Born in Inverness, Cape Breton, Kevin has been playing the great highland bagpipe for 17 years. His early piping career was influenced by many great tutors at the Gaelic College summer school and he now competes at the professional level in piping solos and band competitions with the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel grade 1 pipe band. Growing up, Kevin was inspired musically by his Scottish and Acadian roots, and the many great traditional musicians from Inverness County. He enjoys attending square dances and playing for square sets whenever possible, and has recorded with the Cape Breton piano player Mac Morin.

Paul MacNeil is a piper originally from Iona, a scenic spot in the heart of Cape Breton. His first teacher was Sandy Boyd, a very influential figure in the development of 20th century Cape Breton repertoire. After 8 years performing and competing with the Halifax Police Pipe Band, Paul moved home to Cape Breton to concentrate on the more traditional, Cape Breton stepdancing influenced style of piping he grew up with. Paul’s playing and compositions have been featured on a number of recordings including CastleBayMusic.com with his wife, pianist Tracey Dares, and Fosgail an Dorus with piper Jamie MacInnis.

Whether playing a set of tunes on the pipes at Alice Freeman’s ceilidhs, singing with Party Boots for a dancing pub crowd, or playing on stage with DRUM!, Rankin MacInnis adds entertainment value to his playing. Known mainly in Cape Breton as a traditional piper and piano player from Mabou, Rankin’s piping has taken him to Ceolas in South Uist, the 2006 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and Dollywood, Tennessee. He has piped for The White Stripes, when they played in Cape Breton, and has played at Celtic Colours as a solo artist and with the Chieftains and Carlos Nunez. He has also taught piping at the Gaelic College, where he spent many summers working as a duty piper and playing with the Gaelic College Pipe Band.

Originally from Big Pond and now residing in Sydney, Cape Breton Ryan MacNeil is a powerful yet graceful player. This accomplished musician has mastered his instruments (highland bagpipe, border pipes and whistles) and brings a unique personal flavour to the music he plays. MacNeil's electrifying upbeat playing is strongly rooted in Cape Breton's dance oriented tradition. In the past several years, Ryan has become increasingly well-known as a talented composer and his tunes have been performed and recorded by many musicians, both locally and abroad. Ryan released his first solo album, Piper, in 2005.