A Hebridean folk band has created a treasure hunt of iconic places which inspired their upcoming album, Aisling.
Eabhal – made up of five members from Uist – has teamed up with Bothy Society to inspire people to hunt down “treasure” left by the band.
Having merged online and offline with the use of augmented reality video and the popular activity of geocaching, the band hopes to encourage people to explore Scotland and north England.
Geocaching uses a mobile device and GPS navigation that will lead people to containers or “geocaches” in spots across the country.
Those who find the geocaches will discover hidden links to listen to the tracks and post comments about the music, the location and anything else they find on their journey.
The aim of the campaign is for people to get to know the deeper meaning behind the band’s music and the breath-taking scenery that inspires them as folk artists.
‘The history, culture and language of the tradition is massively important’
Jamie MacDonald, the fiddle player with Eabhal, said, “For us, as folk artists, the history, culture and language of the tradition is massively important as much as innovation and evolution are as well.
“With Aisling, we’re really trying to emphasise this and invite the audience into the stories and the narrative around the music.”
Being a musical act from the Scottish Islands, the five-piece draw much of their inspiration from ancient Scotland including the mix of English and Gaelic songs.
Their new album, Aisling, features several songs that incorporate Gaelic and traditional folk instruments such as Mhòrag and Cuir Cùlaibh ri Asainte.
Mr MacDonald added: “The album is a culmination of our creative work so far, and it draws heavily on geographical influences.
“Each track has a strong connection with a place and a time, as well as drawing inspiration from the people we have met throughout our travels as a band.”
To accompany the album, the band are playing several live dates including Inverness, Tarbert, Lochmaddy and Glenelg.
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