot of the piping albums that come out now and you wouldn’t think there were a lot but there are quite a few, at least in the piping world. And it seems like everyone is trying to do something different, which is great for music but there were so many things coming out with different instruments and different styles.
I thought well I’m just going to go back and do something that no one has done for awhile which is just put out an album of straight pipe music. So the next album I’m going to do I’m going to sort of keep all that bottled up energy and creativity that I think I might have and put out an album with a bunch of different instruments. So I’ll play guitar, banjo, whistle and piano, and I’ll put pipes on it too obviously. I’d like to have cello and there’ll be some drums. I’m not playing those so there’ll be some guests on it, but yeah it’s something I’m working out and its going to come together I think.
Dr. Kent: So I have one question for you. My fiancé, her parents said that when she played the violin as a child she should keep the windows closed. What did your parents say when you were a kid practicing the pipes?
Matt MacIsaac: Well yeah bagpipes were sort of a different beast too but everyone loved it at home and I was really keen on practicing. I actually had been asking my parents since I was five to start playing the pipes so for five years they had to say no just because I was too small and not ready for them or whatever. When I finally picked them up everyone was sort of excited that there was going to be another piper in the family because at that point there was my three uncles and my two cousins in moms family that played so this was going to be six and everyone was excited, so they liked it when I was practicing and would invite people over and that kind of thing. I would be shy and shy away to my room but they were really cool and supportive and helped me get to where I am right now.
Dr. Kent: Well it sure has been a pleasure speaking with you. The album is called The Piping Album by Matt MacIsaac. You can see him on tour with Natalie McMaster. Are you going on tour anytime soon?
Matt MacIsaac: Well we just finished a really busy spring. We’ve been all over the states and we’re going to be a little quieter this summer so we get to spend some time at home and do some different things that we want to pursue. Then I think we go back to the states in October and then some stuff in November or December. Look for us on the west coast is where I think we’ll be playing mostly.
Dr. Kent: Where can we find your website online?
Matt MacIsaac: That’s a good question because I don’t have one at the moment. It’s basically if you want to look for the album you can get it at my parent’s website. They are kilt makers actually from Cape Breton in St. Peters. Great, beautiful garments but the website is called mackilts.com. You can get the album through there.
Dr. Kent: Well I’m looking forward to the new album, looking forward to seeing you play again with Natalie McMaster and the piping album is certainly very beautiful.
Matt MacIsaac: Thank you very much.
Dr. Kent: Thanks for being on the show and lets listen to just a little bit more of Rocking the Baby, Victoria Rode on Masons Apron from the piping album, thank you Matt.
[Music]
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