Neil Anderson, known to his friends as "The Antipypr," has been on the road since 1995 transforming audiences with unique, energetic interpretations of traditional and original Celtic and world music.
To say Anderson is versatile is something of an understatement. Neil first appeared on the Celtic festival circuit as one of the original members of Seven Nations. He has since gone on to play with some of the best known renegades of the Celtic music scene, such as Irish traditional music icons Paddy Keenan and John Whelan. Neil has also performed with New York City's most irreverent Irish rock-n-roll legends, Larry Kirwan and Black 47. Still, it's not unusual to find him in kilt and tie performing in a more traditional mode at special events, ceremonies, or even as a guest soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his US concerts, Neil has toured Canada and Scotland, playing over 100 shows a year with some of the top artists in Celtic music today.
Although thoroughly grounded in traditional music (he started 'piping at age 6 and competed for over 20 years in the US both as a solo 'piper and with 'pipe bands) Neil has always been at the cutting edge of what he likes to call "bagpipe fusion." And, as his latest solo disc "Dante's Local" demonstrates, Neil's skills as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist are well worth the price of admission to one of his energy-filled concerts.
"What makes me different is that I can play 'trad' when I want to, but I can also play leads and really improvise," Neil explains. "The bagpipe is a tremendous lead instrument. I combine elements from various traditional fiddle and 'piping styles with my severe inclination to just groove. Being able to jam is what makes it fun--it's not just a bunch of 'pipe tunes."
Neil's abiding passion for on-stage jamming and his uncanny ability to seize the moment and take the audience with him is the mark of a true entertainer who cares about his music and the people who come to hear it. As Neil puts it, "One of the things I love most about what I do is that I don't have fans at my shows-I have friends."
Discuss this topic
