Jamie Holton is not only a great 'piper, but a great entertainer. With his EPCOT Center-based Celtic rock band, "Off Kilter," he has been taking the festival circuit by storm, and in spite of all the hype that invariably surrounds our little world, he has never forgotten the tradition at the heart of it all. A native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Jamie's family is of Scottish descent, and he first heard and fell in love with the 'pipes at a very early age. I first met Jamie when he was a kid in Florida, and he was a very talented and promising student back then. It was no surprise when I later heard that he was marching with some of the top 'pipe bands in the country, and tearing up the boards in solo competition. We got a chance to sit and chat on Sunday, July 13, 2003 during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina. Jamie's band was making their first-ever appearance on the mountain. They were very well received and it was a blast to share the stage with such a friendly, professional bunch of guys! Jamie has put together a very tight band of first-class musicians, and they really love what they do. This love for performing transmitted itself to the audience all weekend, and the band really made an impact on alot of people who hadn't had a chance to hear Off Kilter before. Jamie is renowned among 'pipers in the US for his wild sense of humour and his infectious enthusiasm for the instrument. This is a guy who has paid his dues, and studied many years with some of the best 'pipers in the world. His long association with the Walt Disney organization has been a very good one, and given him many opportunities, including a stint in Japan, and the chance to perform and grow with his own group. Jamie shared some great insights with me and I am glad to pass them along here!

AP:  So Jamie, how are ya?

JH:  Doin good, man. It's our first time on the mountain and we're havin' a great time. You know I used to do the solos up here every year but this is the first time with the band. 

AP:  Tell us how you got started in 'piping- how'd you get hooked on it?

JH:  Well, my Mom's family came off the boat in the 1700's, into North Carolina, so I had big Scottish roots here, and my Dad has a Scottish background as well. Both sides of my family have been in America a long time, in the southern parts of America I'm proud to say, but my Dad always liked the bagpipes and he kind of said "Hey I want you to do this." I listened to his old albums and stuff- he had one of the Edinburgh Police Pipe Band, you remember that old one with Donald Shaw Ramsay? I even put on a kilt one time that my Mom had, and ran around the house. My brothers beat me up cause they thought I was wearin' a dress!

AP:  Who did you start lessons with?

JH:  I found a teacher in Daytona Beach- his name was Richard Longstaff...

AP:  Wait a minute, didn't he used to make movies?

JH:  I hope not! But if he did, I wasn't ever in 'em, so I got that goin for me!! I started with him and then Sandy Keith heard me play and figured I had some kind of potential and he started workin with me. I also started going to Scotland every summer, and took from Iain MacLellan, Ken Eller, and Scott MacAulay. Also Ronnie Lawrie, Mike Cusak, Donald MacPhee, that whole "Texas Brigade." That's pretty much how I got started.

AP:  What kind of 'pipes are you playing?

JH:   I'm playing a half-mounted silver set of Fletchers. Actually, my birthday was about 3 weeks ago, the ripe old age of 33, and Bill Gilchrist, owner of the Gillie Company up in Edina, MN, presented me with this set for my birthday at the Chicago Highland Games last month. I play a MacCallum chanter, Ross Omega drone reeds, and I usually play Warnock chanter reeds.

AP:  Are you still competing in solo 'piping at all, or are you pretty much done with that phase of your life? 

JH:  I haven't competed in a long time- I made it to Open, won a few prizes, but I drifted out of that realm when I started playing for Disney and put Off Kilter together.

AP:  It's hard to do both styles.

JH:  Yeah, it really is because it's a different kind of playing.  Two different beasts. But I ran into EJ Jones up here this weekend and found out he's competing in the solos, and it made me think about getting back into it a bit. Just to see how I measure up these days. I mean half the 'pipers we used to play against aren't out there anymore, and a lot of the guys who are winning the solo contests nowadays we've never even heard of. So it makes me wonder how I would measure up against the current generation of Young Turks.

AP:  I've had those thoughts myself, but it's so hard to find the time, isn't it?

JH:  Yeah, you know, if you're gonna do it right, you've got to go get 12 piobrochs back up, and half a dozen MSR's, and that takes tremendous dedication. Time is the key.

AP: Well your band sounds great, you've got some great stuff going on, playing full-time at Walt Disney's EPCOT Center, and touring whenever you can. What's next for Jamie Holton?

JH:  Good question! I've been asking myself that since I was about 4 years old.  I'm way into riding horses. I compete in a type of athletic riding event called Cowboy Mounted Shoot, which is like armed barrell racing. It's a timed event where you've got sixguns and you're shooting balloons while negotiating a mounted course. I ride alot, and it really keeps me grounded. Horses will change your life if you let them. For the future I just plan on staying grounded, and producing some good music with the band. The job at Disney is secure. God bless Mickey Mouse, because we are very fortunate to have that gig. I guess my philosophy is play the show as best you can today, and we'll see what happens tomorrow.  

AP:   Off Kilter just released a third CD. Tell us a bit about that. 

JH: "Celtic Armadillo" is our third disc. We just released it, and it's an important milestone for us. The band has evolved over the years from rocking up traditional tunes to creating original material incorporating the bagpipes, whistles, etc. The new disc has four original tracks on it, and some stuff that really reaches. But while we enjoy being on the edge, we also don't stray too far from the source, and there are some great old trad things on there as well. We're very excited about it and so far, it's been very well received.

AP: Where did the title come from?

JH:  We had a terrible time coming up with a name for it. We didn’t really want to focus on any one song as a title track, because we felt that every track pretty much stands alone. I guess it was one of those rare, kind of zen/twilight zone moments; "Celtic Armadillo" just happened. Weird, eh? 

AP:  Parting shot:  What advice do you have for people just starting out on the Highland ‘pipes?

JH:  Any idiot can get up on a stage and make a bunch of noise, but it's the good idiots who put the time and the effort into it to do it well! We owe it to the instrument, because it is a very noble instrument, it's what we love, and you gotta pay your dues. What I mean is play the thing right, first. Whatever ever you do, do it well- if you only know four tunes, Scotland the Brave or whatever, make sure you play 'em correctly. You owe it to the instrument to get on the competition boards; find yourself a good traditional teacher and learn to play MSR's, piobroch, every facet of the repertoire. Soak it all up and eventually you'll get there. Keep it slow, open, and controlled. The speed and all that flashy stuff comes with time.

Visit Off Kilter’s web site!

Looking for Volume 2? Click here to read Neil's interview with EJ Jones.