Scottish Rock Bands

Grandfather Mountain set for Highland Games

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN — The 56th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans brings the color of hundreds of tartan plaids and the clamor of half a dozen bagpipe bands to the North Carolina Highlands Thursday through Sunday, July 7-10.

The Grandfather Games are considered America’s grandest Games because of the spectacular mountain setting that is so reminiscent of Scotland. The peaks of 6,000-foot Grandfather Mountain tower above a meadow ringed by 167 red, blue, yellow and green striped tents. The color is augmented by thousands of Scots decked out in their finest tartan plaids, and the energy is amplified by the sounds of bagpipes and kettledrums echoing across the moor.

The Highland Games begin Thursday afternoon, July 7, with a sheep dog demonstration, Celtic entertainment, the running of “The Bear,” and the opening ceremonies. Many people choose to bring a picnic dinner or buy concessions at the Meadows to enjoy during the evening events.

The opening ceremonies begin at dusk with a torchlight ceremony where representatives of each of the 120 clans announce their family’s participation in the gathering. This “raising of the clans” proclaims that they have once again come together to celebrate their heritage.

Prior to the torchlight ceremony, 800 runners will participate in a 5-mile footrace called “The Bear” that climbs 1,568 feet in elevation from the town of Linville to the summit of Grandfather Mountain.

Returning this year on Friday, July 8 is the Grizzly Bike Ride, a challenging route with 7,000 feet of climbing completed over 65 miles. The ride begins at Grandfather Mountain with cyclists traveling throughout Avery County, including a two-mile dirt road up the backside of Beech Mountain.

Completing the trifecta of extreme physical challenges is the 43rd running of the Grandfather Mountain Marathon on Saturday, July 9. A special prize will be awarded to athletes who complete all three grueling events.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are filled with competition in heavyweight Scottish athletic events; highland dancing competition; bagpipe band parades; piping, drumming and harp competitions; sheep herding demonstrations by Scottish border collies and concerts featuring a wide variety of Celtic music.

At the center of the activity, the nation’s top Scottish athletes clash in traditional heavyweight events such as “Turning the Caber” and “Tossing the Sheaf.” The first requires an athlete to flip a telephone-pole-sized tree trunk end-over-end and the second challenges athletes to loft a 16-pound sack of hay over a cross bar more than 20 feet above the ground. Other ancient tests of strength awaiting the brawny professionals are highland wrestling, putting the stone, the hammer throw and various weight throws.

Scottish rock band resurfaces with new album | The Corner News

Every once in a while a forgotten classic rock band will resurface, usually with only one or two original members, and attempt to regain their former glory with a new album. Most times, it is a futile, lame attempt to cash in on a name, usually instigated by a popular artist covering one of their songs. But once in a great while, the music merry-go-round brings them full circle to produce something worthwhile. That is the case in Nazareth's new album “Big Dogz.” Nazareth was Scotland's greatest export, leading the way for other Scottish bands like Big Country, Wet Wet Wet, and Deacon Blue, and certainly was inspiration for many bands including Guns 'n' Roses, with hits like “Hair of the Dog,” “Alcatraz,” and their defining take on Boudleaux Bryant's classic “Love Hurts.” Nazareth was a band in the '70s that walked the fine line between hard rock and progressive rock, and they have recaptured that spirit and musicality on “Big Dogz.” Founding members, vocalist Dan McCafferty and bassist Pete Agnew, remain intact in the band while lead guitarist Manny Charlton (who, after leaving in 1990, started a different band called Nazareth featuring Manny Charlton in 2009, causing quite a bit of confusion among fans) has been replaced by Jimmy Murrison, and the late Darrell Sweet has been replaced by Pete's son, Lee Agnew on drums. Although the band has been active throughout the years, they've been virtually nonexistent to most Americans as they have not toured the US in years. But “Big Dogz” proves this band is not done yet. The album opens with a perfect example of their ability to blend hard and progressive styles with “Big Dog's Gonna Howl,” and delivers the variety of rockers, love songs and epics that one would expect from the band in their heyday. If I didn't know better, I'd believe this album was a lost artifact of bygone days, only to be surprised to find that Nazareth is still one of the “Big Dogz.

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