Tarmachan
About Us
When Tarmachan plays for your ceilidh, everyone will have the chance to get up and dance. Our experienced caller, Marieke, will guide you through the steps with ease — whether you’re completely new to Scottish ceilidh dancing or just need a quick refresher.
We bring our own PA system and require around 30 minutes to set up and soundcheck before the dancing begins. For your peace of mind, we have public liability insurance, and all our equipment is PAT tested annually to ensure safety and reliability.
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Named after the classic walking route just north of Killin and Loch Tay, Tarmachan is a dynamic ceilidh and folk band from the heart of Perthshire, Scotland.
Our traditional line-up features:
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Marieke McBean – Guitar, vocals, and dance calling
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Ewan McBean – Fiddle
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Willie Chisholm – Accordion
For a fresh twist, our alternative line-up sees Marieke and Ewan joined by:
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Audrey Litterick – Fiddle
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Andrew Warwick – Percussion and guitar
Tarmachan’s repertoire is varied, from haunting slow airs and traditional ballads to foot-stomping jigs and fast-paced reels — perfect for both ceilidh dancing and atmospheric background music. Based on Loch Tayside, we’re available for events across Perthshire and beyond. The band has been performing together since 2007, bringing years of experience to every event. Get in touch to discuss the line-up and musical options that best suit your occasion.
Marieke McBean - guitar, vocals and calling
Marieke was born in The Netherlands, but moved to Scotland in 2001 due to her love of traditional Scottish music. She was an active participant in the Edinburgh session scene for several years before moving to Loch Tayside with her husband Ewan, who is also in the band. She is the founding member of the successful Scottish contemporary folk band Rallion. She has performed at festivals, folk clubs and theatres throughout the world, including performances in Canada, Italy and Norway. Rallion has two cd's available.
Marieke's voice can be heard on "The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill - Volume 2" and she performed at its launch concert during Celtic Connections in Glasgow. Other cd's on which Marieke can be heard are "You & I" by Dithis and "After the Festival" by Ian Main & Andrew Lyons.
"Marieke McBean sings with the fervour and abandon of a wild banshee." - Mike Wilson's Music Blog
"Dutch-born singer Marieke McBean is proving quite splendid at sounding genuinely local [...] A fine voice!" - Peter McGee, Bluesbunny Independent Music Reviews
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Ewan McBean - fiddle
Ewan was born and brought up in Edinburgh, but is now based just outside Fortingall where he lives with wife Marieke and their two kids. Ewan started playing and studying violin at school.
After a break from playing he has been performing Scottish traditional music for more than 20 years. Early in his playing career he received tuition from Marie Fielding and Mhairi Campbell. Ewan played and travelled widely including performances in America, Norway, Spain and various festivals in the UK.
He also played for three years running at the prestigious music festival T in the Park.
His main influences are Scottish traditional and modern folk music including the Gaelic tradition, piping tradition and Cape Breton style of playing.
Willie Chisholm - accordion
Willie has been squeezing from as young as 11. He remembers his dad bringing a hohner 8 bass button piano accordion down from the loft, and it was pretty obvious even at that stage that he fell in love with it. The accordion remains in great condition and is now living in Comrie!
Willie is no stranger to the ceilidh scene, having played in many sessions and festivals up the West Coast, Wales and Ireland. He has been taught by both Colin Dewar and Neil Sinclair.
Willie started off as a classically trained pianist, but there aren't many pianos you can fling round your shoulder or squeeze...
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Andy Warwick - percussion
Andy has been playing instruments for as long as he can remember. His dad played in Klezmer and jazz bands, so it seems fitting that Andy’s first instrument was the trombone.
As he grew up, he decided that a guitar might be more useful at parties and sessions, so he taught himself to play it. Andy mainly plays percussion when with Tarmachan, but as well as guitar, he also sings, plays mandolin/octave mandolin, banjo and moothie.
Rooted in Scottish Trad, Andy is equally happy playing blues, jazz, rock and folk music from around the world. He can often be found playing tunes with the other musicians he finds in pubs all over the Scottish Highlands.
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Audrey Litterick - fiddle
Audrey comes from a musical family with long roots in both Scottish and Irish Trad. She started on recorder at age 4 and concentrated on piano from age 6. She took up fiddle aged 11 and was hooked for ever after, adding soprano whistles and eventually low whistles to her list of favourite instruments as time went on.
Audrey was born in and has now returned to Highland Perthshire, but earlier spent 12 years playing with the amazing Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society, concentrating on the Northeast fiddle style. During that time, she learnt a great deal from some very fine fiddlers including Jane Davidson, Tracy Webster, Lucy Sutherland and Paul Anderson.
Audrey enjoys writing her own tunes as a response to the funny, wacky, beautiful, sad or terrible things that happen in all of our lives. When not climbing mountains in the highlands and Islands, Audrey spends time in the best pubs near to the hills, seeking out local musicians to play with.