11 Pipers Piping

Today is January 4th and officially the 11th day of Christmas. You may have thought Christmas was over when you opened that final present, finished off the last few Christmas cookies with a tiniest swig of eggnog, and took down the ornaments and decorations, but you would be wrong.  There is still one more day of Christmas after today.

According to the song true love will bring 11 pipers piping today.  Now, there are many people who complain, loudly I might add, at their utter hatred of bagpipes.  After I spent a summer in Scotland I fell in love with everything Scottish, well not the food necessarily, but the tartans, the bagpipes, the highland games, the men in kilts I'll take it all, the haggis I could have gone a lifetime without (shiver) it still gives me nightmares.

I'm a big fan of AC/DC and I just love when the bagpipes kick in on "It’s a Long Way to the Top (If you Wanna Rock ‘n Roll)".

A couple years ago I went to the New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain and saw the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (check them out in the clip above).  Talk about smokin' hot!  These ain't your grandpappy's pipers.

Whenever Guns-n-Roses comes up on my Pandora or car radio I'm taken back to the UMASS Marching Band Drumline bus circa 1988.  The "Live and Let Die" cover from GnR's "Use Your Illusion" album has some kickass piping going on. 

Eric Rigler of Bad Haggis, is speculated to be the most recorded bagpiper alive, he played on the Braveheart soundtrack, and for Phil Collins' cover of "True Colors."

Boston's very own Dropkick Murphys feature bagpipes on several of there songs. I'm kinda digging the "Spicy McHaggis".

Tears for Fears break out the bagpipes in their 1985 hit Shout.

New York based Piper Al Gonzales The Royal Piper features a rocking version of the Billy Idol classic "Dancing with Myself".

The White Stripes used bagpipes on their album "Icky Thump" in "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn"

Even Eminem has the song "Bagpipes from Baghdad" on his "Relapse" album.

And finally the Rogues, a kilted Rock/Celtic/Folk/Classical/World group from Texas are definitely worth a listen.