Ian Carmichael - Ten Years On (2015)

Living in the Highlands of Scotland presented problems in finding musicians to impress on him the techniques. Luckily, Inverness did have a music shop that sold a banjo, fingerpicks two books and most importantly, records by Earl Scruggs. His love of this music eventually led him to America where he spent a couple of years travelling around festivals, meeting and playing with the great bluegrass players and generally having a great time indulging in his love of Bluegrass music. Tugging at his soul however, was his profound love for his own traditional music. On returning to Scotland Ian was present during the vibrant Edinburgh Traditional scene of the early 90's, packed with great musicians and great sessions, allowing him to develop a style of backing for traditional music and giving rise to a short lived but exciting band featuring Iain Macleod (The House Band, Shooglenifty) on mandolin, Simon Bradley (llan De Cubel) on fiddle, Jazz guitarist and song writer Sandy Wright and Russel Hunter on piano. From Edinburgh's buzzing traditional scene, Ian moved to Ireland, where the same rich musical environment existed and thrived. He has played many festivals both at home and abroad and is well known throughout for his backing of traditional music and playing both Bluegrass and Old Time American music. From Ian's performing to recording, his album 'Ten Years On' is a fresh, authentic and vibrant take on the banjo unlike any other.