Ashley MacIsaac plays the fiddle with an intensity, authenticity, and passion that is hard to deny. He learned his chops at an early age mentored by some of the legendary greats from around where he grew up, performing all over Cape Breton Island in halls, clubs, barns, and kitchens. Ashley has made albums running the gamut from traditional Cape Breton fiddle music to boundary busting rock ‘n’ roll-styled fiddle arrangements to fronting a full-on rock band as lead singer. Since his breakthrough album—Hi How Are You Today?—was released in the mid-1990s, Ashley has toured the world, presenting his music in a variety of styles and settings ranging from summer festival rock show to EDM party to classic traditional events. Whether he’s playing a square dance, making a television appearance, or hosting a live streamed Quarantine Ceilidh, we always wait to see what Ashley will bring us next from his eclectic, yet deeply-rooted-in-traditional-music, lifestyle. This year at Celtic Colours he’s bringing his exciting traditional/modern interpretations of classic Cape Breton fiddle tunes around the island with guitarist Ben Tucker.