Artist description A rootsy and original mix of bagpipe & saxophone instrumentals, wry and often meloncholic songs with a gritty Americana groove.

Music Style bagpipe funk

Musical Influences Meters, scores of obscure pipers, Merle Haggard, James Brown, Waits, Bukowski, Dr. John, John Lee Hooker, Dexter Gordon, Monk, Dylan, Guthrie, Nevilles, Van the Man.

Similar Artists Taxi Chain.

Artist History "Bagpipes, saxophone, drums, that gritty old Americana sound… that kind of thing"... is how Grier Coppins described his band Taxi Chain to the Toronto Sun in 1994. Another description would be that Taxi Chain has been one of Canada’s most original and exciting purveyors of roots music throughout the last decade. The unique blend of soulful saxophone and the downright brashness of Coppins’ bagpipe have left audiences from Wakefield, Quebec to Austin, Texas crying in their beer and dancing on the tables. From the prestigious Winnipeg Folk Festival to the tiniest corner bar, Taxi Chain never fails to move their audience. At the helm of Taxi Chain stands Grier Coppins. As a teenager Grier was a highland bagpipe champ who won the silver medal at a prestigious Scottish piping contest, and later, an original member of the bagpipe supergroup Rare Air. Anxious to explore his gift for songwriting, Coppins formed Taxi Chain and released the melancholy debut CD "Pinocchio’s Broken Heart" in 1993. Touring for this album turned the band into a formidable live attraction that was not afraid to raise the pipes and create a little magic. The gritty celebration that is the live Taxi Chain experience was beautifully captured by Peter J. Moore (Cowboy Junkies) on the 1996 CD "Bagpipe Juke Joint". The enthusiastic response to this recording allowed the band to tour the U.S. and make key appearances at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, and the Crossroads Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. With the 1999 release of "Sadness and the Good Doctor", Coppins and Taxi Chain raised the bar to the next level. The road-tested band was augmented by old friends like Pat O’Gorman from Rare Air, and notable special guests, James Gray (Blue Rodeo) and Richard Bell (The Band, Janis Joplin). The result is an unbeatable blend of anthemic bagpipe-funk workouts and sad, sweet songs. "Mrs. Macleod’s Daughter" from this CD was adopted by CBC Radio’s "Definitely Not The Opera" as their weekly musical sign-off. But perhaps we worry about history and categories too much. Taxi Chain is just a phenomenon; "this is music beyond age, beyond fashion…" wrote ID Magazine. It is what it is… a look back… a look forward… and a look inward… it’s TAXI CHAIN.

Group Members Grier Coppins - bagpipes, vocals, tenor guitar, whistles / Ayron Mortley - electric & acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals / Jim Bish - saxophones, flute, blues harp, vocals / Joe Burns - bass / Ron Rooth - drums

Instruments Bagpipe, Saxophone, Tin Whistle, Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Tenor Guitar, Bass, Drums.

Albums Sadness and the Good Doctor, Bagpipe Juke Joint, Pinocchio's Broken Heart.

Press Reviews "Real songwriting... real style" Laurie Brown, CBC National Radio / "This music is beyond age, beyond fashion..." ID Magazine" / A real treat..." The Toronto Star.

Location Toronto, Ontario - Canada

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