Bagpipes aren't quite the same tradition as baseball and barbecue when it comes to the Fourth of July, but the Scottish aerophones are rapidly establishing themselves as one in Juneau.
The pipes will be honking from morning until past midnight as members of the traditional/modern Celtic band Fire On McGinnis march with the Stroller White Pipes Band in parades downtown and in Douglas, then play the second-half of a marathon evening of music at the Island Pub.
If one is looking for a historical tie-in, consider that bagpipes have long been a tradition in parades worldwide, said Mike Barnhill, also known as Lazlo, the guitarist for Fire On McGinnis.
"If there's a bagpipe band within 100 miles of a parade, they're probably going to be in it," he said.
Nobody's likely to confuse their music with "Yankee Doodle Dandy," but they play a large repertoire of modern rock, constantly adding tunes rearranged with Celtic and other accents.
"We (recently) kind of did a twist off the cover song 'We Will Rock You,'" said David Sheakley, the band's drummer. "We twist it out, add some bagpipies and add a song between."
In addition to Barnhill and Sheakley, Fire on McGinnis band members include Laurie Gardner, Martha Defreest, James Bibb, Mr. D. and Mark Lukey on sound.
The Island Pub, which has featured Fire On McGinnis on the Fourth during the past two years, is adding the acoustic-rock group One Aisle Over this year. The quartet, featuring Naomi Hooley on keyboards, Josh Lockhart on guitar, Rod Crist on mandolin, Chris Fannin on bass and Daniel Hays on drums, focuses on what they call unconventional and collaborative originals, often including personal themes.
"They're just real popular. They're probably the two bands we use most," said Rick Kasnick, president of the Island Pub, on adding a second band.
He said One Aisle Over is scheduled to play from 4 to 8 p.m., followed by Fire On McGinnis from 9 p.m. until the wee hours, whatever those may be. Extra seating outdoors will be available, weather permitting.
"It's our busiest day of the year," he said.
Sheakley acknowledged the prolonged day "is a little bit of stress for some of us," but Barnhill, who will be up late watching fireworks with his family the night before, said it's also a show of loyalty.
"For those of us that can't get enough of bagpipes it's great," he said.

By Mark Sabbatini | FOR THE EMPIRE