Honoring the Traditions: Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy Bring "The Four on the Floor Tour" to the Colonial

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Canada's internationally renowned virtuoso fiddlers and reigning couple of Celtic Music Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy bring "The Four on the Floor Tour" to the Colonial Theatre. Joining MacMaster and Leahy will be their two eldest children, Mary Frances on piano and Michael on accordion and guitar. Natalie MacMaster married Donnell Leahy in 2002 and came to prominence as the lead fiddle player for The Leahy Family. Together the pair released two albums: "One," released in 2015, and produced by legendary producer Bob Ezrin and a traditional Christmas album, "A Celtic Family Christmas," released in 2020. Called "one of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia's most important exports" and a superstar in the Celtic music world, Natalie MacMaster is a fiddler and step-dancer who built a stellar career on electrifying playing and live performances. Donnell Leahy has cemented his reputation as "a peerless instrumentalist able to synthesize traditional influences with more contemporary Celtic/folk sensibilities." The Keene Sentinel spoke with Natalie MacMaster to talk about their upcoming tour stop at the Colonial, her two oldest children's contributions to "The Four on the Floor Tour" and the way she celebrates St. Patrick's Day at home. Here's an excerpt from the conversation: V.C.: Hello, Natalie! Last time I saw you was at the Latchis Theatre about a dozen years ago, around the time your album "Cape Breton Girl" came out. I remember the long line of people waiting for your autograph after the show and you were so gracious to all the folks that came out to meet you. You are from Cape Breton originally? Where is Donnell from? N.M.: Oh, how sweet. Yes, I am from Cape Breton. Donnell's fathers' people came from Ireland in the 1800s and his mother is from Scotland. V.C.: This article will be in the St. Patrick's Day edition of ELF. Will you be playing some Irish music at the show? What type of show is "The Four on the Floor?" N.M.: St. Patrick's Day matters to us very much. To honor that day with our heritage and roots, I play a lot of Irish tunes and of course my husband is half Irish. We love what the culture represents. It's so cool that St. Patrick's Day is such a big deal in so many places. We're traveling with "Four on the Floor," something to change it up. We play that way fairly often. Playing with a full band makes you slip into that vibe. We wanted to be challenged. Everything is exposed and you'll hear all the intricacies. V.C.: How would you celebrate St. Patrick's Day if you were at home? N.M.: I'd make a green cake, and we'd drink beer; something like that to break our Lenten fast. V.C.: Cape Breton music has a very distinct sound. How do you describe the music you play? N.M.: It's mostly Cape Breton music and there is quite a distinct style of fiddling. It's very, very rhythmical and rooted in the dance styles with very driving rhythms and powerful bowing techniques, with piano accompaniment, and there's a bit of guitar, but mostly piano with fiddle. V.C.: Your two eldest children are playing with you on this tour. Tell me about them. N.M.: Mary Frances is 19 years old now and Michael is 17. They have been playing since they were four or five. I had a piano player for 25 years who toured with us. During the pandemic, Mary Frances was 14 and spent a lot of extra time practicing piano and she was really, really good. She was playing all the time. Before things started opening up, we had all those virtual shows. So, we just made it work with ourselves in our home. When things started opening up, Mary Frances was used to what we were playing. I can remember I called Mac and told him she's getting really good, and I can give her opportunities, and so I did. She's been playing with us ever since. Michael started accordion which is his little superpower because none of us play and none of us play guitar. It's so helpful to have those other colors in there. He started practicing the accordion during the pandemic and also practiced guitar and got better and better. He has been part of our sound for the last three years so we're just keeping that going. He's doing a lot of great things. V.C.: How would you describe Donnell's playing? N.M.: Donnell Leahy is one of the greatest fiddlers that was ever on the earth. He is absolutely brilliant! He doesn't come from the classical world but in our Celtic world, and from a world perspective he can do so many fantastic pieces and acrobatics on the instrument. Mary Frances said recently, "I need to just start writing tunes for Dad. It's like telling a chef that you can use the whole kitchen, there are no restrictions!" You can give him whatever you want, and he can do everything masterfully. V.C.: What does this music mean to you since it's been in your family for generations? N.M.: Certainly when I started playing I just loved the music. I was surrounded by it. I started on the fiddle and it was natural and it came to me pretty easily. I knew I was able to do it. I practiced. I got a lot of requests to play, and I played a lot in my teens. I played like crazy in my 20s and I played 250 shows in 1997! Then there were record companies, acting roles on commercials and hosting award shows and special events, TV performances and then collaborations with incredible artists like Allison Kraus, Michael McDonald, Rhiannon Giddens and just really beautiful things over the years. So, it progressed in that way and I evolved, put some decades and some life and family on me: I have seven children. I thought "Wow! I am connected to something that is so beyond what I am." It's a tradition of generations and centuries and ancient worlds and ancient cultures and I'm a part of it. V.C.: How do you define traditional music? N.M.: For me it means the traditions of Scotland where my fiddle style is from and the traditions that go along with it like the Gaelic singing, the step dancing and the piano accompaniment; and the humor, the food and the sense of community are all part of those traditions. V.C.: How old were you when you started playing fiddle? N.M.: I was 9 and my granduncle gave me a ¾ size fiddle and I immediately took to it. V.C.: What type of violin do you play today? N.M.: A French violin called a Vuillaume. I just like how it feels and how it sounds. V.C.: Who was an early music influence? N.M.: My uncle Buddy MacMaster was my biggest influence. He had a real sweet, sweet tone and was really powerful and one of the most popular Cape Breton fiddlers. I heard him live very often at square dances and weddings and family gatherings, house parties and funerals. V.C.: What is the process of choosing a set list? N.M.: Generally speaking, I'm the one who initiates everything just because I'm inclined that way. When you get married they say the roles define themselves and that is what happened musically as well. V.C.: Where do you find inspiration to write your own music? N.M.: I start with nuggets on my phone. I have all sorts of voice memos of melodies; tunes that I've written, tunes I love or tunes I've heard other people play, things I hear while I'm in an airport or at a mall. Any ideas that are music related. From there I just get inspired, and I flush the ideas out or bring them to Donnell and then when we get working on things we might bring them to our daughter Mary Frances who is great with chords. Then we try them with my son. Donnell is excellent at being a sounding board and more than that he's very creative. If I give him one little spark, he turns it into a flame. V.C.: Do you play mostly originals or traditional tunes? N.M.: A little bit of both but mostly traditional tunes: 30% originals and 70% traditionals. V.C.: How do you describe the dance aspect of your performances? N.M.: Dancing is very much a part of what I grew up with and the rhythms and intricacies of those rhythms. So, it's very connected. I've always danced, in fact, I danced before I played fiddle and I've played for square dances my whole life. V.C.: Thank you for this inspiring conversation, Natalie. Any closing thoughts? N.M.: I'm really grateful that after all the years I'm still able to do this. Longevity has become part of my story now and that makes me very happy. I don't tire of what I'm doing, and, in fact, in many ways it keeps surprising me with how much pleasure it brings me. We have a good history with that (Colonial) Theatre and the people there. We're happy to have such a longstanding relationship. I will be sincerely happy to stand on the stage in Keene and deliver a great show. SHOW DETAILS Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy bring "The Four on the Floor Tour" to the Colonial Theatre, at 95 Main St., Keene, on Friday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. For more information and to buy tickets, visit The Colonial Theatre, www.thecolonial.org. For more information on Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, visit https://natalieanddonnell.com/