At long last, I am officially fully vaccinated, and you can once again see my unmasked cheeks inflating like those of a walrus. freshly awakened from hibernation. Going unmasked at indoor events, no matter how crowded, is now deemed safe for fully vaccinated people (as per the CDC). Of course, when I’m not piping I’ll continue to social distance and wear a mask. And as the bagpipe is truly the “original social distancing instrument” I can still be the “piper in the distance”, and the sound will surely travel over the hills and safely into your event. I know many out there have had to delay ve ..read more

Hidden deep in the Willamette Forest, a secret wedding took place. There were five total in attendance: a groom, bride, officiant, photographer, and a bagpiper.  Processing to the tune "The Secret Wedding" (made famous from the scene in Braveheart) the bride made her way to her fiance, and the marriage was sealed. The location and moment were made even more so indelible as only a few miles away a forest fire raged. I assume after we left it destroyed the very spot we stood.   Moments before the ceremony. Photo credit Victoria Carlson. Photo credit Victoria Carlson I've played many ..read more

I'm piping at a ton of bars and restaurants this Friday and Saturday- come celebrate the holiday with me and hear some live bagpipes! Here's where and (roughly) when I'll be performing publicly: Friday: 9:00 am - Renner's Bar & Grill Noon - Renner's 4:00 pm - Renner's 5:00 pm - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom 5:30 pm - McMenamins Bottle Shop 6:00 pm - McMenamins St. John's Theatre 6:30 pm - McMenamins White Eagle 7:00 pm - McMenamins Chapel Bar 7:30 pm - McMenamins Kennedy School 8:15 pm - McMenamins Edgefield 9:00 pm until late - Renner's Saturday: 5:30 - McMena ..read more

While most people don't celebrate the "halfway" point to holidays, McMenamins certainly does! The well-known restaurant chain and I will be doing our best to give you one more excuse to drink this Saturday, September 17th. Here are the locations I'll be piping through: Crystal Ballroom 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop St. John's White Eagle Chapel Pub Kennedy School (my old stomping ground) and last but certainly not least, Edgefield (my old, OLD stomping ground). There'll also be traditional Celtic music played throughout the day to tie you over until I get there. Come find me!  ..read more

It's football season, and I'm piping at every David Douglas home game this season! This is fitting as they are the David Douglas "Scots", and ironic because my (sort of) alma mater was Monmouth College, and their mascot? The Scots.  There we were in all of glory circa 2002. I'm off to the right...just out of shot, of course... In short, I and several other pipers and drummers were essentially the mascots of the school, and piped at every football game, volleyball game, swim meet, and sometimes even...frat parties! It was an incredibly small, mid-western private college in an even ..read more

A bagpipe suite we devised from the Game of Thrones Theme- who knew Khaleesi held such a powerful secret!? Chris Bollinger and I are extremely excited to finally release this after working on it for so long. We hope you enjoy it and were not too shocked at that one part (that was probably shocking). For any pipers interested in playing this crazy arrangement here's the sheet music: Game of Thrones Theme 1sts Game of Thrones Theme 2nds And if anyone's curious the tartan we're wearing is the Muted Red Fraser, which has been worn by the Portland Metro Pipe Band for about 10 years. Pipers: Mark Mu ..read more

In recent news that shockered internet readers regionally, Oregon Piper (aka Markus Aurelius) will be starring in the highly acclaimed, live-action Broadway adaptation of "Frozen". The 42 day run will freeze up his schedule from Feb 15th to March 27th and sadly cause him to miss St. Patrick's Day in Portland. If you're looking for a piper during this time please contact Markus's union understudy Will Beatti at 541.740.0568. While it was hard to let America's greatest holiday go, Markus assured us that this is the last time he's leaving town for quite an indefinitely, and will be available fo ..read more

Yes, it was my first time using photoshop, so shut it. It's that time of year again! I'll be out of town for about the next month on tour so if you find yourself getting married or dying anytime soon please contact one of my bagpiping associates: Dan Delmain | portlandbagpiper.com   Travis Nelson | travydn@gmail.com Specifically, I'll be gone from about 10/20 to 11/22 and I'll be headed to: Las Crucas, NM Farmington, NM Socorro, NM Alamogordo, NM Santa Fe (<< let's open up a restaurant here!) Midland, TX Houston San Antonio Tyler, TX Lafayette, TX Irving, TX Also by the ti ..read more

Today something happened that has never happened before (which is rare in the world of bagpiping). I received a thank you note from an individual I'd never met, who heard me piping from a distance (because, ya' know...bagpipes) at a completely separate funeral service. Here's an excerpt: "Dear Mark, This is a heartfelt note of thanks from a Canadian of Scottish decent, thanking you for your beautiful bagpipe music which was a great comfort to me recently. At the time I couldn't see where the music was coming from so later I asked at the cemetery office and was given your name. ...wh ..read more

That's right. I'm back from France, the sun's out, and it's piping season babyyy. If you've been asking yourself "What is my life MISSING!?" It's probably hearing some fun, modern, and (most importantly) live piping! Either that or maybe you just haven't seen Battlestar Galactica yet. This Saturday 7pm The Milwaukee Odd Fellows Hall | 10282 SE Main St. Milwaukee, OR 97222 $10 In addition, a professional piper by the name of Colin Gemmell will also be giving a solo performance. I also heard a rumor that I may be playing that one tune you guys seem to like so much. You know ..read more