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Enter the Haggis
Enter the Haggis

Enter the Haggis performs in North Tonawanda July 7

by jmaloni
Wed, Jun 27th 2012 09:20 pm

Toronto-based Celtic powerhouse set to perform at Historic Riviera Theatre

The third and final concert of the Niagara Celtic Heritage Society's first Celtic Concert Series featuring Toronto-based Enter the Haggis takes place Saturday, July 7, at the Historic Riviera Theatre, located at 67 Webster St., in North Tonawanda. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. with Buffalo's own Lochside Celtic Band.

In a Western New York concert season packed with shows, Enter the Haggis (known as ETH to their devoted fan base) stands out as one of the unique bands coming to the area. Their sound is a blend of folk, Celtic rock, world fusion and other styles, which blend to create an accessible and contemporary sound.

As a testament to the band's universal appeal, after a 2003 show in Plattsburgh in front of 20,000 fans, ETH was approached to record a special for a national broadcast on the PBS network. The band has also appeared on the television show "Gasoline" on the A&E network, and "LIVE with Regis and Kelly."

The band's latest release, "Whitelake," is its ninth album and first independently released. The band secured the financing of "Whitelake," by holding a fundraiser called The Haggis Helper.

"We raised over $40,000 dollars through our fans by offering various packages. One of them included having an opportunity to appear on the album," ETH's Mark Abraham said.

The two fans, Kelly Elvin of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Joe Stahl of New Jersey, both appeared on "Whitelake." Stahl appears on two tracks playing trumpet and Elvin contributed backing vocals on three songs.

"We lucked out, because they both turned out to be pretty good musicians," Abraham said.

ETH grew their fan base the hard way, through constant touring and recording since their inception in 1996. This latest tour comes after an extended break.

"A couple of the band members had children born over our last break, guitarist Trevor Lewington and our sound guy Glen Forrester," Abraham noted.

While ETH has never performed at the Riviera Theatre, Abraham and his bandmates have been looking forward to the show in North Tonawanda. "We have been looking at pictures of the theater online and it looks absolutely amazing. We definitely are looking forward to playing there," he said.

Tickets for the show start at $15 and may be purchased at Niagara Celtic's website,www.niagaraceltic.com, and The Riviera Theatre box office.

Niagara Celtic is offering free ETH tickets with the purchase of tickets to the organization's annual Heritage Festival held in Olcott on Sept. 15 and 16.

For more information on Enter the Haggis, visit http://www.enterthehaggis.com.

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