first photo of our new pipe band

[OC Richard]

We have a start-up band, the Long Beach Fire Department Pipe Band.

It's expensive to get a band off the ground! Several thousand dollars for a set of drums. We got a band set of kilts, used, from the Regina Police Pipe Band, in Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan. I had to move quite a few buckles, add straps, take out old hems and press kilts, and so forth (being the only person in the band who has taken a kiltmaking class!)

The goal originally was to go with a bespoke tartan I designed but the money just wasn't there.

Our kit is normal current pipe band kit, like it or not, with the ubiquitous black waistcoats, black hose, kilts worn too low (meh) and so forth. (At last week's World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow every band in Grade One wore waistcoats without jackets, all black save for a couple bands wearing charcoal grey or navy blue.)

One might quibble with the wearing of shortsleeved shirts with waistcoats but this is quite common in the USA pipe band world.