Scotland's Old Blind Dogs Coming to Pasadena's Caltech

By John Roos

Old Blind Dogs believe in the power of perseverance.

The traditional Scottish band had to cancel its Pasadena Folk Music Society concert at Caltech in 2015 due to U.S. visa issues. Most of the group appeared for the following year’s rescheduled date but founding member and fiddler Jonny Hardie was denied entry once more so he was replaced at the gig by America-based musician Jenna Moynihan. This year brings reason to cheer, though, as Hardie’s visa has been issued so the complete lineup—which also features lead vocalist/guitarist/bouzouki player Aaron Jones, piper/whistler Ali Hutton and percussionist Donald Hay—will finally perform in concert this Friday evening at the Beckman Institute Auditorium, the opening date on a U.S. West Coast tour that will conclude March 7 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

One has to wonder if these recurring visa challenges have dampened the quartet’s enthusiasm for coming to our shores.

“Music is our livelihood and immigration setbacks can cause us huge cash-flow issues because it costs thousands of dollars to obtain visas, and later pay the taxes coming due, so it really is a labor of love for us to tour in the U.S.,” said Jones by phone recently from his rural home in the small Scottish town of Beattock. “But we do it because we’ve made so many great friends in America. We consider ourselves to be ambassadors of traditional Celtic music and that means sharing this timeless music with the world. We cannot let the current (anti-immigrant) political climate stop us from doing that.”

Old Blind Dogs formed in the hinterlands of Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1991 and over the years has refined its trademark style mixing historically-based ballads with more up-tempo jigs, reels and songs. Their first recording in seven years, “Room with a View,” was released last March and offers plenty of hummable tunes plus its expected share of dark, brooding tales of heartbreak, loss, regret and death.

Jones speaks fondly of two ballads in particular--“Earl O March’s Daughter” and “Sawney Bean.” Both were written nearly a decade ago by a neighbor and friend, the Scottish folk legend Lionel McLelland, who passed away in 2010.

“He was so gifted and a good friend of the band so it’s an honor to record those songs,” said Jones. “We are so fortunate to have a wealth of Scottish folklore and history sitting on old, dusty bookshelves in our homes and the town’s library. But at the same, to be able to put our stamp on these two songs of his made it quite personal and very special indeed.”

The Dogs may be champions of tradition but purists they are not. Their sound and style is rooted in the past but according to Jones, the quartet has a responsibility to nudge the music forward.

“It’s a delicate balance because we of course respect the past and it’s a privilege to be born into this wonderful and cherished culture,” he stressed. “But at the same time, the music must evolve and stay relevant so we do bring some American country and rock music influences and African and Caribbean rhythms into the mix. We’ll experiment with different textures from time to time as long as our identity and sound doesn’t stray too far from its core.”

A positive indication that this centuries-old folk music will likely get passed on from generation to generation was on display a few weeks ago as part of the 2018 Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, which included a live set by the Dogs at the Royal Concert Hall. What struck Jones was how many young fans were enthusiastic about the music, particularly the ancient sounds of the bagpipe.

“I was so excited to look out from the stage and see all of these teenagers cheering and embracing what they were experiencing,” he said. “I remember a time when kids saw the pipes as something they dreaded hearing because only old-timers played them. But now the bagpipes have become cool again.”

While 2018 marks the 27th anniversary of Old Blind Dogs, the group has seen numerous band members come and go, including two founding members, Ian McKenzie and Buzzby McMillan. (Popular lead singer-guitarist Jim Malcolm fronted the group from 1999-2006 and coincidentally played a solo show here last month as part of the same Pasadena Folk Music Series.) The current quartet hopes to stay intact for the foreseeable future but Jones cautions that there really are no guarantees.

“We’re all great friends ranging in age from our 30s to mid-50s, and I think we each bring something unique and contemporary to the band,” said Jones, who joined the Dogs in 2003 after playing for years with Belfast’s Craobh Rua, among other Celtic-based folk acts.

“We love what we do but we’re not a wealthy rock band,” he continued. “Some of us have kids (Jones is a married to flutist Claire Mann and the couple have a 3-year-old daughter and 6-month-old twin boys) and it’s hard making a living doing this traditional folk music in front of appreciative yet smaller audiences.”

Perseverance is indeed a powerful thing.

*Pasadena Folk Music Society presents Old Blind Dogs in concert Friday at Beckman Institute Auditorium at Caltech, 400 S. Wilson, Pasadena, 8 p.m. $25. www.pasadenafolkmusicsociety.org.