The Wicked Tinkers are CJ Henderson, Aaron Shaw and Tiki King. The band plays for free on Saturday at the Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series in Carson City.
The sound of bagpipes and drums will be thundering throughout Carson City as the Wicked Tinkers return to the Levitt AMP Concert Series on Saturday. The band plays many traditional Celtic tunes but differently than many other Celtic bands as they add tribal drums and digeridoos, including a new bronze age instrument they’ve acquired.
GLAD TO BE BACK
The Wicked Tinkers last came to Carson City in 2019 as part of the Levitt AMP Concert Series. Aaron Shaw remembers it as a big, fun party. He said the band is excited to be back and hope to see many of the fans they saw five years ago along with some new ones.
“We had a great time last time,” he said. “The response was great; the people were really fun and joined in on a lot of dancing — that we love.”
They’ll be looking forward to playing on the outdoor stage later in the evening. Shaw said they often play places that they perform during the daytime, so it will be fun getting a later show with the addition of the stage lights.
The band comes as the same trio that came to Carson in 2019. Tiki King plays a big bass drum and highland ukelele.
“He and I played in the fastest improv punk rock band in Santa Cruz a long, long time ago,” Shaw said. “He’ll be banging away and causing a ruckus.”
CJ Henderson is on the digeridoo and horns and plays field drums. Shaw plays bagpipes and whistles and the occasional drums.
All three members grew up in America, and although they don’t come from Ireland or Scotland, the culture is a part of their background.
“We have a lot of fun with the music, and we really enjoy the music and the culture,” Shaw said.
The band considers themselves tribal Celtic music, which wasn’t really a thing when they started out, but now there is much more of that and similar bands beyond the Celtic world. They are performing Celtic music with tribal instruments. Shaw compared them to the band The HU from Mongolia, who are making modern music using traditional instruments and throat singing.
Shaw also mentioned that he plays bagpipes in a style that brings a more uplifting mood. He said many people associate bagpipes with more somber events, but he said Wicked Tinkers are far from anything like that.
“We have a lot of fun with the music,” he said. “We’re a party and everybody’s invited.”
The band plays a mix of traditional and modern tunes from bagpipe music inspired by pipers across the world. Shaw said it’s mostly energetic music.
“We play some small, moody things, but mostly it’s pretty rocking,” he said. “Some of that goes to our punk rock roots as well. We hope it’s music that makes you want to move and want to dance.”
NEW ADDITIONS
The band has some new material to share, and a new instrument they have acquired. Shaw is excited to show off the band’s digeridoo. That instrument originated in Australia, but the band enjoys using it for their show.
“But it works really well with the bagpipes,” Shaw said.
The band has used a Bronze Age digeridoo for many years, and this year they acquired an Iron Age horn called a carnyx
“It’s a crazy looking thing, and a crazy sounding thing,” Shaw said. “We’re having fun with that and still working it in.”
He said they tracked down the instrument from somebody who makes replicas in the Czech Republic. Shaw said they’re always looking for unique instruments that might fit in with their show.
They’ve been working on new material as well that Shaw said leans more toward the trancey and ritualistic kind of evocative thing.
“It starts out slow, but then it just gets heavier,” he said.
Shaw said they were also inspired by band Peat and Diesel and wrote a companion piece to one of their songs.
“We’re always looking for new tunes to keep ourselves entertained,” he said.
‘KEEP IT FRESH’
Something the band also does is write a new setlist for every show. They don’t have any choreography or much planned and everything is very spur of the moment. Shaw said even when they play three shows a day at the Highland Games, they never play the same set twice.
“We always want to keep it fresh,” he said. “We want to keep ourselves entertained as well.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Wicked Tinkers with opening act John Underwood at the free Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series
WHERE: 449 W. King St. at the Brewery Arts Center
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10
MORE INFO: www.wickedtinkers.com, breweryarts.org
WATCH 2019 SHOW: Check out the entire performance from their last time in Carson City: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/jj4JvzD6ucGk82AM