Matt MacIsaac

Blending a mix of highland pipes, whistles, flute, guitar, 5-string banjo and percussion, Matt pushes the limits of his hands in creating a unique sound in traditional music. Matt was born to most excellent parents in 1980, and first picked up a whistle when he was 5 or 6.. squeaking out a few tunes. He picked up the pipes at age 10 after years of bugging his family for a set and from there, ran with it. He took to competitive piping and shot up through the grades, winning the Argyllshire Gathering's Silver Medal for piobaireachd at age 18, amongst a host of other prizes. Switching gears, he travelled the US for a few years with a trad/rock/fusion group called Cuillin, made up of, in various configurations: Mairi Rankin, Stuart Cameron, Stefan Morin, Dave Hoare, Dave Carmichael, Seth Fraser and Arthur O'Brien. They recorded one critically-acclaimed album in 2000, produced by Gordie Sampson. In October of 2001 he joined fiddler Natalie MacMaster's band, and toured the world with her for 8 years. During that time he got to see, hear and play with some world-class musicians like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Edgar Meyer, Carlos Nunez, Don Henley, Chris Thile and many more. He again changed course and joined the Canadian Forces, serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force Band from 2009-2013, and is now back with Natalie MacMaster on pipes, whistles, banjo and guitar. He recorded the aptly named "The Piping Album" in 2005 and has appeared on several of Natalie's recordings. Matt married Kate Quinn in 2012, and they now live in Toronto. YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/mattmacisaacmusic