In the quiet, furthest reaching parts of Scotland; authentic, skilful, energetic celtic music has been passed down from generation to generation. Heron Valley capture the iconic sounds of the bothies, village halls and kitchen ceilidhs.
Inspired by their previous three tours of the USA, the band have been developing their sound, shaped by the people they have met and the beautiful lands they have encountered.
The history of the Great Highland Bagpipe, the Irish banjo, the West Coast fiddle mixed with the driving accompaniment of the piano and guitar are just some of the aural delights you will experience, captured in their latest release, “Erie Storm”.
With a mixture of traditional Scots and original songs, Abigail Pryde tells stories from the places we were born. From the rugged Atlantic islands of the Outer Hebrides, to the mystical hills of Argyll.
These musicians are passionate about their heritage and showcase the culture, language, sounds and stories of their homeland in their music. Let Heron Valley transport you to the heartlands of Scotland, through their dynamic performance of the ancient sounds of their home.
BIOGRAPHY
Heron Valley are an energy fuelled, traditional band from Scotland. Their roots lie in Scottish and Irish traditional music, including traditional Scots song and Scottish piping tunes and irish banjo. The four piece group comprises, Abigail Pryde on Fiddle and Vocals, Keith Morrison on Keys, Alastair Maclean on Bagpipes and Whistles, and Callum Cronin on Bass and Guitar.
Their inception as a folk band began in 2014, after spending the first few years of their musical careers perfecting their craft as a young ceilidh dance band. In 2018 they formed the line up you now know, when they embarked on their first tour of the USA.
Coming from vastly different areas of Scotland (Oban, Lewis, Cowal, Glasgow and Stirling ) you are sure to hear an excellent story or two from Heron Valley, and maybe even some Scots language lessons!
In 2015 the band released their first single and music video, a set of tunes, ‘Pressed for Time’. The storyline takes the band from performing out on a moving boat on the beautiful Loch Fyne in Argyll, to their journey to and performance at a gig in a local dance hall. This was extremely well received and racked up 85K views, with people all over the world purchasing the single.
A year later, they released their second single and video ‘Home’. This time, they set off at 3AM to climb up Beinn an Lochainn, a hill in the west coast of Scotland residing beside the Rest and Be Thankful, a stunning area with many a story itself. The video sees this journey from bottom to top and shows them playing on cliff edges in the beautiful area where Abigail grew up.
From this, the band set of to the USA and EU and continued to release more music including their debut album ‘Roam’, single ‘Take You There’, single ‘Springburn, just shy of Ireland’, and EP ‘ Erie Storm’.
MORE ON THE BAND
Abigail Pryde grew up in rural Argyll with music at the heart of her family and local traditions. Fiddle was her first instrument, however she learned guitar and vocal stylings at home with her father, Alan, alongside this. Having played with many local groups, she eventually joined Heron Valley in its infancy in 2014, playing local village hall dances and gatherings on guitar and vocals. During this time she studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior School and dedicated much of her time to classical violin. However, traditional Scottish music was always at her heart, and when moving on to University at RCS she pursued Scots Song under Fiona Hunter and Scots fiddle under Alistair Mcculloch, alongside her Classical studies in Glasgow. Now touring regularly with Heron Valley and having graduated from The Royal Conservatoire, she has begun work on her own record with Wee Studio Records.
Keith Morrison is a proud islander from the most North Westerly point of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides. Having come from a long line of traditional musicians, Keith was brought up in a musical home on a quiet croft. Learning a variety of instruments from Piano to Guitar to Double Bass, Keith could be found playing at every ceilidh and in nearly every group. (To name a few: Face the West, The Tumbling Souls, Ho-Ro, Heron Valley). After a short spell working near London after studying in University, Keith decided to return home and create a life being a full time Creative Musician. Keith started a media business/recording studio called Wee Studio in 2008. Working in the studio between tours and weekend performances.
Having picked up the double bass whilst at high school in the Stirlingshire area of Scotland, Callum was quick to explore a wide range of styles of music. In 2019, he graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before furthering his studies on the Master of Music programme at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.Callum enjoys a varied career as a freelance double bassist, bass guitarist and tutor, performing as part orchestras, contemporary music ensembles, experimental groups, musical theatre bands, jazz bands and traditional music groups. Aside from his passion for promoting the teaching and performance of live music, Callum enjoys spending time in the countryside, cooking and traveling.
ALASTAIR-BAGPIPES/FLUTES/WHISTLES
Alastair hails from the beautiful gateway to the islands, Oban. As a youngster he was tutored by the Scottish piping legend Angus MacColl and has played with pipe bands across the globe, including the New York Tartan Day. Having also joined the successful Scottish ceilidh band Ceol an Aire, Alastair has a unique and vast knowledge of piping repertoire. Moving to Glasgow, he joined the Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band and began his studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and National Piping Centre, learning from piping greats, Willie MacCallum, Ross Ainslie and Finlay McDonald. Alongside his studies in piping, he has began his studies under flute player Anna Friel.
In the UK we are joined by talented young drummer DARREN BROWN
Darren, from Campbeltown Argyll, is currently studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is in his first year of study. He is studying under many great tutors here, and is already in huge demand in the Scottish folk scene.
Heron Valley - Springburn, Just Shy of Ireland