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Things evolve. It’s simply a form of growth.

The Cottars have come a long way, starting as children performing to a hometown audience, through their teen years when they toured the world and shared stages with the biggest names in the business. Now they have evolved again, into young adults, mature in their skills with new faces and outlooks.

Even with their relative youth still apparent, it seems that The Cottars have been a part of Canada’s East Coast music scene for years. They have the nominations and the hardware to prove it, including East Coast Music Awards and Nova Scotia Music Industry Awards. They have the road record to prove it as well: tours throughout Canada, shows in Europe and thirty-eight U.S. states, two tours of Japan and appearances at major festivals around the world.

Joining the original Cottars members Ciarán and Fiona MacGillivray are two new band members Claire Pettit and Bruce Timmons. Claire is a fiddler and singer from Warwick Valley, NY. She adds a fresh bloom to the combination with her new style, different tune selection and lovely voice. While her roots aren’t in Cape Breton, Claire’s family has developed a strong love for the place during trips to the island, where her parents have a small house near the shores of Lake Ainslie on the island’s sunset coast. On the other hand, Bruce is a veteran guitarist with a wealth of skill and experience; both on stage and in the studio. Highly respected among his peers, he can fall into any style, from straight Celtic to something far heavier, and feel right at home.

This quartet, Ciarán and Fiona, Claire and Bruce, has become the evolutionary culmination that is now The Cottars.
Feast is their fourth CD, extending and expanding The Cottars’ music without ever losing track of their roots.
Their roots show through clearly when they dust off something old and masterfully link it with something more contemporary.