Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac is a
gay fiddler from
Cape Breton in Canada. One of the best fiddlers in the world, and the cousin of Natalie MacMaster, MacIsaac is both an ardent traditionalist and a rebel. His playing is entirely traditional, yet he sets this playing in contemporary rock songs with hip hop elements. He also caused a considerable amount of controversy after being interview by McCall's, intended for their best of the year section, he revealed his affection for sixteen year olds, water sports, and crystal meth. McCall's dropped him from the list and instead wrote an article trashing him. He then lost his label deal after many incidents, the most memorable being his drunken, lewd performance, complete with swear words and kilt-raising flashing, at a family venue.
Ashley arguable reached his peak with 1995's Hi How Are You Today?, which featured the hit single, Sleepy Maggie with vocals by Gaelic preservationist Mary Jane Lamond. In 2003 the release of his self titled album on Decca finally broke his pattern of releasing one traditional album, then one cross over album.
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