Celtic Band Plans CSUN Performance

Folks who want to revel in the joys of spring can celebrate the approach of May Day with the Celtic-rooted music of Skyedance, featuring rousing dance tunes and haunting, “Braveheart”-style melodies.

The band will play today at 8 p.m. at CSUN’s Performing Arts Center.

“The backbone of this music is Scottish, but the instrumentation is a wee bit unusual,” said Alasdair Fraser, Scottish fiddle master. “We use a Middle Eastern hand drum playing alongside the great Highland bagpipe.”

One reason Celtic music has survived is because of its ability to express what people experience in life, he said.

“It leads you through the darker times, into the light,” said Fraser, whose band will perform 18th century and modern compositions. “It seems to fit in with May Day because it is so life-giving.”

The first day of May traditionally represents life, power and optimism. It celebrates the return of flowers and release from the confines of indoor living during the winter and spring rains.

Movies such as “Braveheart” and “Titanic,” which featured the work of several band members, and stage productions such as “Riverdance” have increased awareness of Celtic music.

“You don’t have to be Scottish or Irish to enjoy this music,” said Alex Beaton, a folk singer and entertainment chairman for the United Scottish Society. “It has very good crossover appeal.”

During ancient May Day celebrations, dances took place at the town’s crossroads, and sometimes the only musician present was a piper. The haunting sounds of the bagpipes were also used to fire up troops charging into battle.

After the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, the great Highland bagpipe was considered an instrument of war and outlawed for many years.

“The tunes never died,” Beaton said. “They were carried over on instruments like the fiddle. And no one plays the Scottish fiddle like Alasdair Fraser.”

For more information on the concert, call (818) 677-2488.