COMING FROM SCOTLAND: The Tannahill Weavers mix traditional Celtic music with rock and roll, bringing the highland pipes into the mix. They will perform at Christ Congregation Church on Friday, September 20 at 8 p.m.

The Princeton Folk Music Society opens its 2024-25 season with the Scottish folk rock group The Tannahill Weavers, coming to Christ Congregation Church on Friday, September 20 at 8 p.m.

The band features a combination of traditional melodies, driving rhythmic accompaniment, and three-part vocal harmonies. They are known for being the first Scottish folk group to incorporate an instrument long thought to be too loud to play with other traditional folk instruments: the highland pipes.

Roy Gullane (guitar and lead vocals) and Phil Smillie (flute, whistles, bodhran, and harmony vocals) formed the band in Paisley, Scotland, as the traditional folk-rock movement was getting started in 1968. The band now also includes Iain MacGillivray (highland bagpipes, fiddle, and whistles) and Malcolm Bushby (fiddle, bouzouki, and harmony vocals).

McGillivray, who is the clan leader of Clan MacGillivray, comes from a piping family. Both his grandfather and father are former world champions.

The band is named for the Scottish poet Robert Tannahill (1774-1810), who was known as the “Weaver Poet.” They have recorded several of his songs.

Christ Church is at 50 Walnut Lane. Tickets are $25 ($20 for members; $10 for students), available online or at the door if not sold out. Visit princetonfolk.org.