Trad award-winning band Session A9 hit the road for Boat of Garten
Trad sensations Session A9 will perform at Boat of Garten Community Hall this evening (Friday) as part of an exciting initiative to support the recovery of Scotland’s live music industry.
Formed more than 20 years ago through informal musical sessions which took place up and down the road, Session A9 are renowned as one of the country’s finest live bands, and are highly admired by fellow musicians, Scottish listeners and international audiences alike.
The group are previous winners of “Best Live Act” at The Scottish Trad Awards and are coming to the strath as part of the 'Scotland on Tour' initiative.
It has been funded by Scottish Government and organised by Active Events, with input from representatives from across the industry including Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, XpoNorth and South of Scotland Enterprise.
Making up Session A9 are Charlie McKerron, Gordon Gunn, Kevin Henderson and Adam Sutherland on fiddle, Brian McAlpine on piano, David Robertson on percussion, and Marc Clement on guitar and vocals.
The talented musicians know how to entertain a crowd, having played Glastonbury, Celtic Connections, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and many other celebrated festivals over the course of their tenure.
Kincraig's very own Session A9 band member Charlie McKerron said: “There’s nothing quite like playing live music to an energetic Scottish audience, so we are thrilled to be on the road with Scotland on Tour.
"We can’t wait to connect with the audience in Boat of Garten and hopefully make some incredible memories after a tough couple of years for the industry.”
Scotland on Tour supports the creation of hundreds of concerts and performances at much-loved arts centres, town halls and community venues across Scotland. More than 120 artists are set to perform at more than 100 venues across the country as part of the initiative.
The project, which has been created and managed by Active Events, was made possible by £750,000 of Scottish Government backing and will focus on increasing the number of opportunities to showcase and enjoy live music, while bringing exciting acts to the doorstep of city, towns, villages and rural communities.
The year-long Scotland on Tour bill includes both emerging and established artists with genre-spanning acts appearing across the breadth and width of the country, with rock, pop, jazz, classical, folk, trad and acoustic genres all being showcased.
Director of Active Events Lisa Whytock said: “This new initiative is a bold vision for recovery for Scotland’s live music industry and an opportunity for artists, promoters and technical crews to thrive once again. The backlog of postponed and cancelled shows over the last two years has made it very difficult for artists to book new concerts and this is where Scotland on Tour comes in, providing much-needed opportunities for exciting acts to showcase their music.
“Gig goers will also have the chance to see the best of Scottish music right on their doorstep. This will be particularly beneficial to underused venues and rural performance spaces where we will be breathing life back into these fantastic settings.”
Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “We’re delighted to support the live music industry with £750,000 to fund the year-long Scotland on Tour initiative to boost the sector’s post-Covid recovery.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for performers and promoters to get back in front of live audiences and for people to back our creative communities by supporting the hundreds of gigs that will take place in venues right across Scotland.”
Tickets for the Session A9 at Boat of Garten (7.30pm start) and a raft of other shows are on sale now at www.scotlandontour.com
