Album Notes

Celtic Rant


Celtic Rant was formed in 2006 drawing together three creative musicians, Kelly MacDonald, Rob Wigle, and Victor Fraser.

Kelly MacDonald was born and raised in Ironville, Cape Breton where he learned the piano and the traditions of Celtic music from friends and family. A significant influence in his musical education was his late father Colin, who was a well known Cape Breton Fiddler.

Rob Wigle grew up in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, where the ocean, honest working people, and stories of the common folk were part of everyday life. Inspired at a young age by anyone who could play an instrument or sing a song, Rob has been exploring roots music for as long as he can remember. He has a special interest in the role of the mandolin in Sea Shanties and Celtic music.

Victor Fraser, the grandson of the late “Little Simon Fraser” of Meat Cove, Cape Breton, is a disciplined musician with a background of classical, swing, country, and roots music. He is possessed by the lore of Celtic guitar and song.

Celtic Rant blend the precision of Victor Fraser's Celtic guitar with the tradition of Cape Breton piano by Kelly MacDonald, and the spirited repartee of Rob Wigle's mandolin. Their performances draw from a repertoire of East Coast Celtic tradition: instrumentals, sea shanties, Irish ballads, and original compositions. Their robust vocal harmonies pay a tribute to 200 years of traditional celtic music. Celtic Rant perform throughout the Maritimes.