Mother Grove Brings Kilt Rock to Tartan Festival

Brad Sprauer wasn't looking to start up a Celtic rock band when he attended a Christmas party 10 years ago.

At the party he met a fellow musician, and they talked about putting a band together. There was one catch: the instrument of choice for Sprauer's new acquaintance was the bagpipes.

"I had no need for a bagpiper," Sprauer said as he recalled the incident in a telephone interview. "I was not into Celtic music at the time."

Sprauer decided to check out some Celtic albums and found he liked what he heard. "The band Seven Nations really piqued my interest," he said. "This style of music was just unique enough. I was looking for something we could play and be original.

"I was always into different types of music. At the time, I was looking to put together a band with nontraditional instruments."

Soon after, the Scottish-rock band Mother Grove was born. The group will once again headline the Missouri Tartan Day festival. The 2011 event runs Friday-Sunday, April 8-10, in Frontier Park on the Missouri riverfront in St. Charles.

The festival is free and is a celebration of Scottish-American history and traditions. It will feature a variety of events, including Scottish dance, music and food, a parade, Highland games and the traditional Kirkin' of the Tartans ceremony.

Mother Grove is scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday; 2:30, 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

"We missed coming last year, but we've been a fixture for several years," Sprauer said. "We really love playing there. The St. Louis area has been incredibly kind to us. We've made a lot of friends over the years."

Based in Noblesville, IN., Mother Grove has released seven CDs and logged thousands of miles on tour during its 10-year existence. Like many bands, it's gone through a number of personnel changes. "We've been through four bass players," Sprauer said. "I'm the only one left from the original lineup."

Sprauer is guitarist, singer and songwriter for the group. He's joined by Laura Adams (vocals, fiddle), John Holland (Highland bagpipes, pennywhistles, mandolin, vocals), Ron Fife (drums, bohdron, percussion, vocals) and Jim Farley (bass guitars, effects). This lineup has been together for five years.

"This lineup is the lineup," Sprauer said. "They've taken it to the next level. "We write together--everything just gets better and better."

Mother Grove performs year round--festivals in spring and summer, pubs in fall and winter. "We've been expanding our reach," Sprauer said. "We've started doing Sunbelt tours in the colder months."

The appeal of the Scottish sound has grown considerably since the band was formed, thanks to acts like Riverdance and Celtic Woman. "There's something primal about that music," Sprauer said.

Mother Grove performs original rock songs along with traditional Scottish tunes that have been given the band's personal spin. "It's like Riverdance on crack," Sprauer said. "Instead of blistering guitar solos we have blistering bagpipe solos."

For more information on Missouri Tartan Day, including a schedule of events, visit www.motartanday.com. For more information on Mother Grove visit www.mothergrove.com.