Community Corner
A Bagpipe Player Shares His Experiences
An Interview with Pipes and Drums Band front Man
One of the highlights of St. Patrick's Day is the series of parades leading up to it, and one eager participant in the tri-state area is Pipe Major Bill McEvoy. McEvoy is the lead bagpipe player of the Essex County-based pipes and drums band South Park District, which practices at the South Orange Elks Club every Thursday night.
Also, members of South Park (who have been known to feature a picture of Eric Cartman on their drums) will appear today at St. James's Gate.
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Can you start off by talking about how you got into playing bagpipes?
Well, I kind of took a different path then usual starting out. Growing up, I had a friend who was taking lessons playing the bagpipes and he asked me to come along one time. I took an interest in the instrument and began taking lessons myself. I took lessons for about a year starting with a practice chanter, which is cheaper then the actual bag pipe instrument. From there, things just started taking off.
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How did the band South Park District get started?
It started with a bunch of friends from former bands that I was in. We got together and just played for fun before we started doing parades and competitions and things of that nature. Our first parade we did was the Belmar Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in 2003. The next year we were invited to do more parades and participate in competitions.
Does your band have original tunes or do you only play tunes that were written by another artist?
We mainly play tunes that were already written. We play Irish and Scottish marching tunes because we primarily play in parades and that is what people that go like to hear. In competitions we play dance tunes as well. For a few of the gigs, we do have original tunes, and I personally wrote one original myself. We would like to play and write more originals in the future, but traditionally in parades, marching bands play music that was already written.
What is your favorite tune to play and why?
There’s one called "Rocking the Baby" that our band likes to play. It’s lively and people can clap their hands to it, so that one is fun. It’s also challenging because it’s fast and I personally like tunes that are more difficult to play.
What has been the atmosphere at the St. Patrick's Day parades this year?
The atmosphere has been fun like always. A lot of people attend and are enthusiastic throughout the entire event. People cheer for us, which makes us feel good of course. ... Since we have a good reputation around the tri-state area, people come up to us after and make good remarks. Usually we even get invited to play at a bar when the parade is done. We actually played at Franklin Tavern and Halligan's in West Orange today (Sunday).
Why do you think people enjoy a pipes and drums band during this holiday?
Well, first off, there is a lot of tradition. Irish and Scottish music has been known to go with St. Patrick’s Day. It’s an Irish holiday, so people enjoy that type of music. When people hear a bagpipe band that’s in step and sounds good during a parade, it makes them happy.
