Auchies Spikkin’ Auchie – Grace Skinner

Auchies Spikkin’ Auchieis an innovative, moving and beautiful celebration of the unique language, stories and fishing heritage of Avoch on the Black Isle.

Clàrsach player, composer and ethnologist Grace Stewart-Skinner intertwines field recordings of Avoch locals speaking the village’s distinctive Avochie dialect with her own original compositions, creating what she describes as an“ethnomusicological postcard”of her home village

The project began when Grace rediscovered an old recording of her grandfather reciting his own poetry in Avochie. Finding little trace of the dialect preserved in archives, she began recording local people herself — capturing their voices, stories and a language closely connected to generations of Avoch’s fishing community

For the live performance, Grace is joined by Rose Logan on fiddle, Rhona MacDonald on double bass and Ewa Adamiec on drums/percussion, with film of the Avoch landscape by Michiel Turner accompanying the music.

The resulting performance brings together music, spoken word, archive and film, celebrating a remarkable piece of Highland cultural heritage while exploring what can be lost as communities, industries and languages change.

The album has received considerable recognition: it was shortlisted for the Sound Roots Folk Album of the Year Award, shortlisted for Community Project of the Year at the Scots Language Awards, and won Innovative Project of the Year at the FATEA Magazine Awards.