The name Cantrip is an Old Scots word meaning a charm, magic spell or piece of mischief and it aptly describes the unexpected twists and turns in their musical arrangements, likewise the compelling potency of their musicianship. Swirling border pipes, raging fiddle, thunderous guitar and three rich voices blend to create a sound energetic enough to tear the roof off. Echoes can be heard of trad music from the 1960s and 70s, but the years have slowly infested their music with the sounds of funk, metal, bluegrass, swing, and even klezmer. Dan Houghton, Jon Bews, Alasdair White and Eric McDonald stir the elements in a witches' cauldron, slowly coalescing into chaotic order.

Dan Houghton (pipes, whistles, flutes, guitar, bouzouki, vocals) is a multiple winner of the Scottish Lowland and Border Pipers’ Society Open Borderpipes and New Composition events and the Mâitre de Cornemuse at St. Chartier. In addition to pipes he is an accomplished player on the flute, bouzouki and DADGAD guitar, which can be showcased in his brand new solo album, "Border Pipe Personality Disorder". He is an instructor at the Vermont Institute of Celtic Arts, and can also be seen performing with the duo “If You Must Know” with harpist Rachel Clemente. In addition to Edinburgh Dan has lived in Dunedin New Zealand, Toulouse France, Halifax Novia Scotia and Southwestern Vermont in the United States. Exposure to the traditional music communities in all of these places has honed Dan's skills, and introduced him to a plethora of musicians.

A veteran of the fiddle, having started at age four, Jon Bews (fiddle, vocals) came to Scots music from a classical education by way of Goth rock. But it didn't take long for him to entrench himself and carve out a name as a fiddler. A prizewinning graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 1994, he spent seven years with the renowned band Malinky, during which time they released two award winning albums. In 2008, Jon parted ways with the band but continued to maintain a very active schedule, and he has become one of Edinburgh's most in demand fiddlers. In 2019 Jon performed a run of gigs with the legendary group Shooglenifty and his playing appears on their recent single "East West". In addition to Cantrip, Jon is currently active with two other Edinburgh based bands, Storm the Palace and OBT (Oakes/Bews/Thorpe), both of which have recently released albums to great acclaim.

Alasdair White (fiddle): Alasdair's deep rooted yet wide-ranging musicality reflects his Isle of Lewis birthplace, current New York City home, and over 20 years globe-trotting with some of the best known names in Scottish, Irish, and Breton music, including Battlefield Band, Alan Kelly, and Gaelic Super-group, Dàimh. He is an exceptional exponent of West-coast Scottish music and is widely regarded as one of the foremost Scottish fiddler players of his generation. Alasdair is perhaps best known as having been a member of Scotland’s seminal Battlefield Band since 2001, touring extensively in that time throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Boston raised and Berklee educated, Eric McDonald (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, vocals) has established himself as one of the USA's premier accompanists in many styles. He is an active session player, regularly recording and traveling with musicians of many stripes. Touring credits include award winning singer/songwriter Connor Garvey, Pan Celtic Supergroup The Outside Track, flute phenom Chris Norman’s Ensemble, Northern Irish Music trio Daymark, and as an accompanist with fiddlers Andrea Beaton, Wendy MacIsaac, Brendan Carey Block and Katie McNally. In addition to Cantrip, he can currently be seen touring with the celtic roots trio Kalos, folk trio Bellwether and Juno Winning Canadian folk legends The McDades.

Storytelling through song is a fundamental duty of traditional music, and Matthew Byrne does this brilliantly. His musical upbringing has shaped his repertoire, and Byrne supports this tradition with powerful vocals, polished guitar work, and a presence that fills the room.

With parents who were both singers and song collectors and a strong family focus on sharing songs, Byrne has inherited a unique repertoire and a fascination with unearthing and reimagining traditional songs.

“I’m not a folklorist or ethnomusicologist, at least not officially. And I’m not a purist. I’ve poured over the nuances of the pub standards as much as the obscure murder balladry. What attracts me to a traditional song is the right combination of melody and language, which have always fascinated me.”

But Byrne is also a student of history whose love of traditional music goes well beyond the words and music. For him, songs are ways of understanding people before him...their lives, work, language, and worldview.

“I see songs as sources of the past—windows into my own family history. Traditional music has always been the most important tool for understanding where I come from and who I am. My live performance is meant to take audiences on a journey through the lineage of my repertoire and share what these songs have revealed to me.”