The Well-Plaide Lute: A celebration of Scottish lute and <GASP> forbidden melodies!
Mention the term, Scottish music, and most people imagine bagpipes, fiddles, and walking 500 Miles and 500 more. However, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the king of instruments was the Lute! The focus of The Well-Plaide Lute is on blending this traditional, rarely-heard, medieval and renaissance dances and lute songs with tunes that people know and love. I use newly typeset music taken directly from original Scottish lute manuscripts to present delightfully charming, enchanting songs, and open the gateway for listeners to step through time.
Your tartan troubadour takes the stage with a traditional Scottish renaissance lute tunes from Straloch and Rowallan lute books, but keeps breaking into songs he shouldn't play (one might hear tell of a strange sound called "Zeppelin"), and telling stories of his travels around Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Angle Land, and a strange realm called "Indy-Anna" -- a strange land of the fae indeed!
You may catch this Gaelic Goliard strolling doon the lanes of your favourite renaissance faire! Listen closely though - the song you hear may be an authentic period lute song that once echoes in the halls of Sterling Castle, or it could be something from a fantasy-themed PC game such as Ultima VI, or it may well be some forbidden tune that should'na be played on the lute, such as a bit of Soundgarden or Led Zeppelin. If you can spot me playing a particularly obscure tune, it may earn you a fancy wooden nickel!
Sound Samples
Thank you for coming to see this "Well-Plaide Lute! I'm your tartan troubadour, your gaelic goliard, your singer of sweet Scottish serenades, the badass bard of the borders, the Minstræl S. J. Lawson.
Performance and Academic Background
It has been my pleasure and privilege to perform for a variety of Renaissance and Medieval festivals over the last 15 years as a soloist, a founding member of The Lute and the Lady, and founding member of the band Celtic Rain.
I have a Master of Music degree from Butler University (Indianapolis, IN), and taught classical guitar ensemble and individual instruction at Ball State University (Muncie, IN) as a graduate assistant instructor where I pursued further post-graduate training in musicology, research, and performance.
Previous festival performances include:
- Clayshire Castle Medieval Faire (Bowling Green, IN) 2014 - 2024
- The Indianapolis Scottish Highland Games and Fest. 2010 - 2024
- Southern Indiana Renaisance Faire (Charlestown, IN & Seymour, IN) 2023-2024
- The Fishers Renaissance Faire (Fishers, IN & Noblesville) 2010-2019
- Sleepy Hollow Renaissance Faire (Des Moines, IA) 2018
- Rosenvolk German Medieval Festival (Huntingburg, IN) 2017, 2018
- Michigan Nordic Fire Festival (Charlotte, MI) 2017
- Viking Fest (Whitestown, IN) 2018
- South Montgomery Co. school corporation renaissance festival, 2014, 2016
- Zionsville Public Library renaissance celebration, 2014
I also give performance presentations on music performance history as a guest lecturer at schools, churches, museums, and Masonic lodges.