There are many events taking place in and around January 25 to mark the occasion of the birthday of Robert Burns - if you're downtown and want to have a taste of haggis and a wee beer tasting courtesy of Innis and Gunn, come to D'arcy McGee's Irish Pub at 44 Sparks Street around 7 pm to take part.  Pipes included for free!

It's that time of year when the pipe bands all over are busy choosing, learning and perfecting their tunes for the upcoming contest season.  It's always a nice challenge to learn new music and exciting to see what the bands' mid and snare sections can come up with to compliment the tunes chosen.  Add to that some new parade or concert tunes, and you have lots of good highland work that we all hope will please our audiences.

Wishing everyone a happy and fun New Years celebration - take a moment to reflect on friends and family, and toast the New Year and much to come....all the best to everyone!

The annual Sons of Scotland Pipe Band St Andrew's Day Celeidh is taking place at the Royal Canadian Legion in Vanier at 294 Cyr Avenue on Saturday, December 3.  Doors at 5 pm, dinner at 6 - free parking, cash bar, silent auction and door prize plus lots of piping, drumming, highland and Scottish country dancing make for an evening with something for everyone!  All ages welcome, and tickets are $20, $10 for under 16's - available at the door.  Email us to reserve tickets or a table at sospb@sospb.com  Kilts encouraged too - come along for a terrific evening with great food, haggis, and lots of great fellowship.

Thanks for everyone's terrific donations and attendance at the celeidh this year - next year's date is December 8 at the same location with the same fine food and entertainment.  Tickets onsale July 1.

The 10th annual concert by the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band is being held on Sunday, November 20 at the Bronson Centre at 211 Bronson Avenue; the show starts at 2 pm this year, and features performances by the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, Mac An Alba, singer/songwriter Neil McDaniel, from Scotland singer Joy Dunlop, and the Gaelic Choir Ar n-Oran....dancers from the Katharine Robinson and MacCulloch Schools of Dance complete a superb line up in a show with something for everyone.  Doors open at 1 pm, no reserved seating...free refreshments at intermission and door prize of an overnight stay for 2 at the Lord Elgin Hotel....there will be tickets available at the door - we hope to see you at Scotland

The Sons of Scotland PB are playing tonight at the Dominion Tavern at 33 York Street in support of the Rookers rock band.  This show is a fundraiser for the Royal Canadian Legion - Eastview Legion in Vanier - and is a wicked show!  Come on out tonight to see the bands and have a great time.

Had the chance to go to Toronto with my brother to be guests of the Whisky Live organization and enjoy the show; we tried many different whiskies, many we had not seen before, and made some terrific new friends.  It was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and it was quite nice to be in Toronto too - what a great city!  We shall go back to the show next year; go to www.whiskylive.com for information on the shows held globally.

The Sons of Scotland PB will soon have a new site...full of interesting information and updates, photos and show info.  Visit www.sospb.com for information on the launch date or come back here soon!  Go the Sons!

Sad days in Ottawa when stalwart members of the piping and drumming community pass away; you think back to when you last saw or spoke to them, and you hope you're doing well by their standards....this past week saw us lose John Kerr, a drummer noted by many as one of the best and very innovative for his time, and Ted Moffatt, piping teacher and fellow bandmate of mine in the Cameron Highlanders....they shall both be missed.