The Fergus Pipe Band added a little local flavour to the Riverfest music festival by playing a set on its main stage Sunday.
The pipe and drum band shared the same stage which featured popular Canadian and international acts throughout the festival, like Mother Mother, MGMT, Sloan, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Gogol Bordello.
Peter Hummel, AKA Peter Piper, played short solo sets on bagpipe during last year’s festival and again this year.
He proposed to the organizers adding something different of this weekend’s festival.
“It’s the Fergus Pipe Band’s ninetieth anniversary. I thought ’90 years? Let’s do something exciting,” said Hummel immediately after the pipe band came off the main stage.
11 members of the Fergus Pipe Band took to the stage just after noon today at the Elora music festival.
Sue Baker, manager and fellow piper in the band, said they were pleased to be asked to participate.
Baker began playing about 11 years ago, beginning well into adulthood.
“It was on my bucket list. Once everyone was off safely to university, I didn’t have to be mom’s taxi anymore and I thought ‘it’s now or never,’” said Baker.
Her parents were of Scottish origin, said Baker, and she did Scottish country dancing as a child.
She said the stigma associated with being a bagpipe player is ‘well earned’.
“I bought my immediate neighbours a couple of bottles of wine a few times a year when I was learning to say sorry they had to live so close to a piper,” said Baker.
Even after playing for over a decade, she says the odd creaky note still escapes her bagpipe.
“It’s a cantankerous instrument,” said Baker.
Hummel said the band is famous for playing We Will Rock You on the pipes at local pubs and they cooked up a special treat for festival goers this year by playing The Lonesome Boatman by Dropkick Murphys.
“Nobody has ever done that on the pipes. That was just for Riverfest,” he said.
Hummel was excited to see My Son The Hurricane play the following main stage set Sunday afternoon, with their large horn section, as well as anticipating the festival’s final act, Gogol Bordello.
Mingling with the other bands has been a great experience, said Hummel.
“They’re really great acts, but really great people, too. Like super gracious. I can’t say enough good things,” he said.
