The Rogues formed in 1994 as a Celtic-based quartet. Initially appearing at Renaissance and Victorian Festivals, they later broadened their performance-base to include music festivals, theatres, Highland Games, clubs, pubs, and corporate events… anywhere that expressed a desire to present top-quality, high-energy Celtic music. This has included regular rotation on satellite radio service XM Radio, as well as appearances in Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C., Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Washington, Missouri, and Maryland, as well as Canada and Europe. The Rogues have performed at numerous Celtic events including the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, the North Texas Celtic Festival, the Chicago Highland Games, and the Texas Scottish Festival, among many others. They have shared the stage with many performers including the Battlefield Band, Bad Haggis, Seven Nations, Enter the Haggis, the Paperboys, Off Kilter, Rathkeltair, and the Glengarry Bhoys, to name but a few. They have also hosted their own exceptionally-well received variety shows, Celtic Crossroads, which included superb performers from all over North America and Europe. The Rogues even appeared with Robert Duvall at the premier of his film, A Shot at Glory.
During their 15 year history the Rogues have produced eight albums and two DVDs. Two of their most critically acclaimed CDs, Off Kilter and V.O., appear in the Grammy Book a combined total of six times in the categories of “Best New Artistâ€, “Best New Albumâ€, and “Best Contemporary Folk Album.†In 2003, with the release of their double-live album, Made in Texas, Dirty Linen Magazine also had an article featuring the Rogues.
More recently the Rogues have continued to show their quality and versatility by beginning their symphonic concert series. In 2007 the band was invited to perform with the United States Air Force Orchestra, "America's International Musical Ambassadors". The show was at DAR Constitution Hall, the venue where U2, Frank Sinatra, and Earth, Wind, and Fire have performed. Performing before a large audience the Rogues impressed long-time fans and newcomers alike who were awed by the power and beauty of pipes & drums standing alongside the string, wind, brass, and percussion sections of the orchestra. The success of this concert has inspired the Rogues to take the musical scores they had professionally arranged for the Air Force show and perform with symphonies around the world.
The world class musicianship and talent that the Rogues brought to the Air Force show has always been a hallmark of the band. Not only is founding member Randy Wothke an award-winning song writer, but the band consists of musicians with a combined total of no fewer than seven gold medals from the World Pipe Band Championships held in Scotland each year. Jimmy Mitchell has won the Worlds twice and is a piping teacher; Lyric Todkill and Doug MacRae are members of the 78th Fraser Highlanders -- one of the highest-rated pipe bands in the world -- and are instructors St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston, which has produced 5 World Championship bands; Michael Kenny is a former Pipe Major with St. Thomas and has himself won twice at the Worlds; Neil Anderson – the Jimi Hendrix of the pipes – is a founding member of Seven Nations and pulls double duty with the Rogues and his own band, Rathkeltair; Rogues fiddle player Corey Walden is also a music teacher; and front man, lead vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Nelson Stewart, has 20 years of performance and recording experience, and is director of one of the most highly respected music programs in his school board.
With the release of their newest album, American Highlander, the Rogues are better and stronger than ever. With rave reviews pouring in the Rogues are proving that not only have they retained the heart and soul of what has made them popular – in your face pipes & drums – but that their amazing fans will follow them on whatever musical path they decide to take. With a broadening of their sound to include original rock songs (The Simpleton’s Lament), film soundtrack-ready music (Waterfall), and Irish-based foot-stompers (Rights of Man), the Rogues are proving they have the creativity and the drive to conquer the combined worlds of Celtic, Rock, Folk, Pop, and Classical music.
"... an impressive racket ... splendidly cacophonous duets ... All you kilted cowboys pull on your boots and stomp along!" — Dirty Linen
"It gives them chills. It's the kind of music that raises the hackles on the back of their necks." — E.J. Jones
Band Members' Bios:
Randy Wothke is a graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in Music Education. Randy was one of the founding members of The Rogues in 1994. In 2005, he had the honor of receiving an ASCAPLUS Award from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) for his original compositions. A former public school teacher, Randy began Scottish style drumming in 1986. He has competed at numerous Scottish Highland games throughout the United States in the open snare drum classification, and with the Hamilton Pipe Band from Houston, Texas when they became the Grade III World Champions in Glasgow, Scotland in 1998. Randy currently composes music for the Rogues and manages most of the band's business.
Nelson Stewart has been performing for twenty years in such diverse musical genres as rock, Celtic, funk, folk, jazz and soundtracks. He plays several instruments: piano, guitar, accordion, bass, mandolin, sax, harmonica, bodhran, and various other drums. Nelson was a founding member of the popular Celtic rock band, The Swinish Multitude, from Toronto, Canada. When the group later reformed as The Fictionmakers, he became their lead singer and chief songwriter. Nelson has been an educator since 1994, and currently teaches English and music in Canada where he also conducts a stage band, a funk band, and a concert band. His passion for education has led to his nomination for a Profiling Excellence Award, a series of designations recognizing and honoring exemplary programs and achievements within his school board. In his spare time, he enjoys writing music and working in his own recording studio, Duke Street, where he is currently helping to develop unsigned bands on his own indie label, Mayhem Records.
Jimmy Mitchell's piping journey began in 1981 when he enrolled in 4th Grade at St. Thomas' Episcopal School in Houston, Texas. He remembers his mother mentioning that the school had a bagpipe band, but he had no idea what that was. In the third week of school one of the seniors walked into his classroom and asked who was interested in joining the band and learning the bagpipe. A couple of his friends raised their hand, so Jimmy did as well. While the senior was putting his name on the band list he remembers asking him, "By the way, what is a bagpipe?" That's how his journey to playing the bagpipes began.In the summer of 1985, just after he had finished 8th Grade, the school's piping instructor Mike Cusack, took the band over to Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. The band placed 1st in the Juvenile Division and this marked the first time an American band had ever won a World Pipe Band Championship.Jimmy graduated from the University of Houston with a business degree. During his years there, and after graduating, he was a member of the Hamilton Pipe Band in Houston. He competed with the band when they won the Grade III World Pipe Band Championships in 1998.In 1994 Jimmy joined The Rogues and performed with them for several years, playing on the band's first 5 albums, and writing music. Jimmy left the band in 1995 to pursue a successful solo career, and was welcomed back by The Rogues in 2007.
Doug MacRaeis originally from London, Ontario where he first received tuition from John and Archie Cairns. He has experienced a successful competitive career as a consistent prize-winner through the ranks. Some of his accomplishments include the Pipers' and Pipe Band Society of Ontario Champion Supreme Award for Junior and Senior Amateur Piobaireachd. In 2004, Doug took first prize in the Professional Piobaireachd event at the North American Championships. He now lives in Houston, Texas working as a director of the five-time Juvenile World Champion, St. Thomas’ Episcopal School Pipe Band. Doug is the former Pipe Sergeant of the St. Thomas Pipe Band (Ontario), and is now in his ninth year with the Scottish Lion - 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band. Doug is also a certified adjudicator for the PPBSO.
A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s music conservatory, Lyric Todkill is only the second person in the world to hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music performance on the bagpipe. Under the direction of famed Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies, Lyric received his degree with honors in 2003. During his stint at Carnegie Mellon, Lyric performed with a variety of musical groups including double Grammy winning string quartet Quarteto Latino Americano and modern dance sensation Attack Theatre. After a successful amateur career, including overall wins at the George Sheriff, Nicol-Brown, and United States Piping Foundation, Lyric went professional in 2003. He has been a member of the Toronto based grade 1 Scottish Lion 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band since 2003 and is regular on the solo competition circuit in the US, Canada, and Scotland. Lyric developed his own piping studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2002 where he began working with bands and solo pipers in the area. After three successful years, he accepted a job instructing the juvenile band program at St. Thomas’ Episcopal School in Houston, Texas where he teaches around 80 pipers each year. In 2006, St. Thomas’ won its most recent of 5 World titles and is planning another trip in 2009. More information on the St. Thomas’ Episcopal School Pipe Band can be found at www.STESPB.com When he isn’t teaching or playing pipes, this native Tennessean enjoys playing piano, guitar, whistle, singing, and a few pints with friends.
Michael Kenny began piping at age 9 as a student at St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston, TX. Although presently attending Texas Christian University pursuing a double major in accounting and finance, he already has 2 piping World Championships under his belt with St. Thomas in 2004 and 2006. Michael also served as pipe major of the band from 2006-2007. When he’s not performing with The Rogues, he enjoys water sports, hunting/fishing, and spending time with his friends and family.
There is no doubt that the life of Corey Walden was destined from a very early age to be centered around music. A by-chance demonstration of stringed classical music by local music students in his Kindergarten class initiated his love affair with the violin from almost before he can remember. Before he had grown enough to handle the smallest of violins, he studied recorder – then he was allowed to pursue violin studies, and soon distinguished himself with rapid advancement through the Suzuki Violin Method. Soon he joined the Kensington Classical Quartet as First/Second Violin, all the while continuing lessons with well-known classical instructors in Oakville, Burlington and Toronto. Over time he was a Violinist for the Halton Youth Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and a student guest violinist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He then studied Applied Music at Mohawk College, after which he began his successful career teaching private classical violin lessons using the Suzuki Method of violin instruction to students ranging in age from pre-school to retired adults. Subsequently, he completed Suzuki Pedagogy at the Suzuki String School of Guelph, and then went on to obtain Levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Suzuki Teacher Training Program at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario. He has performed with the Oakville Symphony and also served as Principal Second for the Guelph Chamber Orchestra.But, classical music was never his complete interest. While still in school, he studied the Bass Guitar and performed in both the Oakville heavy metal rock group REDRUM and the Black Satin Jazz Quintet (Oakville) which, incidentally won the right to represent Ontario at the Banff Jazz Festival. He was violinist and backup vocalist with Painted Horse, a four-decades pop-rock cover band. He has, as well, performed as a guest violinist for various weddings, churches, corporate functions, dinner parties and special events.But Celtic Rock has, in recent years, become his passion. Four years ago, he partnered with Steve Ashley and the result has been the unique sound and unqualified success of Hunting McLeod as a premier performing group within the Celtic Rock genre. With this group, he has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada and is recognized for his energy, his polish and his passion for this music – music which excites audiences of all ages. The opportunity for him to write, arrange, and perform in the Celtic Rock form, while still enjoying the fruits of the true classical background of his instrument, provide to him the ideal mix around which he centers his life.
Rogues Discography:
Roguetrip (2005)
Made in Texas (2003)
V.0 (2001)
Off Kilter (1999)
Live in Canada, Eh? (1997)
Hollerin' for Haggis (1996)
The Scottish Rogues (1995)
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