Ashley MacIsaac

Ashley MacIsaac has become far more than a "regional phenomenon." In fact, since he launched himself from Cape Breton, assumptions about the island's music have changed, and it's safe to assume that the island has changed, as well. Ashley picked up the fiddle when he was eight-in the town of Creignish in Inverness County, and he's been steeped in the Cape Breton tradition ever since. And, although his "Hi, How Are You Today?" sounds anything but traditional, he maintains that his style is true to the island's music, which dates back to the 17th century Scottish highlands. "I still play the fiddle the same way whether I'm playing with a band or at a square dance," he says, adding "it's only the arrangements on top" that deviate from Cape Breton's cherished musical tenets. Okay, but his home page reveals an approach to life which is anything but traditional. Check out www.citw.com/ashley and learn why he is "eccentric, charismatic, energetic and evolutionary." Appearing with Ashley are Stuart Cameron on guitar, Adam Dowling on drums, John Kanakis on bass, Scott Long on bag pipes, Andrew Craig on keyboards, Heather Cadogan on vocals, and dj Brian Higgans.

  -- SA