Enter the Haggis in Concert

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Lee Hetherington

Enter the Haggis (L to R): Rose Baldino, Brian Buchanan, Tom Barraco, Caroline Browning, Trevor Lewington, Craig Downie

“If other bands are putting out the equivalent of late-night cable-tv shows, Enter The Haggis is making IMAX films.” -Asheville Mountain Xpress

For more than two decades, Toronto’s Enter The Haggis has combined bagpipes and fiddles with a rock rhythm section to create a distinctively eclectic sound that has been praised by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and Canada’s Globe and Mail. Their songs offer singalong melodies and deep, meaningful lyrics which tell the stories of everyday hard-working people, often faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Signature songs like “One Last Drink”, “Gasoline”, “Down With The Ship” and “Lancaster Gate” have had hundreds of thousands of plays on social media, appeared in Hollywood films, and have been performed and recorded by artists around the world.

Enter The Haggis is clearly comfortable on the stage and develops an easy rapport with audiences, sharing the stories behind their songs and laughing through tour anecdotes. The show is exciting and dynamic, featuring unpredictable and spontaneous moments. One song might feature drummer Tom Barraco taking a drum solo on Trevor Lewington's guitar strings, while the next song breaks down into a fierce battle between fiddle and harmonica. During an encore, the band may leave the stage entirely to perform acoustically standing on chairs in the audience.

Rose Baldino has joined the band on fiddle, filling out the group's Celtic instrumentation. No stranger to touring and the Celtic festival scene, Baldino grew up playing with her band Burning Bridget Cleary and currently tours extensively with House of Hamill.

Brand new to the line-up is Caroline Browning from Asheville, NC. She steps into the role of bass player, and adds extra layers of texture with her keyboard, mandolin, and vocal skills.

Enter The Haggis' commitment to putting on a great show every single night has made them a favorite at festivals and performing arts centers across the US and Canada. As a result, ETH shows have become an annual tradition on some of the most prestigious stages on the continent. The band has also brought hundreds of fans on eight tours of Ireland, forging deeper friendships with their supporters while exploring ancient landmarks and natural wonders across the country. The most recent trip was a Scotland tour in April 2022.

Enter The Haggis has appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly" and "A&E’s Breakfast With The Arts” and was the feature of an hour-long PBS concert special which aired for months on more than eighty affiliate stations across the US. The band’s legions of die-hard fans (the self-described “Haggis Heads") have crowdfunded the last four ETH albums and played a huge part in propelling the most recent full-length record to its debut at #9 on the national "Billboard Heatseekers" chart. The group’s friendly, welcoming attitude is responsible for the close relationship it has with its supporters, and all band members truly enjoy taking time after every show to meet with people one on one.

Enter the Haggis is currently touring in support of their latest album, “The Archer's Parade”. They have produced 9 studio albums and 5 live albums. A new album is in the works.

“Enter the Haggis has become one of the great solid Celtic Rock bands in the U.S. They continue to grow their audience and are really some of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. Their original music is unique from hard driving tunes to great sing-along rock ballads like "One Last Drink". Plus, some great audience banter and interaction make ETH a must-see show.” — Barry Stapleton, Milwaukee Irish Fest