If you are interested in learning the pipes, head to Matt’s personal website: www.mattpiper.com

Matt Willis is originally from Austin, Texas by way of California and is the world-class bagpiper in the band. Now living in Carrollton, TX he is an experienced player of the great Highland bagpipes, the Scottish smallpipes, as well as the Irish whistle and uilleann pipes, and has competed internationally at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Matt was a longtime principal member of the Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums in Austin, and a piping instructor for the Austin Youth Pipes and Drums organization. He has won numerous awards and is a former competitor with the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. Matt’s bagpiping precision rounds out The Killdares’ large Celtic sound, and his versatility allows for seamless transitions between pop-rock ballads and fire-driven jigs and reels.

NAME – Matt Willis

FROM – Born in Mountain View, CA… Now living in Carrollton, TX

INSTRUMENT – Highland bagpipes, Electronic Pipes, Irish Whistles, Flute, backing vocals

FAVORITE BANDS/ARTISTS – Jethro Tull, Simon & Garfunkel, Black Sabbath,  Oysterband, Fiona Apple, Iron Maiden, Norah Jones, The Offspring

FAVORITE PIPERS – Willie McCallum, Jack Lee, Gordon Duncan (RIP), Ronan Brown, Tom Campbell

FAVORITE COLOR – Orange

FAVORITE KD SONG TO PLAY LIVE – “The Challenger”

FIRST WORDS THAT COME INTO YOUR HEAD – All right, now how best to answer this…

FIRST SONG I LEARNED ON PIPES – “The High Road to Gairloch” was the first tune my instructor had me learn properly. I still play it from time to time to open our shows…

NICKNAMES – I’ve been dubbed the “Pipe Nazi” by some of my bagpipe students…

FAVORITE FILM(S) – Old School, Stripes, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Casino Royale, Talladega Nights, Excalibur, Office Space, A  Mighty Wind

FIRST GIG (watching) – Jethro Tull, Berkley CA, December 1991

BEST GIG (watching) – Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer performing the music of Spın̈al Tap acoustically, as well as their folk material from A Mighty Wind. Just fantastic performers and entertainers who really know their craft.

BEST GIG (playing) – It’s hard to think of a better show than the DVD shoot at the Granada Theater in Dallas… Started with a pancake breakfast at The Original Pancake House and ended with cocktails at Tim’s place. Oh, and we had a show in there somewhere…

FIRST ALBUM OWNED – As in bought with my own money? Then…it would be Black Sabbath’s Paranoid.

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM – The Cleveland Indians from Major League.

5 PEOPLE YOU WOULD INVITE TO DINNER IF YOU COULD – Stephen Colbert, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Bill Clinton, Will Ferrell, and Rachel Maddow

FAVORITE FOOD – I’m partial to my post-workout concoction consisting of a huge bowl of Cap’n Crunch, a huge pile of raspberries & blueberries, and skim milk with chocolate whey protein added… I call it Crunch Time.

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS PIPER OF THE BAND? To add the celtic sounds and flavor, while also bringing the bagpipe into the 21st century. I try to use the pipes as a musical instrument in the broader sense, as an instrument that plays music, not just Scottish or Irish music. The Killdares allows me room for both traditional piping and more cutting edge playing.

FAVORITE QUOTE – “Anybody want a peanut?” Andre the Giant as Fezzik in The Princess Bride