FERGUS – Award winning Scottish-Canadian singer-songwriter, David Leask, has announced the release of his song The Tartan Kiss – a tribute to and commemoration of the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games.
“The Tartan Kiss sings of the longing for a place in our hearts that feels like home,” officials say in a July 29 press release.
“The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games touches that longing in people when they connect with their Scottish ancestry and all the different facets of their historic roots.”
The oldest active Scottish Festival in North America, Fergus gives patrons a kiss of history and it is where like-minded folks gather and heartfelt friendships are made. At the same time, the local folks from the town enjoy and celebrate the rootedness they feel for their very own Fergus community.
The song which is available for free download at www.TartanKiss.com as well on all streaming platforms, is not only a commemoration of the festival but is a unique musical collaboration of past performers from the festival.
Just before Leask’s 12th visit to the games, he was inspired to write the song The Tartan Kiss. The festival liked it so much they commissioned a production of the song.
Leask enlisted veteran producer Justin Abedin (Justin Hines) and invited several musical alumnae –acclaimed musicians, singers, bands – from past festivals, including Mark Kelso (Natalie McMaster), James McKie (Lemon Bucket Orchestra), Scooter Muse and Jil Chambless, and Tommy Leadbeater (John Allan Cameron) .
Some of these performances were recorded remotely from as far away as Alabama and Glasgow, Scotland. The Grand Celtic and Fergus pipe bands added their own stirring impact to the song’s production when they were recorded locally on site at the Fergus Grand Theatre.
“I wanted the song to capture the deep emotion that people feel from all the different parts of the festival experience, both past and present,” Leask said.
There will be a special presentation of The Tartan Kiss at the Friday Night Tattoo which will feature a performance of 80 highland dancers and festival volunteers choreographed by Sandra Bald Jones and Dana Gamache from the SBJ Dance Studio, integrated with Leask singing the song live.
Watch The Tartan Kiss video on youtube: youtu.be/Z8Ru_B1M_co.
