Roger Buston has a confession to make: He can't say for sure if his family is Celtic at all.
Nor does he believe his bandmates have roots in Scotland, Ireland or Wales, either.
"All of us have come to Celtic music through the back door," said the vocalist and guitarist for Three Row Barley, one of two acts performing this Saturday at the BC Highland Games in Coquitlam. "But we all decided we liked the music and we just chased it down."
Buston used to play rock and folk songs but, at the age of 39, he started writing Celtic material "and I realized there was something there for me," he said. "Call it divine intervention."
Buston counted the Rankins and the late Stan Rogers as influences. "I listened to them and Celtic music just came pouring out of me," he recalled, "so I just took it from there."
He joined The Quenchers, a seven-piece Celtic band that "had a reputation for good songs and solid shows," the frontman said.
He was with the group for four years before forming Three Row Barley in 2001 - now composed of Brian Taylor (voice/bodhran), Chris Williscroft (bass/mandolin) and Matt Reimer (fiddle).
Three Row Barley, which played the Highland Games in 2004, is strong in vocals and fiddle, he said.
And for this weekend's show, which will include special guest Lorne Warr, of Newfoundland (filling in for former member Dave Linney), Buston promises "a lot of favourites and good tunes" for the band's two half-hour concerts at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
Among the set list is Cod Liver Oil, Flower of Scotland, and Ballad of St. Anne's Reel.
For the shorter performances, "it's our job to get on with the program, hit it hard, get the audience's attention and leave them happy," Buston said. "It's our 30-minute challenge."
He added, "We have some wonderful originals. We have great energy. We have a solid core. And we really love to do shows like this. Performing live is something we do really well."
Three Row Barley - along withFiddleStix - will perform at Percy Percy Stadium (Town Centre Park) for the 130th annual BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival, which runs all day on Saturday and includes pipe bands, highland dancing, caber tossing, whiskey tasting, a car show and children's activities.
Tickets at the gate are $15/$10/$5.For more information on the entertainment or activities, visit www.bchighlandgames.com.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
