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Off Kilter
- Thread starter Ariel
- Start date
Kontra
Member
On the Road with Off Kilter (1 of 2)
It sure is. You can d-load thier music off a sharing music program, thier whole collection is on em. This is a recent article on the band from the All Ears News:
ON THE RECORD WITH OFF KILTER
by Debra Martin Koma
You're strolling around Epcot's World Showcase
at Walt Disney World, soaking up the sunshine,
pausing occasionally to watch one of the live
performances, when suddenly you hear it. It's
coming from the Canada pavilion, over the sound
of pounding drums, a thrumming bass, funky
keyboards and the exciting lead guitar, it's
the unmistakable wail of... bagpipes?
Yes, bagpipes. The cry of the pipes is the
signature sound of high-energy Celtic rock band
Off Kilter, which has been wowing guests with
its unique blend of traditional and modern music
forms for nearly four years.
"Our initial idea was high energy rock with
a Celtic influence," says Jamie Holton, Off
Kilter's energetic bagpiper and frontman. "When
we approached Disney with the idea, they were
very supportive -- they told us they trusted
us to do a good job with it." When they
finally auditioned, Holton says they were
enthusiastically welcomed. "As far as I know,
we're the first band here that was ever
listened to and hired on the same day," he adds.
Melding this combination of far-flung musical
influences on a Disney World stage is a far
cry from Holton's early days as a solo bagpiper
in his native Daytona Beach, Florida.
"My parents come from a Scottish background
and loved bagpipes, so I started studying how
to play them when I was young," he explains.
After winning the first competition he ever
entered, he "continued up the competition
ladder," searching for the best teachers and
playing in a pipe band in Daytona Beach.
In 1990, Jamie, by then an accomplished piper,
was able to convert his unusual skill into a
full-time position at Walt Disney World, when
he became a member of the Caledonian Bagpipe
Trio, which performed in World Showcase. The
following year he traveled to Tokyo Disneyland,
where he originated the Fantasyland Bagpiper,
a solo act that combined piping with comedy.
(The act continued with another performer as
the piper, even after Holton returned to the
states, until just last year.)
By 1996, Jamie started to develop an idea
he'd had: to blend his love of bagpipes and
traditional Celtic music with rock-and-roll to
create a band with a "world music" sound. He
met Irishman Mark Weldon, a musician (and former
All-Ireland motocross champion) with a wealth of
Celtic musical knowledge, and the two began
talking about the concept. They shared their
growing excitement with keyboardist Tony Escapa,
then, after several mismatches, recruited lead
guitarist Randy Holbrook and drummer Scott
Zymowski, who had been working in a band at
Disney's Pleasure Island.
Once they'd been accepted as World Showcase
performers, the Canada pavilion was chosen as
the appropriate venue for the new band, whose
members had already decided to wear traditional
plaid kilts when they performed. "Canada is as
multicultural as the U.S., if not more so,"
Holton explains. "It seems to be the best place
for us, since we are not just Celtic, not just
high energy rock, but just about any type of music."
The band, whose name is indicative not only of
their fresh and rather unusual sound, but of the
bright red and blue plaid tartans they sport,
will celebrate its fourth anniversary this July 1.
Visitors to Walt Disney World can catch their
trademark high kicks and hijinks on their home
stage in the Canada pavilion several times
each day. ("And I think we're the only band to
have a stage built at Disney World especially
for them," Holton points out.) But as the band
has grown in popularity (unofficial surveys
consistently indicate they are one of the most
popular live acts in Epcot), it has not outgrown
its original concept.
They have produced two CDs (the self-titled Off
Kilter, and the recent release, Etched in Stone).
They have also expanded their performing
opportunities and are venturing outside of
Walt Disney World more often. They recently
headlined at the Sunfest in West Palm Beach,
Florida, and have gigs slated later this summer
at Irish festivals in such diverse places as
Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Euclid, Ohio; and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"It's good for us to get out in different
venues," Holton notes. "And it's good for
Disney World, and the Disney company, too,
because we spread such a positive message."
Even though the band enjoys its time away
from the World Showcase, Holton says they
have no plans to leave their Mickey Mouse gig
behind.
"Of course, you never know what's going to
happen -- that's the nature of the entertainment
business," he explains. "But the Disney company
lets us do what we want to do. They're very
supportive of us, so I can't imagine us doing
anything else. In fact, I think I'm one of the
luckiest people in the whole world!"
Recently, we asked ALL EARS readers to send
in questions for Off Kilter, which Jamie
graciously agreed to answer. Here's what you
wanted to know!
From PJ: Is your tour schedule of performances
outside of WDW posted somewhere?
JAMIE: Yes, please check our website at
http://offkilter.net. We have our tour schedule there.
From Karen: Is "Fields of Athenry" still in
your repertoire? It's one of my favorites. Also
do you know how can I find the lyrics to some
of the Celtic songs?
JAMIE: We play "Fields of Athenry" almost every
day! And we do take requests, so let us know
if you're at a show and there's something you'd
like to hear. As far as lyrics to the songs we
perform, we do have some on our website right
now (including the lyrics to "Fields of Athenry").
We're hoping to have more on our website soon!
From JeffS: It seems you're playing shorter sets
than you used to, and bantering more with the
audience. Are you?
JAMIE: We used to play fewer sets each day, so
we were probably performing longer sets then,
maybe 25-30 minutes. Now we play more often
throughout the day, so we're only playing 20
minutes at a time. That's about 3 or 4 songs
each set.
From Bill J: Do you know which tartans you and
the rest of the boys are wearing?
JAMIE: Yes, sure do. I'm wearing the Nova
Scotia (blue) tartan, because I wanted to
represent Canada. (Ed. Note: Nova Scotia means
New Scotland.) The rest of the guys are wearing
the Royal Stuart (red) tartan, mainly because
they were left over costumes from the
Caledonian Pipers.
From Margaret in Westmont, IL: Hello! Here
are a few questions for you! I was wondering
how many/any of the members are from Nova Scotia,
more specifically from Cape Breton, as my mother
is from there? Do you write your own music?
And, how many members make up the Off Kilter
group? Thanks!
JAMIE: Actually, none of the guys in OK are
from Nova Scotia. We're from all over,
really -- Mark's from Ireland, most of us are
from here. We do write some of our own music
and, now that the second CD is out, we are
trying to do more of that, in fact. And finally
there are five of us in Off Kilter: Mark on bass,
Randy on lead guitar, Tony on keyboards,
Scotty on drums and me on bagpipes.
From Mickeynutz: I'd like to know what drum
and bugle corps OK members have marched with previously.
JAMIE: We've been in other bands, but none of
us were ever in a drum and bugle corps, to my
knowledge. Sorry.
From Ernie W: I love Off-Kilter!! When I was
on the college program in the spring of '99, my
friends and I discovered that Off Kilter regularly
played at the World Showcase and we'd go to
see them. The last week of my program a couple
of my friends found out that Off Kilter had a
CD that was sold where they played. They got it
and played it for the rest of us. We loved it!
They even got the band to autograph the CD insert!
Unfortunately, I never made it back to get a
copy for myself. My question is: How do I get
one of their CDs without going all the way back
to the World Showcase? Thanks.
JAMIE: You could order a CD and other OK
merchandise from our website, http://offkilter.net
Also, if you ever see us performing outside of WDW,
we sell our CDs and other merchandise on the road.
(Ed. Note: You could also try the WDW Mail Order
Merchandise line at (407) 363-6200.)
From Renae M of Lexington, KY: I'm a true fan
of Off Kilter! When we visit, we are the ones
sitting on the benches early to get a good seat!
At what point did you combine Led Zeppelin type
music with the bagpipes?
From Richard M: Was your band, Off Kilter,
inspired by the Australian band 'Brother'? Do you
know who first started putting kilts and bagpipes
into rock-and-roll?
JAMIE: I've heard of Brother, but I wouldn't
say we were inspired by them. We're pretty
different from what they're doing. I would say
that *any* kind, or *every* kind, of music has
influenced us. As far as who *first* started
using kilts and bagpipes in rock-and-roll,
I have no idea. It didn't just evolve overnight.
Bagpipes have been used by lots of folks, and
with lots of other instruments, so I don't
know if you could say who was first. We just
try to be the best at it, take it to the
next level.
CONTINUED IN NEXT THREAD...
It sure is. You can d-load thier music off a sharing music program, thier whole collection is on em. This is a recent article on the band from the All Ears News:
ON THE RECORD WITH OFF KILTER
by Debra Martin Koma
You're strolling around Epcot's World Showcase
at Walt Disney World, soaking up the sunshine,
pausing occasionally to watch one of the live
performances, when suddenly you hear it. It's
coming from the Canada pavilion, over the sound
of pounding drums, a thrumming bass, funky
keyboards and the exciting lead guitar, it's
the unmistakable wail of... bagpipes?
Yes, bagpipes. The cry of the pipes is the
signature sound of high-energy Celtic rock band
Off Kilter, which has been wowing guests with
its unique blend of traditional and modern music
forms for nearly four years.
"Our initial idea was high energy rock with
a Celtic influence," says Jamie Holton, Off
Kilter's energetic bagpiper and frontman. "When
we approached Disney with the idea, they were
very supportive -- they told us they trusted
us to do a good job with it." When they
finally auditioned, Holton says they were
enthusiastically welcomed. "As far as I know,
we're the first band here that was ever
listened to and hired on the same day," he adds.
Melding this combination of far-flung musical
influences on a Disney World stage is a far
cry from Holton's early days as a solo bagpiper
in his native Daytona Beach, Florida.
"My parents come from a Scottish background
and loved bagpipes, so I started studying how
to play them when I was young," he explains.
After winning the first competition he ever
entered, he "continued up the competition
ladder," searching for the best teachers and
playing in a pipe band in Daytona Beach.
In 1990, Jamie, by then an accomplished piper,
was able to convert his unusual skill into a
full-time position at Walt Disney World, when
he became a member of the Caledonian Bagpipe
Trio, which performed in World Showcase. The
following year he traveled to Tokyo Disneyland,
where he originated the Fantasyland Bagpiper,
a solo act that combined piping with comedy.
(The act continued with another performer as
the piper, even after Holton returned to the
states, until just last year.)
By 1996, Jamie started to develop an idea
he'd had: to blend his love of bagpipes and
traditional Celtic music with rock-and-roll to
create a band with a "world music" sound. He
met Irishman Mark Weldon, a musician (and former
All-Ireland motocross champion) with a wealth of
Celtic musical knowledge, and the two began
talking about the concept. They shared their
growing excitement with keyboardist Tony Escapa,
then, after several mismatches, recruited lead
guitarist Randy Holbrook and drummer Scott
Zymowski, who had been working in a band at
Disney's Pleasure Island.
Once they'd been accepted as World Showcase
performers, the Canada pavilion was chosen as
the appropriate venue for the new band, whose
members had already decided to wear traditional
plaid kilts when they performed. "Canada is as
multicultural as the U.S., if not more so,"
Holton explains. "It seems to be the best place
for us, since we are not just Celtic, not just
high energy rock, but just about any type of music."
The band, whose name is indicative not only of
their fresh and rather unusual sound, but of the
bright red and blue plaid tartans they sport,
will celebrate its fourth anniversary this July 1.
Visitors to Walt Disney World can catch their
trademark high kicks and hijinks on their home
stage in the Canada pavilion several times
each day. ("And I think we're the only band to
have a stage built at Disney World especially
for them," Holton points out.) But as the band
has grown in popularity (unofficial surveys
consistently indicate they are one of the most
popular live acts in Epcot), it has not outgrown
its original concept.
They have produced two CDs (the self-titled Off
Kilter, and the recent release, Etched in Stone).
They have also expanded their performing
opportunities and are venturing outside of
Walt Disney World more often. They recently
headlined at the Sunfest in West Palm Beach,
Florida, and have gigs slated later this summer
at Irish festivals in such diverse places as
Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Euclid, Ohio; and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"It's good for us to get out in different
venues," Holton notes. "And it's good for
Disney World, and the Disney company, too,
because we spread such a positive message."
Even though the band enjoys its time away
from the World Showcase, Holton says they
have no plans to leave their Mickey Mouse gig
behind.
"Of course, you never know what's going to
happen -- that's the nature of the entertainment
business," he explains. "But the Disney company
lets us do what we want to do. They're very
supportive of us, so I can't imagine us doing
anything else. In fact, I think I'm one of the
luckiest people in the whole world!"
Recently, we asked ALL EARS readers to send
in questions for Off Kilter, which Jamie
graciously agreed to answer. Here's what you
wanted to know!
From PJ: Is your tour schedule of performances
outside of WDW posted somewhere?
JAMIE: Yes, please check our website at
http://offkilter.net. We have our tour schedule there.
From Karen: Is "Fields of Athenry" still in
your repertoire? It's one of my favorites. Also
do you know how can I find the lyrics to some
of the Celtic songs?
JAMIE: We play "Fields of Athenry" almost every
day! And we do take requests, so let us know
if you're at a show and there's something you'd
like to hear. As far as lyrics to the songs we
perform, we do have some on our website right
now (including the lyrics to "Fields of Athenry").
We're hoping to have more on our website soon!
From JeffS: It seems you're playing shorter sets
than you used to, and bantering more with the
audience. Are you?
JAMIE: We used to play fewer sets each day, so
we were probably performing longer sets then,
maybe 25-30 minutes. Now we play more often
throughout the day, so we're only playing 20
minutes at a time. That's about 3 or 4 songs
each set.
From Bill J: Do you know which tartans you and
the rest of the boys are wearing?
JAMIE: Yes, sure do. I'm wearing the Nova
Scotia (blue) tartan, because I wanted to
represent Canada. (Ed. Note: Nova Scotia means
New Scotland.) The rest of the guys are wearing
the Royal Stuart (red) tartan, mainly because
they were left over costumes from the
Caledonian Pipers.
From Margaret in Westmont, IL: Hello! Here
are a few questions for you! I was wondering
how many/any of the members are from Nova Scotia,
more specifically from Cape Breton, as my mother
is from there? Do you write your own music?
And, how many members make up the Off Kilter
group? Thanks!
JAMIE: Actually, none of the guys in OK are
from Nova Scotia. We're from all over,
really -- Mark's from Ireland, most of us are
from here. We do write some of our own music
and, now that the second CD is out, we are
trying to do more of that, in fact. And finally
there are five of us in Off Kilter: Mark on bass,
Randy on lead guitar, Tony on keyboards,
Scotty on drums and me on bagpipes.
From Mickeynutz: I'd like to know what drum
and bugle corps OK members have marched with previously.
JAMIE: We've been in other bands, but none of
us were ever in a drum and bugle corps, to my
knowledge. Sorry.
From Ernie W: I love Off-Kilter!! When I was
on the college program in the spring of '99, my
friends and I discovered that Off Kilter regularly
played at the World Showcase and we'd go to
see them. The last week of my program a couple
of my friends found out that Off Kilter had a
CD that was sold where they played. They got it
and played it for the rest of us. We loved it!
They even got the band to autograph the CD insert!
Unfortunately, I never made it back to get a
copy for myself. My question is: How do I get
one of their CDs without going all the way back
to the World Showcase? Thanks.
JAMIE: You could order a CD and other OK
merchandise from our website, http://offkilter.net
Also, if you ever see us performing outside of WDW,
we sell our CDs and other merchandise on the road.
(Ed. Note: You could also try the WDW Mail Order
Merchandise line at (407) 363-6200.)
From Renae M of Lexington, KY: I'm a true fan
of Off Kilter! When we visit, we are the ones
sitting on the benches early to get a good seat!
At what point did you combine Led Zeppelin type
music with the bagpipes?
From Richard M: Was your band, Off Kilter,
inspired by the Australian band 'Brother'? Do you
know who first started putting kilts and bagpipes
into rock-and-roll?
JAMIE: I've heard of Brother, but I wouldn't
say we were inspired by them. We're pretty
different from what they're doing. I would say
that *any* kind, or *every* kind, of music has
influenced us. As far as who *first* started
using kilts and bagpipes in rock-and-roll,
I have no idea. It didn't just evolve overnight.
Bagpipes have been used by lots of folks, and
with lots of other instruments, so I don't
know if you could say who was first. We just
try to be the best at it, take it to the
next level.
CONTINUED IN NEXT THREAD...
Upvote
0
Kontra
Member
On the Road with Off Kilter (2 of 2)
CONTINUED FROM ABOVE POST...
From Alan W in Desborough, Northamptonshire,
UK: My first introduction to Off Kilter was
originally from the Usenet newsgroup
rec.arts.disney.parks (RADP). This led me to
find OK fans' websites and downloading their
music from Napster (before buying the CDs)
and finally seeing them in America. They were
great! They all signed my latest CD and even
gave me one of their postcards. My daughter
loved them, dancing away to Misirlou. So I was
wondering if they know how big their internet
following is and if they are aware of their
fansites? If so, do they visit them? And do
they ever visit RADP?
JAMIE: I'm not as big of a computer guy as
some of the other guys are, so I'm not sure
about the fansites or the newsgroups. I do
know that we receive email through *our*
website on a daily basis. And we certainly
appreciate all the support of the fans out
there. (Ed. Note: The band's public relations
person indicates that it receives on average
10 emails each day. She makes sure all mail
is answered, so don't hesitate to drop Jamie
and the others a line at http://www.offkilter.net/html/contactpage.html
From Jim and Lee Ann H: Off Kilter is our
favorite attraction at WDW. We have both CDs
and listen to them frequently. Last November
while on a mini-family reunion trip, we
introduced my husband's family to their music.
Is there another CD in the works? We were
thinking they needed to add a CD of holiday
music to the collection. We also noticed
that one member might be absent and a substitute
would be filling in. Is this how they get
vacations? We could go on and on. But we won't.
Thanks!
JAMIE: First off, yes, we've talked about
doing a holiday CD, so that's a big maybe. And
we will be putting out another CD eventually.
We try to take all of our vacations at the same
time, so that we don't have to get substitutes.
It's very hard for another guy to come and fill
in for one of us -- hard for them and for us.
But if you saw a substitute it was probably
that one of us was sick -- that does happen
sometimes!
From Laura G in San Diego, CA: What do you
wear under your kilts?
JAMIE (laughing): We get that question a lot
and we have a couple different answers. I like
to say we wear white socks and Doc Marten boots
under our kilts. But, of course, the real
answer is bike shorts.
From Jeanette Chitester: I don't have a
question, just wanted to tell you that your
unique music traverses the many age groups from
the youngest to the old grey hairs on my head.
Your group doesn't just play music -- each one
of you perform and take your work to a near art
form. My daughter Debbie and I plan our
vacations to Epcot around your performance
schedule and we hardly miss any time Off Kilter
is on stage. I still play your CDs at work to
a very CAPTIVE audience. Hope to see all of
you in CLEVELAND. We will be in the World in
May -- I'll be with my daughter, and she'll be
the one with the sign. "Faster, Faster, Faster!"
when you play "Mary Mac." We wish Off Kilter,
health, wealth and happiness.
ALL EARS and its readers thank Jamie Holton and
Off Kilter for taking the time to talk with us
and look forward to many more years of their
entertaining ways!
WDWIG's Epcot section has a page dedicated
to Off Kilter: http://wdwig.com/okilter.htm
CONTINUED FROM ABOVE POST...
From Alan W in Desborough, Northamptonshire,
UK: My first introduction to Off Kilter was
originally from the Usenet newsgroup
rec.arts.disney.parks (RADP). This led me to
find OK fans' websites and downloading their
music from Napster (before buying the CDs)
and finally seeing them in America. They were
great! They all signed my latest CD and even
gave me one of their postcards. My daughter
loved them, dancing away to Misirlou. So I was
wondering if they know how big their internet
following is and if they are aware of their
fansites? If so, do they visit them? And do
they ever visit RADP?
JAMIE: I'm not as big of a computer guy as
some of the other guys are, so I'm not sure
about the fansites or the newsgroups. I do
know that we receive email through *our*
website on a daily basis. And we certainly
appreciate all the support of the fans out
there. (Ed. Note: The band's public relations
person indicates that it receives on average
10 emails each day. She makes sure all mail
is answered, so don't hesitate to drop Jamie
and the others a line at http://www.offkilter.net/html/contactpage.html
From Jim and Lee Ann H: Off Kilter is our
favorite attraction at WDW. We have both CDs
and listen to them frequently. Last November
while on a mini-family reunion trip, we
introduced my husband's family to their music.
Is there another CD in the works? We were
thinking they needed to add a CD of holiday
music to the collection. We also noticed
that one member might be absent and a substitute
would be filling in. Is this how they get
vacations? We could go on and on. But we won't.
Thanks!
JAMIE: First off, yes, we've talked about
doing a holiday CD, so that's a big maybe. And
we will be putting out another CD eventually.
We try to take all of our vacations at the same
time, so that we don't have to get substitutes.
It's very hard for another guy to come and fill
in for one of us -- hard for them and for us.
But if you saw a substitute it was probably
that one of us was sick -- that does happen
sometimes!
From Laura G in San Diego, CA: What do you
wear under your kilts?
JAMIE (laughing): We get that question a lot
and we have a couple different answers. I like
to say we wear white socks and Doc Marten boots
under our kilts. But, of course, the real
answer is bike shorts.
From Jeanette Chitester: I don't have a
question, just wanted to tell you that your
unique music traverses the many age groups from
the youngest to the old grey hairs on my head.
Your group doesn't just play music -- each one
of you perform and take your work to a near art
form. My daughter Debbie and I plan our
vacations to Epcot around your performance
schedule and we hardly miss any time Off Kilter
is on stage. I still play your CDs at work to
a very CAPTIVE audience. Hope to see all of
you in CLEVELAND. We will be in the World in
May -- I'll be with my daughter, and she'll be
the one with the sign. "Faster, Faster, Faster!"
when you play "Mary Mac." We wish Off Kilter,
health, wealth and happiness.
ALL EARS and its readers thank Jamie Holton and
Off Kilter for taking the time to talk with us
and look forward to many more years of their
entertaining ways!
WDWIG's Epcot section has a page dedicated
to Off Kilter: http://wdwig.com/okilter.htm
Upvote
0
WDW-Imagineer
Well-Known Member
I saw Off Kilter last time I went and I though they were great. Although that was in Dec. '99, so I hope they are still there. 
Upvote
0
Highland_Holly
New Member
Nothing is "worn" under the kilt... everything is in perfect working condition! :lookaroun
Upvote
0
Upvote
0
wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
Hi all!!! Your resident local OK information source has arrived!!!! Off Kilter absolutely does still play at World Showcase. They are normally dark on Fridays and Saturdays with the occasional Tuesday for rehearsal. Most any other day you can catch the boys in all their kilted glory!!!!
For OK Merchandise please check the link posted by Master Yoda that is the best place for apparel. CD's can be purchased there or actually in World Showcase at the Canadian Pavilion. Any questions, please dont hesitate to ask!!!! Belle
For OK Merchandise please check the link posted by Master Yoda that is the best place for apparel. CD's can be purchased there or actually in World Showcase at the Canadian Pavilion. Any questions, please dont hesitate to ask!!!! Belle
Upvote
0
