There’s a new musician in the neighborhood. That’s no big surprise for Austin – he’s played music professionally for 20 years, most recently as a bass guitarist with hardcore band Maximum Penalty. But eight months ago, he and his cat Lucy relocated from New York. Since he didn’t have any friends yet (his words, not mine), he decided to pick up a new instrument… a used bagpipe on Craigslist fit the bill.
Turns out he’s not alone. Modern bagpipers are staging a comeback.
Pipe Major Nick Classen, founder of The Capitol City Highlanders, plays for funerals, weddings, reunions, and an increasing number of plaque dedications at the Nimitz Museum. For about four years in the 1960s, Classen was the only piper in Austin. In 1980, he helped form the first pipe band; today there are four bands and around 100 pipers in the area.
Oliver Seeler of The Universe of Bagpipes says that most of his customers are men in their 30s and 40s or retirees with time on their hands. He’s seen the greatest increases among women, who now make up to 20% of his business. His bagpipe sales increased at a clip of 10 to 20% a year for most of the last decade, with little marketing. Sales growth flattened during the recession, but business has perked up again within the past six months, he says. Continued…
