Johnny Lewis Morag
Jiginaboot Ceilidh Band was formed in 2011 and has been playing at ceilidhs up and down the country ever since. Our repertoire mainly consists of tunes from Scotland and Ireland, as well as from further afield and our own compositions. The band is based around Peebles, in the Scottish Borders
Lewis plays bouzouki, guitar and accordion with Jiginaboot. He graduated in 2013 with first class honours in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University, winning the Harry Clews prize for highest final recital mark in his year group. Lewis has performed with many groups over the years, covering a wide range of traditional styles from Scotland, France, the Balkans and the Middle East. As well as Jiginaboot, Lewis most regularly performs with Balkan group Horovod, the Matt Seattle Band and as a duo with Morag Brown. Lewis has performed in Europe and Asia as well as across the UK.
Morag's fiddle-playing reflects a wide range of influences: primarily Scottish and other traditional styles from around the British Isles, but also from across Europe and the Middle East. Originally from Edinburgh, Morag studied music at Newcastle University at postgraduate level, and was awarded a Masters in Music with distinction from Newcastle University in 2012. Morag is an experienced dance caller, and has worked with a number of ceilidh bands. She also performs regularly with various other projects, including Balkan ensemble Horovod, the Matt Seattle Band, Awry and as a duo with Lewis. During weekdays Morag teaches Suzuki violin and fiddle in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders.
Johnny is a fiddle player from Peebles, and founder member of groups such as One Glass Eye, Oi Tate, and the Barrel Scrapers. In earlier years he lived in Berlin and toured with a punk folk lineup across Germany. He has an extensive repertoire of his own compositions, some of which have been incorporated into the band arrangements. As well as fiddle and banjo in Jiginaboot, Johnny also plays bouzouki, tin whistle, bodhran and mandolin. He also runs a business building, selling, and hiring out tipis - www.wolfglentipis.co.uk.