The Wicked Tinkers are an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

group who perform at many Scottish/Irish festivals.

History

The group was formed in the early 1990's when piper Aaron Shaw met bass drum player Warren Casey and percussionist John MacAdams at The Celtic Arts Center in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. They have been a professional touring band since 1995. They play regularly at Scottish Festivals and Highland Games, and festivals have sometimes changed their dates to allow the Wicked Tinkers play for them. The band headlines at many Renaissance festivals as well, including the Northern California Renaissance Faire. They also have played many charity concerts including cancer benefits, and even a concert to support a Pregnant Mare Rescue horse sanctuary. Aaron Shaw has been playing the bagpipes since 1976. He began attending the College of Piping Summer School in 1982, becoming an instructor there in 1996. Aaron has been a Piping Judge with WUSPBA since 2000 and, in addition to his private students, teaches at the California Summer School of Piping and Drumming and the Jim Thomson US School of Piping and Drumming and various seminars around the country. Aaron Shaw has recorded bagpipes for

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

on " Luck of the Draw". He also played for

Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

on "The Right Thing" track called Rover about

Chris Wyse Chris Wyse (born 15 July 1969) is an American bassist and vocalist. He is best known for his performances with Hollywood Vampires, Ace Frehley, The Cult and Ozzy Osbourne. He is the vocalist and bassist for Owl, a band he founded in 2007. Early ...

's Irish connection. He played for Lee Dewyze on American Idol Season 9. The band has evolved over the years. Keith Jones joined the band in 2000, playing

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

and hand percussion. Keith is endorsed by

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion mallet, percussion sticks and mallets. Biography Vic Firt ...

drum sticks and many others. In 2009, CJ Henderson replaced Jay Atwood on

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

. Prior to becoming part of the band, CJ was a fan of the Wicked Tinkers and started learning

because of the group. He was eventually invited to join the band. He also plays the Bronze Age Irish Horn. Founding Member Warren Casey retired from the band in 2013, with the Reverend Dr. Tiki King taking his place. He was previously the Wicked Tinker's sound technician. Tiki King is an artist, founder of Ukuleles of Felton and a ukulele luthier. Notable appearances include ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...

'', during which, host

Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won a ...

accompanied them on a drum.

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter

Keith Jardine Keith Jardine (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce. Jardine was known for upset victories in bouts he took at short notice against highly rated fight ...

has used their song "Bog" as

entrance music Entrance music (also known as an entry theme or walk-on music) is a musical piece or song that is played for athletes or entertainers when they first appear in front of the spectators before beginning a performance. Popular music acts may have rec ...

in several

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

events. The band also appears in season 4 of the Cable TV show "Arrested Development". In 2017 the Wicked Tinkers competed on the

Gong Show ''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to 1 ...

revival, episode 4, where they received a perfect 10 score. In 2018, the Wicked Tinkers were runner up in Good Times Santa Cruz's best local band category, and Tiki King was selected best musician In late January, 2023, the Wicked Tinkers became the target of a burglary. Performance gear and tools, valued at an estimated $20,000, were stolen while being stored during the off season. With only a few weeks before their tour season was to start, a GoFundMe account was created for donations. Supporters responded my donating more than $27,500 in the first three days, significantly exceeding the initial $20,000 goal. In response, the band appeared in several live online videos to express their gratitude and offer several online performances. The strong support shown after an unfortunate setback demonstrates the group's popularity and their devoted fans' love for the band's continued success.

Current members

Aaron Shaw
-

great Highland bagpipe The Great Highland bagpipe ( gd, a' phìob mhòr "the great pipe") is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland, and the Scottish analogue to the Great Irish Warpipes. It has acquired widespread recognition through its usage in the British milit ...

*The Reverend Dr
Tiki King
- Big Drum, rhythm pole,

Ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

*CJ Henderson -

, Bronze Age Irish Horn, bodhran

Guests

Members of the Celtic group

Bad Haggis Bad Haggis is a Celtic band with roots in Scottish music. The American group is led by piper Eric Rigler, who has played on dozens of movie soundtracks. A tune by Bad Haggis was used in the first season of Crossing Jordan, and pipes and whistles ...

joined the Wicked Tinkers for performances at the 2005 and 2006 Seaside Games in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

Discography

*''Brutal'' (1997) (

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

) *''Banned'' (1999) (cassette) *''

Wicked Tinkers The Wicked Tinkers are an United States, American Celtic music group who perform at many Scottish/Irish festivals. History The group was formed in the early 1990's when piper Aaron Shaw met bass drum player Warren Casey and percussionist John Mac ...

'' (1999) *'' Hammered'' (2000) *'' Loud'' (2002) *''

Banger For Breakfast The Wicked Tinkers are an American Celtic music group who perform at many Scottish/Irish festivals. History The group was formed in the early 1990's when piper Aaron Shaw met bass drum player Warren Casey and percussionist John MacAdams at The C ...

'' (2003) *'' Whisky Supper'' (2005) *''Rant'' (2007) *''Big Bottle Of Bad Ideas'' (2016)

References

External links

Official website
{{Infobox musical artist , background = group_or_band Celtic music groups Bagpipes